40.1
The Cajun Cook BOOK
Chapter 1: Rice and Roux
Jambalaya (New Orleans style)
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 10 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (16 ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon file powder
- 1 1/4 cups uncooked white rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Add all ingredients to list
Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a large heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the sausage and chicken pieces with Cajun seasoning. Saute sausage until browned. Remove with slotted spoon, and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil, and saute chicken pieces until lightly browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
Gonzales Jambalaya
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 whole cut-up chicken or any parts you like (about 3 pounds)
Tony Chacere's or other Creole seasoning
Oil for browning
1 pound smoked sausage (ideally, Veron's), cut in coin shapes
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large pod garlic, minced
2 cups long-grain rice
1 capful liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups chicken broth
Kitchen Bouquet for a browner color (if needed)
Season chicken with Tony's or any other seasoning and brown in oil. Remove chicken, and saute the onions, celery and garlic until onions are clear. Add the sausage and brown it. Return chicken to pot and add broth, Liquid Smoke and, if you want a browner color, Kitchen Bouquet.
Bring to a rolling boil and add rice. Bring again to a really hard rolling boil, stir, and lower heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Classic Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 pound chicken gizzards
- 3 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or oil
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/2 pound ground pork or pork sausage
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper or a combination of red and green
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- or a dash of Tabasco sauce
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
- 1/2 pound chicken livers, minced
-
How to Make It
- In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the chicken or beef broth to a boil. Add the chicken gizzards to the broth and reduce heat to low; simmer the gizzards for 30 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and grind them or chop them very finely. Reserve the broth.
- Add the drippings or oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a Dutch oven or flame-proof casserole over medium heat. When the oil and butter mixture is hot, add the ground pork and ground or chopped gizzards. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned.. Lower the heat, add vegetables and seasonings, and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 250 F.
- Add the rice and reserved broth and then quickly bring to a boil. Stir, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- Saute minced chicken livers in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter for 3 minutes.
- Toss the minced chicken livers with the rice, taste for seasoning, and adjust with more salt and pepper, as needed.
- Cover the pan or casserole and place it in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
Serves 6 as a main dish.
Tips and Variations
- Replace the ground pork with ground sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey thighs.
- Omit the gizzards and increase the ground pork or sausage to 1 pound and the chicken livers to 3/4 to 1 pound.
- Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley to the finished dish.
Red Beans and Rice
If you have access to ham hocks and not shanks, you may want to make up the difference in meat (hocks have much less meat) with sausage. Just take 1/2 pound of Andouille sausage, slice, brown first before adding to the beans with the ham shanks. If you do not eat pork, you might try making this with smoked turkey sausage, in which case I would replace some of the water with chicken stock.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry small red beans
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs meaty ham shanks
- 4 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons of Cajun or Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's or Zatarains) or to taste*
- Tabasco sauce**
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooked white rice (from about 3 cups raw rice)
- In the same pot, saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until tender. Stir in crushed tomatoes, and season with red pepper, black pepper, salt, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and file powder. Stir in chicken and sausage. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
- Serve.
Crawfish Etouffee
INGREDIENTS
-
-
- 1 lb. packaged Louisiana crawfish tails, soaking in 1.5 c. water
-
- 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
-
- 1 lg. onion, diced
-
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
-
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
-
- 2-3 stalks celery*, diced
-
- 2 tbsp. oil (canola or veggie, tho I used olive once and it was pretty good)
-
- 2 tbsp. butter
-
- 4 tbsp. flour
-
- cayenne
-
- white pepper
-
- salt
-
- garlic powder
-
- 3-4 scallions, chopped
-
- rice
-
- French bread
-
PREPARATION
-
- Ok, so first thing's first do NOT wash off the juices from the crawfish tails! Don't even worry about the tails just yet. Leave em in the fridge for now. In a cast iron skillet, add oil and get it hot over a medium-low heat, then add your butter. Once the butter's melted and mixed up into the oil, add your flour, constantly keep the flour-oil moving, to avoid burning. So, after a few minutes of moving the roux around, it should come to that nice light tan color. Toss in your veggies and saute in the roux until the onions are translucent. Now... as your veggies are cooking, get out your bag of thawed crawfish tails. Empty the bag into a bowl and add 1.5 cups of water to them. Stir them around so you get off all the juices. Strain the tails from the juice, and set them aside. Once you're veggies are cooked down a bit, add the juice to the pan. Bring this to a boil and add your salt, white pepper, garlic powder and cayenne. You pretty much have to eyeball it yourself, cuz I ain't got a clue how much I use. Add a bit, then taste test it til you got it where you want it. Bring it to a boil, lower to a simmer and let this cook for about 20 minutes. And, while that's cooking, make your rice. After 20 minutes, add your crawfish tails and your scallions, mix that up, and let cook another 5 minutes or so. (The tails are already cooked, so it's really just a heat up you need to do.) Heat up some bread in the oven, prep 1 part rice into a bowl for 2 parts etouffee, and get it!
