FINALLY... FINAL PICS!!!!
In Louisiana, you can pick ANY week, and you will find a party, parade, or festival somewhere.
Families all gather at friends or relatives homes, sharing time, fun, and food together.
Workin' in NOLA for the last 6 months was like a homecoming for me... got me back close to my roots, spoke to relatives I haven't seen in 30 years.
This got me to thinking... thinkin' it's time for a down home get-together.
So with that in mind, I would like to welcome all of ya'll to our
Cajun Family Reunion and Mardi Gras Practice Party!!!
(...remember, Mardi Gras is only about 8 months away!)
Time to break out the rum, Genuine Pat O'Brian Hurricane mix, and serve in the official glasses of Mardi Gras!
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On the menu:
SW Louisiana Catfish and Trout Piquante
Ingredients:
Catfish fillets
trout fillets
bacon drippings
oil
yellow onion
celery
green bells pepper
red and yellow jolokias
garlic
parsley
chicken broth
red wine
salsa (containing jalapenos and serranos)
bay leaves
basil
thyme
Old Bay Seasoning
Tony Chachere Creole seasoning
worcestershire
cayenne
Polar Chili and Garlic Sauce
lemons.
Clean fish checking for bones, etc., wash, pat dry. season with Old Bay and Tony's.
Heat a skillet with oil and bacon drippings, add a few fish at a time until slightly browned, then remove them from heat. Set aside.
Add onion, celery, bell peppers, garlic, parsley to same pan and stir till veggies begin to wilt.
Add Lost Texan Salsa "True Texan- Medium No.3" (or any thick salsa that is NOT vinegar based), whisk gently until combined and beginning to thicken.
Add broth and wine, and whisk till smooth (if not thick enough, ad some tomato paste), then adding remainder of seasonings except for the green onions and lemon.
Transfer sauce to an oval pan and carfully add fish without breaking it up.
NOTE: Once the fish is added--- no more stirring or you'll have nothing but fish flakes.
Cover and reduce to low medium for about 30 minutes. or until fish flakes easily.
When ready to plate, spoon some of the sauce over it, garnish.
Garlic Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients:
Shrimp
olive oil
garlic
parsley
sea salt
black pepper
cayenne
Wash shrimp, pat dry, add to gallon-size Zip-loc bag, along with the rest of the ingreidents. Mix well to completely coat shrimp.
Remove to a pan, and heat grill. Once done, remove, cover and ready to plate.
Shrimp, Crawfish and Crab Bisque with Andouille Sausage
Ingredients:
whole canned corn
creamed can corn
butter
flour
yellow onion
celery
bell pepper
yellow bhut
carrots
garlic
heavy cream
chicken stock
seafood stock
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
white pepper
cayenne
black pepper
thyme
basil
fresh dill
shrimp
parsley
crawfish
andouile sausage
green onion
crab meat
instant potatoes
paprika
Open canned corns, mix together in a bowl and set aside.
Heat skillet, add butter, melt, add flour, wisk continously to make a blonde roux.
Fold in seasoning veggies, andouille, and when onions are done, add the heavy cream, corn mix, stocks, cook until the liquid reduces a bit (stirring often so it doesn't burn on the bottom of pan).
Add the rest of the seasonings, cover and simmer.
About 10 minutes before plateing, add shrimp, crab and crawfish.
When ready to serve, add a little more butter, and garnish with paprika, green onion
Served with:
Boudin blanc - Cajun style sausage made from pork rice dressing
(store bought)
Red Beans and Rice with Andouille
Ingredients:
Canned Cajun style red beans from Louisiana (no time to cook a fresh batch from scratch pot)
Cajun Rice
Andouille Sausage
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
yellow onion
sea salt
black pepper
cayenne
butter
Warm red beans in pot, add a little water to bring out the creaminess.
Add Tony's, onion, salt, black pepper, and pre-cooked andouille (reserved from other dish).
The Cajun Seasoning and the sausage take the beans to the next level.
Follow directions on rice, add cayenne and butter to rice pot.
When rice is done, put a dollop on top of beans served in a bowl or plate.
Garnish and serve
...and the Fried stuff, consisting of::
Fried Okra - a Cajun table staple
Fried Jalapenos - pepper strips battered and deep fried
Fried Softshell Crabs - The soft-shell is the blue crab in its molted state.
Boudin Balls - a Cajun variation on Boudin blanc but instead of the filling being stuffed into pork casings, it is rolled into a ball, battered, and deep fried
Ingredients:
Boudin blanc links
Fresh okra
soft-shell blue crabs
jalapeno peppers
flour
cayenne
Old Bay Seasoning
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Panko bread crumbs
eggs
oil
Place flour, beaten eggs (with just a splash of water in it), and bread crumbs in seperate bowls.
Remove Boudin casing and shape into roughly 1 1/2" balls.
Wash: crabs (gently), okra (then cut into pieces), jalapenos (then cut into strips).
Coat with flour, dip in egg, roll in Panko.
Fry and drainpaper towels.
Serve with:
Homemade Jalapeno-Crab meat Remoulade sauce (dat's fo' dippin' da fried goodies!)
Ingredients:
Red bell pepper
crab claw meat
jalapenos
mayonaisse
shallots
cilantro
lime juice
sea salt
Creole Mustard
Cook the peppers till slightly browned. Mix other ingrdients together in a bowl, Turn heat off pan with peppers, fold in all the goodies in the bowl. Cool slightly, put in food precessor till creamy (little chunks ok).
Serve.
Southern Potato Salad - (no time to cook, so store bought ...dang it!)
Here's your Final Pics:
Cook's beginner plate...gotta start somewhere
This is The Big Easy! The party on your plate begins right here!
...very few leftovers, but Cajun cookin' always tastes better the second day... if ya beat everyone else to the fridge!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Enjoy!