Shrimp and Grits a trip to the Big Easy

When I drove a truck for a living I visited a lot of places across this great country we live in. Every different region has their own specific flavors and styles of cooking. One of my favorite areas is Southern Lousiana and the Cajun style of cooking. Here is a dish that comes straight out of Cajun Country, Shrimp and Grits. Now you can get Shrimp and Grits from a lot of other coastal areas of the south but nothing like the ones with a Cajun twist. Here is my version of this classic dish.

Grits made into cakes and browned. See below.

1 Bell Pepper

1 Med. Onion

1/2lb Andouille Sausage Med. Heat

1/2lb peeled and veined shrimp 40-50 ct. size

3 cloves of Garlic

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes

1/2 cup Dry White Wine

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, little more if you want to heat it up little less if you dont.

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Celery Seeds

1 tsp thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the grits, I used 5 min. quick grits made per the directions on the package. Added 1/2 cup Motzerella Cheese graed and 1 stick of butter. Spread the grits in a pan to about 1" thickness. let them cool and set up. When ready, just prior to serving slice them into about 4"x4" squares and then cut diagonally across the square to make a triangle. Add some oil to bottom of skillet and pan fry the triangles until browned on each side and hot all the way through.

Now for the Shrimp and Andouille. Dice up Bell Pepper and Onion and sautee in a little oil in the bottom of a 2 qt. pot. Dice the Sausage and add into the pot and let it cook for a few min. Once Onions and Peppers are softened add the chopped up Garlic, the can of Tomatoes and the wine, bring these back to a boil. Add the spices and reduce to a simmer stirring occaisionally for about 2 hrs. Cover for the first 1 1/2 hr and then finish with it uncovered. Add the shrimp a few min before ready to serve. Shrimp cook quick and will get tough if over cooked. I used already cooked and peeled shrimp so they didnt need but about 3-4 min to heat all the way through. If using uncooked shrimp then maybe 5-6 min.

Serve over the grit cakes. Awsome is all I can say about this dish.

Ribs of love

Here is s rack of ribs I cooked tonight. They are gonna be good at work tomorrow. Oven cooked but awsome, fall off the bone, tender. They are easy. Start with a good quality rack of ribs, good fat in the meat (it will cook out and help keep them moist). Coat them liberally with a spicce rub, I like Byrons Butt Rub. Wrap them with aluminum foil (not to tight just snug) place them on a cooking sheet and put them in a 300 degree oven for about 2.5 hrs. After they have been in for 2.5 hrs. open the tops of the foil up but dont remove them from the foil just open it up completely. Put on your BBQ Sauce, I used Sweet Baby Rays Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Let them go for another 30 min to an hour opened up. Then I like to turn on the broiler over them for a few min letting them brown on top a little. Awsome.

Nanny's Salmon Croquets

When I was growing up I used to stay the summers with my Grandparents on lake Martin near Alexander City Al. one of my all time favorite things my Grandmother used to make was Slamon Croquets. Not to be confused with Salmon Patties. Croquets are thick and fluffy not flat like patties. Nanny had a special technique to get them just right. After she mixed them up she would scoop out a good rounded tablespoon full of the batter and place it in here hand. It would be formed in to a ball and then with her fingers bent slightly she would press down on the top of the ball forming it into a triangle. Dropping them into hot grease in a skillet about 1/2 in. of oil in skillet. As they browned in one side she would flip them over to the next side, browning on all three sides. My hands are to big and I cant get the same triangle shape like hers but she taught my to make them the way she did. I can get them close but not exactly like hers. They still take me back to a time long gone but not forgotten. She has been gone for a while now and still miss her but she is still alive and well in my memory when I make the Salmon Croquets she made for me growing up.

1 can of Double Q Salmon, picked clean.

1 egg beaten

1/3 cup of flour

1/3 cup of corn meal

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1/4 cup milk added in a little at a time

Mix everything in a bowl adding the milk to the mix last until its a slightly dry dough that sticks together to form. If its to wet then add a little more corn meal or flour. Scoop out a rounded tablespoon full and drop into you hand. Form into a ball and press into a triangle shape by bending your hand at the knuckle and keeping your fingers straight and closed together, then press in top with your other hand. Drop them into about a half inch of hot oil in a skillet, cast iron if you have it. Brown them on all three sides. Really good served with home made mashed potatoes and gravy, Buscuits, fresh tomatoes and sliced onion. It doesnt get much better.