Seafood Gumbo
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 cups chopped okra
- 1 1/2 cups beer, such as Abita Amber
- 6 cups seafood stock
- 2 tablespoons file powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 (8-ounce) container crab claw meat, picked free of shells
- 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound red snapper fillets, chopped
- 2 (8-ounce) containers shucked oysters
- 1 (8-ounce) container jumbo lump crabmeat, picked free of shells
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Hot cooked rice
- Garnish: chopped green onions
- In an 8-quart stockpot, heat oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes; add flour, and stir together to form a roux. Cook, stirring often, until roux is the color of peanut butter, about 20 minutes.
- Add onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and okra. Cook vegetables, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add beer, stock, file powder, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, crab claw meat, Worcestershire, salt, and cayenne. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 1 hour.
- Add shrimp, fish, oysters, and lump crabmeat to mixture. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until seafood is cooked through; add parsley.
- Serve with rice, and garnish with green onion, if desired.
DUCK AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO
Ingredients
Instructions
INGREDIENTS
-
- 3 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (3- to 31/2-lb) chicken, cut into serving pieces
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
-
- Accompaniment: cooked white rice
-
PREPARATION
-
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot (preferably cast-iron) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt. Brown chicken in 4 batches, turning, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring as browned to a large bowl.
- Add enough of remaining oil to pot to total 1/4 cup fat, then stir in flour with a flat metal or wooden spatula and cook over moderately low heat, scraping back and forth constantly (not stirring), until roux is the color of milk chocolate, 10 to 20 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, scraping back and forth occasionally, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add water to roux mixture and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until roux is incorporated. (Roux will appear curdled initially, but will come together as it reaches a boil.) Add chicken and any juices accumulated in bowl, then simmer, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir in cayenne, scallion greens, and salt to taste and serve over rice.
INGREDIENTS
-
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 small celery rib, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup bottled clam juice (8 fluid ounces)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/4 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound)
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
-
- Accompaniment: white rice
PREPARATION
-
- Stir together oil and flour in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) with a metal or wooden spatula, then cook over moderate heat, scraping back and forth constantly, until roux is the color of light milk chocolate, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook, scraping back and forth occasionally, until bell pepper is softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in clam juice, water, salt, and cayenne and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp and simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in scallion greens and salt to taste.
Cajun Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, round steak, or stew meat cut in cubes
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 medium to large onion, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp black and/or red pepper
- 2 tbsp oil (canola preferred)
- 7 cups beef broth or bouillon cube equivalent
- 4 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 8 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp browning and seasoning sauce (Kitchen Bouquet) or caramelized sugar
- 1/2 cup each bell pepper and celery chopped fine
-
Directions
In a large bowl, sprinkle meat with flour and toss to coat evenly. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, salt, black (and/or red) pepper and toss again to coat evenly.
Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add meat and the onions, celery and bell pepper and cook until meat has browned. You may have to de-glaze the bottom of the pan while browning by pouring a very small amount of water in the pot to prevent burning. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Add the carrots and the potatoes to the stew (you may have to add more water) and simmer covered 30 to 40 minutes until potatoes and carrots are cooked thoroughly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water until the mixture is smooth. Add slowly to the stew stirring constantly. Continue cooking uncovered 5 minutes or until meat and potatoes are tender. Stir in the browning sauce or Kitchen Bouquet. Heat thoroughly and serve over rice.
Method 2 - After browning the meat, onions, bell pepper and celery, place all ingredients is a crock-pot and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce of dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 heads of garlic
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 rabbit
- 3 large shallots, chopped
- 1 cup sherry or white wine
- 1-2 cups mushroom soaking water
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped into large pieces
- Salt
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Soak the dried porcini in water: Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in 2 cups hot water.
