Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Cajun Blackened Fish

Creole Hot Sausage

Creole Rice Calas: Fried Rice Cakes

Couche Couche

Creole Sauce

5 cups onions, minced
1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 bay leaf, minced
4 stalks celery, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
10 tablespoons butter
4 dozen oysters, strained (reserve the liquor) and chopped
1-1/2 cups bread crumbs
36 oyster half shells, boiled and scrubbed
18 strips bacon, precooked and crispy, but not too brown, drained, with each strip cut in half
6 lemon wedges for garnish

Method

In an iron skillet sauté the minced onion, garlic, bay, cenery and thyme in 6 tablespoons fo the butter for about 15 minutes. Add the chopped oysters. Moisten 1 cup of the bread crumbs with about 1 cup of the oyster liquor. Add to the above. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons butter and cook until the butter is melted.Fill the oyster shells with the mixture, and spirnkle the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs over the top. Top with bacon pieces. To serve, heat the oysters in a 375F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot. Serve 6 oysters per portion, and garnish each platter with a lemon wedge.
Serves 6.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1 cup oil
1 cup flour
2 large onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
4 quarts chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large chicken (young hen preferred), cut into pieces
2 pounds andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 bunch scallions (green onions), tops only, chopped
2/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
Filé powder to taste

Method

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning and brown quickly. Brown the sausage, pour off fat and reserve meats.In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a Cajun-style roux. If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium, peanut-butter color, over lower heat if you're nervous about burning it.
 Add the vegetables and stir quickly. This cooks the vegetables and also stops the roux from cooking further.Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes. Add the stock, seasonings, chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then cook for about one hour, skimming fat off the top as needed. Add the chopped scallion tops and parsley, and heat for 5 minutes. Serve over rice in large shallow bowls.  Accompany with a good beer and lots of hot, crispy French bread

4x 5oz blue grenadier fillets
cooking spray
Cajun seasoning

METHOD

Spray fish fillets with cooking spray and lightly sprinkle with cajun seasoning.Heat cast iron grill plate or heavy based frypan until very hot. A splash of water on the pan should immediately sizzle.
Cook the fillets, placing the flesh side down first. The seasoning will "blacken". Turn the fish only once during cooking.
Serve with char-grilled seasonal vegetables or garden salad.

4 pounds lean fresh pork
2 pounds pork fat
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground bay leaf
4 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 yards sausage casing (optional)

METHOD

Grind the pork and fatback to a medium to coarse grind, and mix well with the other ingredients.
Stuff into sausage casings, and tie them off so that each sausage is about six inches long. You can omit this step and make sausage
patties if you like. Fresh sausage should be used quickly, and will keep in the refrigerator for three days. You can also freeze it for up to three months.

6 tablespoons flour
3 heaping tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
Pinch of nutmeg
Cooking oil
Powdered Sugar
 

Method

    Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Thoroughly mix the rice and eggs together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the rice and egg mixture. When thoroughly mixed, drop by spoonfuls into the hot deep fat (about 360 degrees F) and fry until brown. Drain on paper towel. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve while hot.
Other variations are to serve with honey or (my favorite) Stein's Cane Syrup instead of the powdered sugar.

 A very old-time, traditional breakfast, couche couche is the Cajun version of fried cornmeal mush.

1/4 cup oil
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or preferable a cast iron dutch oven. Mix the dry ingredients, then add the milk and water. Pour the batter into the hot oil, and allow a crust to form on the bottom before stirring. Reduce heat to low and stir occasionally; cook for about 15 minutes. Serve in bowls with milk and sugar, like a hot cereal. Serves 4.

5 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp White Pepper
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Basil
8 Tbsp Butter
2 Cups Chopped Tomatoes
1-1/2 Cups Chopped Onions (they should not be finely chopped)
1-1/2 Cups Chopped Bell Pepper (they should not be finely chopped)
1-1/2 Cups Chopped Celery (they should not be finely chopped)
1-1/2 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
2-1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cups Tomato Sauce
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
 
 

Method
 

Combine seasonings. Melt butter over medium heat and stir in chopped tomatoes, onions, celery and bell pepper. Sauté until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in stock, tomato sauce, sugar and Tabasco and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until vegetables are tender (20 minutes) . Remove bay leaves. If making shrimp Creole from this recipe add 2 to 3 lbs of large shrimp but REDUCE stock. Do not but shrimp in until vegetables are tender. They cook really fast. Serve the Creole over rice if pain Creole sauce serve it over the jambalaya. There are as many version of jambalaya as BBQ. This version was adapted from Paul Prudomme the master of Louisiana food.