Bistro Style Beef Stew

I got a great recipe from a web site, http://www.911cheferic.com/ It is a great recipe. Probably the best Beef stew I have ever had. His description is that of a stew that you would find in the small bistros of France. Wasnt that difficult to make, just pay attention to your steps and watch while sauteing the aromatics and not let them burn. I made a few slight changes from his recipe due to not having certain items. Here is my version.

2 lbs stew beef, I used approx. 2 lbs sirloin steak I found on sale.

1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c olive oil

1 med. onion chopped, I had a red onion so that is what I used.

3 Carrots peeled and chopped, I had a pkg of sliced carrots that was a little more than 3 carrots.

1 head of garlic peeled

1c dry red wine

6c Beef stock. Orig. recipe called for 4 cups I wanted a little more liquid.

2 Bay leaves

1Tbsp dried Thyme

1 Tbsp dried Coriander, Orig. recipe called for Marjoram but I didnt have this

1 Tbsp dried Celery seeds, Thought it would be good in it so I added it, not in Orig recipe.

1lb mushrooms

Orig. Recipe called for 8 oz. sugar snap peas but I didnt have these either. I bet they would be good in it though.

Cut meat into approx. 1 in pcs. Toss in the flour to coat. Heat oil in bottom of 6.5 qt. dutch oven. Brown meat in 2 batches and remove from pan. Put Onions and garlic cloves in oil and saute until translucent (not browned) Add wine and deglaze bottom of pot getting all the little browned bits to turn loose. Add the beef stock, return the beef to pot, add mushrooms, the dried herbs and the carrots. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Let it cook for about 1 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally. If you want a little bite to your carrots add them after cooking for about an hour instead of at the beggining. I like my carrots soft so I added them early on.

I served this over a bed of Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. These were easy to make and were a great addition to the stew. I took a head of garlic and coated it in olive oil then wrapped it in alum. foil. Placed it in a 300 degree oven for about 3 min. until soft to touch. removed and let cool. After cool cut the end off and squeeze out the soft flesh. Its amazing how sweet the roasted garlic gets. Peel 6-8 potatoes and cube. Put them into a pot of boiling water until soft, about 20 min. Drain and put them back into the empty pot you cooked them in. The residual heat in the pot will disipate any water left on them. Add 2-3 Tbsp butter and a splash of milk. Mash with a potato masher or you could use a mixer. If the mashed potatoes are to dry add a little more milk and mix in well. Add the garlic a little at a time and taste to get the amount you like. I used about 1/2 the garlic I had roasted. I mixed the remainder in a part of a small bottle of olive oil for later use as garlic infused olive oil.

If you like beef stew give this one a try. It is absolutely wonderful.

Arancini Italian Appetizer

I found a recipe for an appetizer called Arancini its an italian rice ball. The name Arancini is Italian meaning little Orange. It is made from Saffron rice stuffed with cheese and ham then dredged in italian bread crumbs and fried. They are very tasty and fairly easy to make. I think the recipe I used can be improved upon by adding in some other spices or maybe some Onions finly chopped. I also think the ham woul be better if it were diced into small peices and mixed into the rice instead of being a solid peice folded into the center. That way you would get the ham flavor in every bite. This is a work in progress. I think they would be great with some type of dipping sauce. Maybe a Tziki sauce (not sure of spelling) or a sauce made from berrys that is a little tart such as black berry or raspberry.

Here is the recipe I followed.

