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Recipes:
My wife Sandy and I are recent transplants (September 2006) to South Louisiana from Northern Illinois. We both grew up in the Midwest but after so many cold winters up north we decided to retire (sort of) where the winters were going to be so much milder. After much deliberation, we adopted Louisiana as our new home and after spending only a few months here we are so pleased we did! Ask either one of us what we like best about Louisiana and the first thing I think you will hear is that we just LOVE the people here. There is just SO much here in the way of tradition and traditional family values, we are so impressed! Next, I think we would both tell you we are head over heels fascinated with the food. Cajun cooking is beyond belief! And if you’ve noticed, I haven’t yet mentioned the weather. No comparison between the weather here and Northern Illinois but as you can tell that’s not what impresses us about being here.
But before I go on babbling about how happy we are to have moved here, this page is about some of our favorite recipes. So, to begin with, I’m going to share with you a recipe from our newly adopted home! It’s a take-off of New England crab cakes. We just use good ‘ole Louisiana crawfish instead. Here it goes……..
Oh, and by the way, here are some little known facts about Louisiana crawfish: 1) there are 32 recognized species of crawfish in Louisiana, but only two are considered economically important – Red swamp crawfish and White river crawfish. The red swamp crawfish makes up more than 80% of the industry catch. 2) A female crawfish will typically have 300 eggs, but depending on size, she can have a range of 100-700 eggs. 3) Crawfish have been used as a commercial food source since the early 1800s. 4) A select or No. 1 grade crawfish will weigh approximately 1 oz. 5) Louisiana produces approximately 90% of the nations crawfish, with 70% of the harvest being consumed right here. 6) When the catch is good, traps will contain 1 to 1.5 lbs of crawfish. In some extreme conditions, producers have caught upwards of 6 lbs. per trap. 7) It takes about 6 or 7 lbs. of live crawfish to produce 1 lb. of tail meat.
Crawfish cakes are a spin-off of crab cakes and no one will pass up a hot crawfish cake, whether served as an appetizer or main course!
Here’s what ya’ll will need:
1 lb. crawfish tails (you should be able to find these frozen in specialty deli’s)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Cayenne pepper to taste
½ cup chopped green onion
½ cup mayonnaise
½ to 1 tsp. Cajun Seasoning (we like one called “Slap Ya Mama” made by Walker and Sons, www.walkerandsons.com ) or to taste
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or pressed
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups seasoned bread crumbs
Chop the crawfish tails. This can be done in the food processor if you are very careful to not over process. You want it chunky, but not mashed.
In a separate bowl, mix the crawfish tails with Worcestershire, cayenne, green onions, mayonnaise, seasoning and beaten eggs.
Add just enough bread crumbs to bind the ingredients together. Start with 1 ¼ cups and add as necessary.
Shape into cakes or patties.
As a topper, you can make a delicious sauce with the following ingredients:
½ cup sour cream
¼ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lime or lemon juice (I prefer lemon)
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro or fresh parsley
Tabasco (or your favorite hot sauce) to taste (optional)
Combine all ingredients and mix well….. Serve a dollop of the sauce over (or on the side) of the crawfish cakes.
Here is one of my all time favorites for when the gang gets together. And, if you’ll notice the title, it says “spicy” and not “hot”! My belief is that there is a HUGE difference between spicy and hot. If you’re into this kind of food, you know that there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of “hot” sauces on the market today. And if you’ve cooked with any number of these, you know that it’s incredibly easy to make your food too “hot” to even taste. That’s why I’ve worked hard on this recipe to make it good and “spicy” but not too “hot”.
I need to tell you here that for this recipe, I don’t measure too much, so you’ll need to experiment with some quantities to make this to your particular taste! I start with about 5 or 6 lbs. of sectioned chicken wings. From there you’ll need:
Indoor electric grill or Outdoor grill
Slow Cooker
Your favorite BBQ sauce (I start with Open Pit Original – about 1 to 1 ½ large containers for this many wings, more or less, depending on how juicy you like your wings – (you can find this at www.openpit.com)
Sliced canned or fresh jalapeño peppers
Honey
Lemon Juice
Dried Oregano
Dried Minced Onions
Cayenne Pepper
Here’s how I start:
In a large bowl, mix the BBQ sauce, cayenne pepper (this gets hotter the longer it sits and the more it’s heated, so watch out), Dried Minced Onions, Jalapeno peppers, Lemon Juice, Honey (this reduces the acidity of the BBQ sauce), Seasoned Salt and Garlic Salt (It works best if this sits for an hour or two before its used)
Season the sectioned chicken wings with some garlic salt, seasoned salt and oregano (I like LOTS of oregano). Then lightly brown on your indoor grill or outdoor grill (I like the outdoor grill to get some smoky flavor). Important to remember here is that you are not thoroughly cooking the wings here, just imparting a little color and smoky flavor.
After the wings have been browned, layer them in your slow cooker with the BBQ sauce. I like to cook my wings until they are done (I cook them on low heat for about 3 hrs), but the meat is not quite falling off the bone. You will need to decide how long you like to cook yours. ENJOY!
Beer Battered Fish Fillets
The only thing better than going fishing is being able to eat what you catch! I’ve experimented with different breading and batters, corn meal, etc. Here is my favorite. It’s a take off on Japanese Tempura Batter.
Ingredients: Amounts will vary, depending on how many fillets you are going to cook!
Flour
Cornstarch
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Egg Whites
Salt
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Cold Beer
Cooking Oil
In a large bowl mix the flour, cornstarch (no more than ¼ cup per 2 cups flour), baking powder, baking soda (maintain a ratio of 2 parts baking powder to 1 part baking soda), egg whites (about 3 egg whites per 2 cups flour), garlic powder to taste, salt to taste and paprika to taste. Stir in your favorite cold beer until you have achieved the desired consistency. I like mine just a bit on the thin side, but not too thin. Let stand for about 30 minutes while you are getting your fillets ready. Drink the remaining beer before it gets warm! Letting the batter stand for a while allows the carbonation to come out of the beer and lets the baking powder and soda begin to work (should get slightly bubbly) which makes the batter much lighter when cooked.
I like to rinse my fillets in cold water before cooking. After rinsing, pat dry on a paper towel. Heat your oil in a skillet or deep fryer (I like to use an oil that stands up to heat better, like canola oil or peanut oil). You will want your oil to be at about 350 degrees. Dip your fillets into your batter and place in the oil until golden brown. I’m getting hungry just thinking about this one.
Ingredients: 4 lb pork shoulder roast
1 med onion
seasonings to taste
5-6 med size potatoes
Put the pork roast in your crock pot and cover with water. Add onions and seasonings. For me, pork is a rather delicate flavor all in and of itself, so I don’t like to over season it. A little kosher salt on top, some garlic powder, and fresh ground black pepper will do nicely. Start the night before and let cook on low all night and all the next day. Peel potatoes and boil until soft, mash. Drain the juice from the pork roast in the crock pot into a saucepan and put on stove. Add beef bouillon to taste. Then thicken with flour/water mixture. To serve, spoon gravy over the meat and mashed potatoes, and sprinkle with dried parsley for looks. Nothing goes better with a simple meal plan like this than fresh corn on the cob, fresh green beans or steamed asparagus. It’s what we all like to call comfort food. Oh, and by the way, don’t forget your fresh buttermilk biscuits! |
