Cajun Recipes

[tho9900]

Jambalaya

1 1/2 pounds sausage preferrably Andouille, smoked will do if you can't get it
Roux (recipe included)
2 medium onions chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 tbs parsely chopped or 1 1/2 tbs dried parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic minced
1 rib of celery chopped
1/2 bell (green) pepper chopped

2 cups of rice (uncooked)
2 1/2 cups of water
3/4 tsp red pepper
1 tsp salt

In a heavy soup pot of cast iron dutch oven saute onions, parsley, ce;ery, bell pepper, parsley and garlic, cook until tender then add the roux and water and rice and sausage. When it comes to a boil, cover and simmer at a low heat, cook until rice is done, when it is done remove the lid and let it cook another minute or two to dry out the rice. Don't stir the rice until it is ready to server, if you do it will get gummy. Serves 6-8

Hints: this goes well with cornbread or those corn fritters... Add another clove of garlic for a bolder taste, as well as more green onion. I would make the roux in a separate skillet and put it to the side while you saute the veggies, a too dark roux will make this bitter. Goes well with beer as well lol...



How to make a Roux - this is the foundation for MANY Cajun dishes

2 tbs butter or bacon drippings
3 tbs flour

Melt the butter in a skillet, add the flour and stir until the mixture is a milk chocolate color... (Don't go too dark, it will continue to cook until you put it into the dish you are using it with)

If there is any hint it is burned (slightly acrid smell, darker than stated) Dispose of it and do it over, a burnt roux will ruin a whole dish.

 

[tho9900]

Hey tho9900 you got something simple for us brits, It must have a mars bar and involve deep fat frying though.

How the hell did we ever produce people like Jamie oliver, and Gordon Ramsey.

It's not a Mars but I am sure a Mars would do nicely... and you get both conditions in one!

Link Removed

 

[tho9900]

This is not 100% cajun but it is part of the roots of both Cajun and Creole cooking and fits right in:

Shrimp Cubana

2 Tbs olive oil
1 med onion chopped
1 large bell pepper, coarsely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs raw shrimp (for those out of the US that can't get shrimp the same amt of chicken would work, season it before you brown it though and use white AND dark meat or it wil be too dry.
1 1/4 cups bottled salsa
1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
Hot cooked yellow rice

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, onion, green pepper and garlic. Cook until onions are softened, stirring often.

2. Add shrimp and cook until opaque, about 4 minutes. Stir in salsa and beans. Heat throughout to blend flavors, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve over hot cooked yellow rice.

Hints a tsp or more of Cumin really makes this one punch... no more than 1.5 tsp I would think though. If you like your food spicy use Medium Salsa. Hot Salsa would over power all the other flavors...

 

[tho9900]

Same with this one, if you note the ingredients of the first recipes to these two you see there is an influence there from the Caribbean

Shrimp and Black Bean Chili

1 lb sm to med shrimp
1 ea medium chopped onion
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 can 16oz Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can 12oz Whole tomatos, cut up with juice
1 cup Fish Stock or Chicken broth
1 ea chopped green bell papper
1 ea chopped yellow or red bell pepper
1/3 cup picante sauce (Salsa)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Basil
1 Tbs chili powder
2 cups Rice; hot cooked

1. In a large dutch oven or stewpot saute onion, in oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients except shrimp annd cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer for 10 minutes.

I use more cumin than that in mine... 1.5 to 2 tsp, I also add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp of red pepper depending on who is dining with me.. I would go easy on both the cumin and red pepper till you have made this and then you can add more of either before you serve.

Also chicken may be substituted if you cant get shrimp,

 

[tho9900]

My Grandma got the chef at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans to fess up his recipe... they usually don't... it is a 5 star restaurant lol...

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

1/4 cup minced celery
1/8 tsp horseradish
dash Tobasco or similar sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1. Combine all ingredients and chill several hours. Serve in a bowl for dipping the shrimp into.

Mince the celery VERY fine as well as the parsley. If serving to guests fresh parsley makes it taste better than dried flakes, but the flakes do ok as well for day to day.

 

[tho9900]

Ok this is something I should have started this thread with....

It's called the holy trinity of Cajun Food...

Onion, celery, bell (green) pepper.. the 3 ingredients in almost EVERY cajun dish... and I can't think of a recipe without it except for breakfast and desserts and some soups and such... for those of yall out there like Jimmy who love to cook you can pretty much start with those and make something resembling a cajun meal...

Ok on... If it is a rice dish you definitely need celery with it. Parsley is almost a must have for main dish courses.. Garlic and lots of it in the part of Louisiana my family hails from..

Seasonings -- Basil, Bay Leaf, Cumin, Red pepper, Chili powder, Paprika are a few more of the common seasonings. Basil and Bay Leaf moreso than the others except for red pepper.. If yall cant get Bay Leaf where yall are let me know, I would be happy to mail you some (yes even overseas)

Hint in case you havent cooked with it.. dont eat the bay leaves... if you can't take them out of the dish (cant find them) and arent with people who know better tell them to place the leaf to the side... Something about it killing you, I am not gonna chance it unless someone can prove that thought wrong lol...

I will post a Gumbo recipe but you definitely need Gumbo File for that.. I am almost positive unless you are in the south east of the US you cant get it.. It is the ground leaves of the Sassafras tree... and while lots of places have them I dont know of another culture that uses it ike us..

Anyway... enough for now.. will think of some recipes that the ingredients should be available worldwide..