1 10 oz. pckg of yellow saffron rice

1 cup Riccota cheese

1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded

1"x1" pcs of cooked ham about 1/4" thick, enough for 1 pcs per square

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

Oil for frying (deep fry)

Prepare Rice as specified on pckg. After cooking rice mix in the riccota cheese and then spread on a baking sheet to about 1/2" thick layer. Cover with plastic and let cool. Once cooled cut into 3"x3" square pcs., a 9x15 baking sheet will make 15 pcs. Place ham in center of each square. Place a good pinch of the Mozzarella on top of the ham. Now for the messy part. Use a spatula and pick up each square and place in hand. Carefully form each square into a ball. they will be a little amaller than a baseball. After each peice has been made into a ball mix the eggs and milk together. Dip each peice into the egg wash and then roll in the bread crumbs. Heat oil in large boiler to 325 degrees. Drop in 4 at a time and cook until browned. Roll them around to keep the bottoms from getting to dark. Remove with spyder or slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels or cooling rack over towels.

I think next time I make them I am going to playaround with some other ingredients. They deffinitly need salt and pepper to taste added to recipe. Who knows we will see what next time brings.

Awsome Stuffed Chicken Breast

For tonights supper I made Apple Stuffed Chicken Breast and Gravy. I know you are not supposed to brag on yourself or the things you do but DAMN. This was awsome and the gravy had to be the best I have ever made. It was easy to make and didnt take very long probably 30-40 min.

3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup diced apple

2 Tbsp Italian bread crumbs

3 Tbsp grated cheese ( your choice I used Mozzerella)

3 Tbsp Olive oil to drizzle in frying pan

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup water

Combine Apple, Bread crumbs and cheese and set aside for stuffing

Flatten Chicken breast with mallet. Place them in a gallon zip bag that has been cut down the sides so it can fold open. Flatten to about 1/4 in thickness.

Place stuffing down one side and roll them up.

Heat Olive oil in pan over med. heat and brown chicken on all sides making sure they done unroll. Pour in wine and water then cover. let simmer for about 15-20 min until done. Remove chicken and let rest.

To make the gravy mix 1 Tbsp corn starch with a little watter to dislove. Mix the disolved corn starch in the wine reduction left in the pan and stir until thickened.

I served with English Peas and sliced Carrots and Creamed Corn.

Its hard to go wrong with this dish.

Gone fishin

For supper tonight I decided to make something different. I found a recipe on Paula Deens wabsite for Peach BBQ sauce. She used it on Tilapia. I got to thinking it would probably go good on salmon. I had two very nice Salmon filets in the fridge. I made the Peach BBQ sauc earlier today and let it cool. That way all the flavors had time to mingle and come together. I salted and peppered my filets and seared them in a skillet with a little bacon drippings in the pan. I will get to the bacon in a bit. The filets cooked for approx 4 min skin side up then I flipped them and they cooked for approx 4 more min. this was over med heat. Brushed on a little BBQ sauce right at the end of cooking. I let them rest for about 10 min. after cooking. Added a little more BBQ sauce. They were very moist and flakey. My two side are Herb roasted potatoes and french cut green beans.

Potatoes were peeled and cut into about 1" peices. Cut up 5 peices of bacon into small peices and browned them off in a skillet. Resered the peices and poured a little of the bacon drippings over the potatoes in a small casserole dish. Tossed the potatoes to coat with the bacon drippings (light coat). Sprinkled on Italian herbs and salt and pepper. Covered with tin foil and placed in a 400 degree oven for about 30 min until fork tender. Removed foil and turned on broiler for a few min to help them brown a little. When done sprinkle the reserved bacon peices over the top of the potatoes.

The green beans were a can of french cut green beans. placed them in a small boiler with a couple of strips of bacon and a litle salt and pepper. Bring them to a boil anf turn down to a low simmer, let them simmer on low for about 45 min. Some people dont like there beans cooked down that much you can ajust the simmer time to your liking.

BBQ sauce is easy to make its a Paula Deen Recipe.

3/4 c Ketchup

3Tbs prep. mustard

1/2c oil

1/2c Apple cider vinegar

pinch of Garlic salt ( I didnt have any so I used 2 cloves of chopped garlic)

3Tbs Worcestorchire sauce

2tsp paprika

1/4c lemon juice

1tsp pepper

3 Tbs Brown sugar

3/4 water

1/2c onion chopped

2c peaches fresh or canned

Combine everything in a boiler except peaches. Cook on med low heat for about 20 min. until thickened a little. Blend the 2 cups of peaches in a blender and then mix them into the sauce. Let cool. I put the sauce back into the blender to puree the onions and garlic.