Tag: cajun

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Gateau Sirop

Cajun French:  le sirop (lu see-rō) – syrup

 

An Old LA Recipe

Both of our grandmothers were Cajun and from the same small community of Brusly, LA. Due to that, there are many foods which were cooked in a similar way. Also, there are lots of foods which are considered Cajun, or which are cooked the Cajun way, which survive today. There are a very few, however, which are unique because the common ingredients are so ubiquitous to LA – and Gateau Sirop is one.

Laurie Finding a Lost Treasure

There are recipes that bring back memories of Grandma’s kitchen smelling of warm cake and love. Gateau Sirop is the recipe that brings back wonderful memories of my Maw Maw’s kitchen and all the love she poured out. What makes this recipe so special is that it was lost for almost 12 years. In fact all of my Maw Maw’s recipes were lost. In cleaning out my grandparents dry cleaners, we found her box of recipes. It was a joyous moment! My grandmother was of Acadian decent and the Cajun language is not a written language so there were not many recipes written down. To find that box of recipes was a true treasure she gave to me and my sisters. Continue reading “Gateau Sirop”

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Pesto Shrimp

Cajun French: la prune (la prūn) – plum

 

Most of our recipes are made from “starch”, but sometimes we have prepared items that must be used.  We do not like to throw out anything including prepared foods.  In walks Pesto and we must use it somehow, somewhere, in something, etc.  The pesto had already been used on pizza, but we still had half a bottle left.  Shrimp was on the menu and the pesto became a marinade.  The blending of flavors became a simple supper of shrimp with fresh plum and avocado.  This is a great summer evening meal!

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Pesto Shrimp”

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Shrimp Citrus Salad

Cajun French:  l’orange (l’ō-ronj) – orange

 

A small bottle of Sweet Roasted Garlic Balsamic Dressing was hanging out in our pantry.  We weren’t sure how we would use the dressing.  Flash forward, on the table in our fruit bowl was oranges and avocados while in the fridge we had cooked shrimp, roasted corn and roasted garlic.  It was coming together.  We decided to build a citrus salad with shrimp.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Shrimp Citrus Salad”

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Fish Brining

Cajun French:  le sel (lu sel) – salt

 

Brining has become very popular for meats and poultry.  Since neither is on our menu, we decided to try brining fish and WOW!  This brine is easy, simple and oh so good.  We have used it for catfish as well as salmon and smoked the fish with excellent results.  When smoking, we used apple wood which added an extra sweetness.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Fish Brining”

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Grilled Veggie and Shrimp Pizza

Cajun French: le jardinage (lu jar-deen-aj) – vegetables

 

Grilled Pizza

Pizza has the reputation of high fat, high calorie food.  Because of this pizza is something we enjoy yet rarely indulge in.  We had a whole wheat pizza crust and were trying to decide what to do with it.  Grilling is a favorite way of cooking for us and so Grilled Pizza was on the menu.  Not only grill the pizza but also grill the vegetables that would go on the pizza.  This process is a labor of love and does take some time, yet the end product is worth every minute of preparation and cooking.  We took what would have been high fat and calorie and made it healthy.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Grilled Veggie and Shrimp Pizza”

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Cane Vinegar Salad Dressing

Cajun French:  la salade (la sal-ad) – salad

 

Growing up among fields of sugar cane in south Louisiana we are always interested in local products made with sugar cane.  Steens, famous for their pure cane syrup, makes cane vinegar from their cane syrup.  The vinegar has a light sweet aftertaste and adds a unique flavor to this dressing.  This dressing is great with tomato and red onion salad, potato and dill salad, and just about any other salad you prepare.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Cane Vinegar Salad Dressing”

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Crawfish Boil Fritter

Cajun French:  l’écrevisse bouilli (l’ā-krū-vees boo-ee) – boiled crawfish

 

Crawfish boils bring family and friends together to enjoy the bounty of south Louisiana.  Every Cajun family has their own “special” boiling recipe and most are willing to share to prove it’s the best!  Besides the enjoyment of the boil itself, one of the best parts is the left over crawfish.  Most families plan their boils so there is crawfish left to incorporate in other dishes.  Our Saturday afternoon boil was no different and we had crawfish to make our Crawfish Boil Fritter.  This is a sweet savory dish and makes a great start to any meal.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Crawfish Boil Fritter”

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La Louisiana Delicata Squash

Cajun French:  le cachat (lu ka-sha) – squash

 

While traveling we see many varieties of fruits and vegetables not available in Louisiana.  One such was the Delicata Squash we purchased at the North Platte, NE farmers market.  As we normally do with most of our fresh vegetables, the Delicata Squash was grilled using olive oil and salt.  We enjoyed it, were glad to have tasted it and added a new vegetable to our food regimen.

What do we see at the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge, LA this week but a Delicata Squash – what a surprise.  The farmer called it Sweet Potato Squash; no matter the name we had to have it.  This time we decided to roast it with fresh sweet red peppers, onions and leeks.  We gave the dish a Louisiana spin by using Steen’s Cane Syrup and Creole Mustard.

Interested to know why it was called Sweet Potato Squash, research ensued.  We found the name came from the pulp tasting somewhat like a sweet potato.  Also the rind is edible which gives another dimension to the squash.  While researching we came across an article by “What’s Cooking America”,  stating that the Delicata Squash was first introduced in New York City in 1894 and was popular through the 1920’s.  Once vegetables began being transported from one area to the other, the Delicata became unavailable due to its thinner more tender skin which was not suited for transportation and storage.

Now with the popularity of farmers markets, vegetables like the Delicata Squash are available and enjoyed once again.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “La Louisiana Delicata Squash”

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Roasted Corn Tomato Sauce

Cajun French:  la sauce aux tomates (la sos ō tō-mat) – tomato sauce

 

Salmon was the main dish and we were looking for a side.  In the frig we found fresh ears of corn, homemade tomato sauce and left over spaghetti – that was a good start.  We first decided to roast the corn, then we added the sauce and finally the pasta and a side was born.  The salmon was grilled with rosemary seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Roasted Corn Tomato Sauce”

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Grilled Eggplant and Artichoke Sandwich

Cajun French:  la farine de maïs (la far-een du ma-ee) – corn meal

 

A loaf of cornmeal and corn bread was one of our purchases at the farmers market.  We only find this bread when fresh corn is in season, so we purchase a loaf every week as long as it is available.  The bread taste fresh and clean and melts in your mouth!

We wanted to make the bread a part of our lunch so the planning was around the bread.  Fresh eggplant, sweet red peppers and tomatoes were also some of our purchases and we had marinaded artichokes so a sandwich was born.  Add onions and we were set for stacking a sandwich.

Mais C’est Bon!

Enjoy!! Continue reading “Grilled Eggplant and Artichoke Sandwich”

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