Recipes that will make ya want to stand up and slap your old Pappy!
BASIC ROUX
The basis for all stews and gumbos
* 1 cup flour (all purpose)
* 1 cup cooking oil, your
favorite brand (I use
WESSON Vegetable Oil)
Heat oil in heavy pot or Dutch oven. When oil is hot, gradually
add flour, stirring continuously until well mixed. Lower heat
and
continue stirring until chocolate brown. When roux is chocolate
brown, remove from pot and set aside. If roux remains
in the pot
Always use warm water to disolve the roux.
While you're at it, make more than enough as it keeps well in or
out of the refrigerator.
CREOLE SEASONING
* 26-ounce box free flowing
* 1-ounce bottle pure
salt (Mortons)
garlic powder
* 1 1/2-ounce box ground
* 1-ounce bottle chile powder
black pepper
* 1-ounce carton
* 2-ounce bottle ground
monosodium glutamate
red pepper
(Accent)
Mix well and use like salt. When it's salty enough, it's seasoned
to perfection. Use generously on everything unless something
else is called for. If too peppery for children, add more salt to
mixture, then season to taste
BASIC VEGETABLE MIXTURE
* 1 onion
* 1/2 green bell peppper
* 2 sticks celery
* 1 clove garlic
Run vegetables through grinder or blender. (Makes 1 cup).
You can double this recipe to suit your needs.
A Cajun would die if you took his garlic and onions away.
GUMBO
Gumbo is a real Creole dish. It's served in a soup bowl with boiled
rice and garnished with file' (a must) sprinkled lightly on top.
You can use any of the following to make a good gumbo: chicken,
duck, goose, wild duck, quail, dove, snipe or (best of all) guinea fowl,
rabbit and squirrel. You can add sausage, tasso, andouille, smoked
sausage and okra.
Seafood gumbos are made with shrimp, crabs, oysters and okra.
There is one thing about the Cajun - take away his roux, onions and
bell pepper, his gumbo file' and he's lost!
CRAWFISH GUMBO
* 1 lb peeled crawfish tails
* 2 slices lemon
* 2 cups Basic Vegetable Mix * 1 tbsp Worcestershire
(see recipe above)
* 1 quart water
* 1 stick margarine
* 1 bayleaf
* 3 tbsp flour
* 1/4 tsp thyme
* 1/4 tsp basil
Use aluminum pot (do not use black iron pot) Melt margarine and make
a brown roux with the flour, not too dark. Turn off burner and add Basic
Vegetable Mix and saute until it stops sizzling. Add the water, return
to
burner, add Worcestershire sauce, lemon slices and bay leaf, thyme and
basil. Let come to a boil, simmer for at least 2 hours Season to taste
with
CREOLE SEASONING. (Recipe above). Add crawfish tails. Cook slowly
for 40 to 50 minutes. (Serves 4)
SHRIMP and OKRA GUMBO
* 2 lbs fresh peeled
* 1 bell pepper
shrimp
* 2 sticks celery
* 2 cups fresh diced okra
* 2 cloves garlic
* 2 tbsp oil
* 1 tbsp
* 1 stick margarine
Worcestershire
* 4 tbsp flour
* 1 tbsp chopped
Creole Seasoning
scallions
to taste
* 1 onion
Fry fresh okra in 2 tablespoons of oil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly,
so as not to burn. Use an aluminum Dutch oven, do NOT use black iron
pot. Remove okra and set aside. Add margarine and flour and make a
roux in the same pot. Chop all vegetables, add them and the okra and
cook for 5 minutes, until wilted.
Add 3 quarts of water an Worcestershire sauce and cook 1 to 2 hours.
Then add shrimp and cook 30 minutes or until tender, seasoning to taste
with Creole Seasoning.
Serve with boiled rice in a soup plate and garnish with scallion tops
and a sprinkling of file'
SEAFOOD GUMBO
Make a roux with 1 cup flour and 1 cup oil. Set aside
* 4 cleaned crabs and claws
* 1/2 cup chopped green
cut in 4
bell peppers
* 2 lbs fresh peeled shrimp
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 lb fish filets, cut in
* 3 quarts water
bite sized pieces
* 2 cups chopped okra
* 1/2 pint oysters
(cooked)
* 1 can whole tomatoes
* 1 tbsp Worcestershire
* 1 stick margarine
* 1/2 cup green onion tops
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
and parsley, finely chopped
* Creole Seasoning
* 1 cup chopped onion
In a large aluminum Dutch oven or pot (NOT black iron pot) saute, in
melted margarine, onions, celery, green bell pepper, garlic and okra
for 10 minutes. Add to mixture roux, water, and Worcestershire sauce
and season to taste. Cook for 1 hour. Add all other ingredients, except
onion tops and parsley, and cook for another hour. Serve in soup plate
with boiled rice, garnished with onion tops, parsley and a dash of file'
(Serves 8)
Six ways to fry fish click
here
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If you have comments or suggestions, email me at kip-paul@worldnet.att.net
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