2 Cut rabbit into pieces and sprinkle with salt: Cut the rabbit into serving pieces and salt well. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Use all of the rabbit in this dish – you can fish out the ribs and other parts that have little or no meat on them later; they will add vital flavor to your stew.
3 Optional Step with rabbit liver: If you are going to make the crème fraiche-liver thickener, mince the rabbit liver finely and move it to a small bowl. Vigorously mix in about 1 1/2 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream. Now put the mixture into a fine-meshed sieve over a bowl and push it through with a rubber spatula. Reserve in the fridge.
4 Roast garlic: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the top third off the heads of garlic and drizzle the olive oil over them. Wrap the heads loosely in foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cloves are soft and brown. Set aside to cool.
5 Prep fresh mushrooms, dice rehydrated porcini, save mushroom soaking liquid: Chop off the tough ends of the mushroom stems and either discard or save for stock. Roughly chop or slice the mushrooms and set aside. Dice the rehydrated porcini. Pour the porcini soaking water though a paper towel into another bowl. Reserve the liquid.
6 Dry sauté fresh mushrooms: Heat a thick-bottomed large pot on high heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and shake the pot. Stirring continuously, dry sauté the mushrooms until they release their water.
Turn the heat down to medium-high. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any mushroom bits off the bottom of the pan. Salt the mushrooms lightly. When the mushroom liquid is mostly gone, remove them to a bowl.
7 Brown rabbit in butter: Add the butter to the pot. When the butter melts, turn the heat down to medium. Pat the rabbit pieces dry and place in the pan.
Work in batches if you need to, do not crowd the pan. Brown the pieces well on all sides. Remove the rabbit pieces from the pot and set aside.
8 Sauté shallots: Increase the the heat to medium-high and add the shallots to the pot. Sauté until the shallots are nicely wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir from time to time. Sprinkle salt over everything.
9 Squeeze roasted garlic into mushroom soaking liquid: While the shallots are cooking, squeeze the roasted garlic into the mushroom soaking water you have strained, then whisk it together.
10 Deglaze shallots with sherry: Add the sherry or white wine to the shallots in the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Let the sherry boil down by half. Add the mushroom-roasted garlic mixture and the stock and stir to combine.
11 Add thyme, mushrooms, rabbit, parsnips, bring to simmer and cook: Add the thyme, all the mushrooms, the rabbit and the parsnips and bring everything to a bare simmer.
Simmer gently for 90 minutes. You want the meat to be close to falling off the bone. If you want, you can fish out all the rabbit pieces and pull the meat off the bone – it makes the dish less attractive, but it will be easier to eat. Taste for salt right before you serve and add if needed. Stir in the parsley.
12 Add liver mixture if using: If you are using the crème fraiche-liver mixture to thicken your stew, turn off the heat. When the stew stops bubbling, add the mixture and let it heat through for a minute before serving.
Creole Turtle Soup
- 2 1/2 pounds turtle meat on the bone, or 1 1/2 pounds boneless
- 4 bay leaves
- Salt
- 1 cup flour
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 celery stalks, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, minced
- 1 1/2 cups minced onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 18- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- Grated zest of a lemon
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
-
Instructions
-
Start by making the turtle stock. Put the turtle meat into a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Add the bay leaves and about a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and skim the scum that floats to the top. Drop the heat to a bare simmer and cook until the turtle meat wants to fall off the bone, about 2 to 3 hours.
-
Remove the meat from the pot and pull it off the bones. Chop as coarse or as fine as you want. Strain the turtle broth and put it into a pot set over low heat to keep warm.
-
In a Dutch oven or other soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat and stir in the flour. Cook this, stirring almost constantly, to make a roux the color of peanut butter, which will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
-
Add the green pepper, celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped turtle meat and stir to combine.
-
Stir in a cup of the turtle stock at a time until you the soup is the consistency of gravy. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and paprika. Add more turtle broth until the soup thins a bit. It should be thicker than water, thinner than gravy -- like chicken and dumplings if you are familiar with that. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
-
Finish the soup with the sherry, parsley, lemon zest and hard-boiled eggs. Add them all, stir to combine and simmer for a minute or two. Add salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve alone or with rice.
-
Log in
or
Join Tablo
to comment on this chapter...