Creole Rice Snack Cakes
1/2 cup rice
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg *
Vegetable oil
Confectioners’ sugar
Pour rice into 3 cups of RAPIDLY boiling water. Cook until tender. Do not cover. Drain, then chill and mash.
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Add to rice; mix well and then let rise overnight (outside of refrigerator). Keep covered with a dish towel or loose fitting cover.
Add eggs, sugar and flour to the rice mixture; beat thoroughly. Let rise for 15 minutes; stir in nutmeg.
Drop by large spoonsful into deep, HOT oil. Fry until golden brown, drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
* Alternative seasonings: Lemon extract, cinnamon, cardamom, orange extract, grated orange zest.
Louisiana Shrimp Boil
4 quarts water
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 bay leaves
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled*
Lemon wedges (for garnish)
Peppery Pepper Sauce
In an 8-quart pot, combine the water, paprika, pepper flakes, Louisiana Hot Sauce, mustard, garlic powder, lemon juice and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pot. Stir, return to a boil, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and garnish with lemon wedges.
Serve with Peppery Pepper Sauce.
* Or you can leave shells on shrimp.
Peppery Pepper Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced chili peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped pimentos
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon coarse mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped lemon sections
In a small skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions, chili pepper and garlic and saut? over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. In a blender, combine the vegetables, roasted red peppers or pimentos, paprika, Louisiana Hot Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar and lemons. Pur?e until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Makes 1 cup.
Cajun Pretzels
1 box sourdough pretzels, broken into bite size pieces
1 cup vegetable oil
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
In a roasting pan, mix oil and all seasonings well. Add broken pretzels and stir well to marinate. Cover and bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees F, mixing well every 30 minutes. Lay on a brown paper bag to remove excess oil. Store in covered container.
Lafitte’s Landing Louisiana Crawfish Etouffee
Source: wwltv.com – Crawfish Etouffee – Lafitte’s Landing Restaurant – as prepared on the Eyewitness Morning News April 21, 2000
The word “etouffee” means to stew, smother, or braise. This technique is found in dishes using shrimp, crab, crawfish, and in many cases, meat or game. Though more Creole in origin, etouffees are found throughout Cajun country.
3 pounds cleaned crawfish tails
1/4 pound butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup flour
2 quarts crawfish stock
1 ounce sherry
1 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons basil
2 tablespoons thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Louisiana Gold Pepper sauce
In a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic and bay leaves. Saut? 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.
Add half of the crawfish tails and tomato sauce and blend well into mixture.
Using a cooking spoon, blend flour into the vegetable mixture to form a white roux.
Slowly add crawfish stock or water, a little at a time, until all is incorporated. Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add remaining crawfish tails, sherry, green onions, parsley, basil and thyme. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
Season to taste using salt and pepper. Serve over steamed white rice or pasta, adding a few dashes of Louisiana Gold pepper sauce.
Cajun Praline Fudge
1/4 cup butter
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix sugar and evaporated milk. Boil until 210 degrees F. Add vanilla extract and butter. Cook until a soft ball can be formed when a small amount of mixture is dropped into a bowl of cool water. Add pecans. Let temperature rise 2 degrees higher than soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Whip mixture until it feels heavy. Spoon out small amounts of mixture.
Jerry’s Cajun Cafe & Market Louisiana Seafood Gumbo
Source: Jerry’s Cajun Cafe & Market – Pensacola, Florida
2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups flour
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups chopped green onions
3 gallons water
1 pound fresh or frozen okra
1 (28 ounce) can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes or 2 (10 ounce) cans
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 ounces crab boil
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
8 dashes Louisiana hot sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ounce Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic seasonings
1 ounce Cajun seasoning
1 ounce dried basil
1 ounce dried thyme
3 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp (70 to 90 count)
1 pound claw crab meat
2 whole crabs, cleaned and halved
1 pint fresh oysters
1 ounce file or to taste
First, you make a roux. In large, heavy stock pot on medium heat, add 2 cups vegetable oil and bring to temperature. Add flour gradually. It will sizzle when it is at the right temperature. Using a whisk, stir roux constantly. Stir until it reaches a peanut butter color. When it reaches the desired color, add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and 1 cup of green onions (in that order) until all ingredients are cooked down or caramelized.
Next, add water, okra, Ro-Tel tomatoes, seasonings and bring to boil. After it reaches boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer for at least an hour. Add seafood and continue to cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and texture. Add file to thicken. Stir in the remaining green onions and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve as a soup with a little steamed rice. Makes about 8 to 10 gallons of gumbo. Can cut recipe in half to reduce.
The Chaparral Louisiana Crab Cakes
Source: The Chaparral at Marriott’s Camelback Inn – Phoenix, Arizona
1 pound Dungeness crabmeat, picked clean
1 ounce red bell pepper, diced
2 ounces green onion, finely chopped
2 ounces roasted corn kernels
1/2 ounce mayonnaise
1/2 ounce coarse-grain Dijon mustard
1/2 ounce garlic, chopped
Japanese breadcrumbs as needed
Combine crabmeat, pepper, onion, corn and garlic with mayonnaise and mustard. Add breadcrumbs until meatball consistency is reached, then form into cakes. Saut? cakes in oil until golden brown and serve with tartar sauce of your choice.
New Orleans Black Muffins
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped dry roasted pecans
In a medium bowl combine the hot water, molasses and stir until the two have blended then stir in the milk.
In a large bowl sift together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and alt.
With a rubber spatula, fold the liquid mixture and the pecans into the dry ingredients just until flour is thoroughly incorporated but do not over mix. Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 300 degrees F until done, 45 minutes to about 1 hour. Remove from pan immediately and serve while hot.
Serves 12.
Louisiana Cheese Spread
1 1/2 pounds sharp Cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cups chopped pecans
1 cup mayonnaise
8 scallions, chopped
Strawberry jam
Mix cheese, pecans, mayonnaise and scallions. Pack into a 6-inch mold. Chill for 5 to 6 hours.
Unmold and place strawberry jam in center of mold.
Serve with crackers, putting cheese and jam on each cracker for unusual taste.
South Louisiana Gumbo
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 large onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and red and black pepper, to taste
1 hen or large fryer
3 pounds shrimp, cleaned and deveined
3 pints oysters, drained
1 can crabmeat (optional)
Crab claws (optional)
Okra (optional)
File (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
Boil chicken. Debone and cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve 1/2 gallon stock.
Heat oil over medium heat in a large cast iron Dutch oven. Add flour; stir until roux is dark brown (the color of a brown paper bag), being careful not to burn. Add onions, bell pepper and garlic. Saut? until tender.
Add celery, okra, salt, red and black pepper and chicken stock. Let simmer for at least 1 hour.
Add as much chicken as desired (reserve remainder for another recipe) and simmer for 45 minutes. Add shrimp, crabmeat, crab claws, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and bay leaves. Continue cooking until you are ready to add oysters; oysters should not be added until 15 or 20 minutes before serving. Add file just before serving, but do not boil.
Serve over rice.
Serves 12.
NOTE: A leftover turkey carcass is excellent for this recipe instead of chicken. Boil the carcass; remove the meat from bones and reserve stock as you would for chicken. This recipe is better if made the day before and refrigerated. If not made the day before, begin preparing it in the morning if it is to be served at night.
