These ingredients may seem an unlikely pairing. Yet, it is amazing how the flavors blend together and make an outstanding dish. This can be served as a first course or entree. It is the perfect addition to a holiday menu.
4 ounces butter 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 onion, 1/4″ dice 1 1/2 rib celery, 1/4″ dice 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/4″ dice 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 lg cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons Cajunville seasoning or other Cajun seasoning 2 pounds large Gulf shrimp, peeled 6 cups shrimp stock* or chicken stock 1-2 teaspoon Worcestershire 1 tablespoon Crystal’s hot sauce (or your favorite) 1 bunch green onion, sliced
*If shrimp have shells, boil shells for broth
Directions:
Season with shrimp with 1 Tbl Cajunville seasoning, set aside Melt butter. Add flour and make roux Add onion, celery, green pepper Smother for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Add garlic, saute for about 1 minute Stir in shrimp stock, bring to boil and turn to simmer Add cayenne, Cajunville seasoning, Worcestershire and Crystal Hot Sauce Add shrimp, cook about 3 minutes until pink Taste and adjust seasoning Serve over rice and garnish with green onions
Catfish is a common fish in Cajun country. Growing up, we ate it often; mostly fired. As adults, we began experimenting with other ways of cooking catfish. Pan grilled has become one of our favorite cooking methods. Many types of sauces can be added and enjoyed. This recipe uses a simple cream sauce along with pan grilled shrimp.
Cajun French: le pain d’mais (lu pain d’ma-ee) – cornbread
Cornbread is a staple in the Cajun house. For breakfast it is served as couche couche, for lunch with beans and dinner as the bread. Cornbread goes with so many meals yet it is rarely a main course. This recipe is the perfect main course, add a salad and dinner is served.
This recipe was originally designed as an appetizer for 4 people. The bread size was large enough to hold two shrimp and veggies. While this is great as an appetizer, it also can be served over pasta, used as a taco filling, pizza or whatever your imagination thinks up. This recipe is quick, easy and versatile. If you have leftovers, they are great the next day!
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp does not have BBQ sauce or anything related to BBQ. In fact, no one is sure how the name came about. What is sure, the original BBQ Shrimp was developed at Pascal’s Manale Restaurant in New Orleans in the 1950s. The recipe was based on a dish had by Vincent Sutro, a regular at Pascal’s, while visiting Chicago. Unfortunately Sutro could not remember the exact ingredients; something about shrimp, butter and pepper. So chef Jake Radosta went into the kitchen, came out with a dish and served Sutro. Sutro said it was not the dish he had in Chicago, but it was better than the dish he had. BBQ Shrimp was born and has been on the menu ever since. Today many restaurants and home cooks prepare BBQ Shrimp, each having their own twist.
Being Cajun, we add our own twist to the recipe. To be honest, it is the way it was prepared in Laurie’s family. The Cajun Trinity is smothered down in olive oil before adding anything else. We like it this way because the trinity gives the gravy some substance, especially when dipping bread.
We admit there is an enormous amount of butter. But then that is what makes the gravy so good. Don’t shortchange on the butter. It is not an everyday dish, so make it and savor every bite.
While traveling we are not always able to buy fresh fish and we had been fresh fish deprived for a while. Heading back to south Mississippi, we knew fresh fish was waiting. Laurie enjoys fish en papillote and had not had it for some time. John’s creative juices started flowing and below is the result.
Calorie overload during Mardi Gras – yes that was us. So, we were ready for some down home cooking. What better than Shrimp Etouffee – simple, easy, good Cajun cooking. We even made it easier by using dry roux. That is not always our method, but Mardi Gras wore us out; we needed easy.
Shopping at farmers markets while we travel brings new and different products to our table. One such find was shishito peppers. The pepper is an East Asian variety and makes great finger food. We decided to add them to our Shrimp and ground cherries to give a sweet/hot taste. There were a few leftover so we cut off the stems, chopped them and added to eggs for an excellent scramble.
Saturdays usually mean shopping at a farmers market and breakfast out. This has become a tradition of ours no matter where we may be located. This Saturday we were in Breaux Bridge, LA and knew the Lafayette markets well, having shopped them many times. There are three farmers markets in Lafayette which is interesting for a city of its size and the markets are close together. Continue reading “Day of Surprises – Truck Stop Eating”