recipe: burgers espagnole

Typically, when one makes hamburgers they simply slop together some ground meat and plop it on the grill. Mayhaps, they add some veggies and some seasoning to them and maybe then use what is called a filler to help bind it. However, there are some really deep flavors you can add to a burger recipe if you have people that enjoy rare to at best medium meat and don’t need ketchup as their primary topping.

This might seem like a lot but it builds on two principles of the typical mother sauces, the Espagnole and the delta cooking idea, I’ve blended the two and taken several liberties so you will have to accept it for what it is. Delta cooking, built upon a mixture of cultures and flavors is probably one of the truest forms of American cooking. The French influence in Cajun cooking is especially prominent and as all the Delta styles come together one of the most influential veins in it is Franco-American. Typically, this would be off a veal stock to be a real espagnole, but in this case, a solid beef stock or broth will do more than enough. If you are a really good meat worker you won’t need an egg to help in the emulsification nor will you use bread crumbs in the thickening process because a great roux and some really sweet cooking techniques for people that appreciate burgers done rare (do NOT try to serve these well done) you’ll enjoy.

the espagnole:
red wine, burgundy is good, merlot on the lighter end works ok too, the better “quality” wine the better it should turn out, never cook with something you wouldn’t first drink
stock (beef or veal)
bay leaf
crushed rosemary
onion, garlic flakes
dried celery leaves
black pepper
flour
butter

Combine the wine and stock (1:1), bay, rosemary, onion, garlic, celery, black pepper allow all of the above to cure for between 2 and 24 hours
Combine equal parts, by weight, of flour and butter. Begin to brown them over low heat, do not allow to burn. Continue to mix until the mixture becomes between a dark peanut butter and light brick color.
Add the wine/stock and seasoning combination, mix thoroughly, bring up to a boil and then back down to a simmer and reduce by at least half.
Allow to cool, reserve some of it for sauce for the burgers if you’d like. *remove the bay leaf!

the burgers:
garlic cloves
peppers either a poblano or large Anaheim
celery stalks
onion
cilantro
black pepper
ground beef
Andouille sausage (de-cased – or other ground or shredded similarly spiced pork)
the espagnole
large mixing bowl

Above mixed veggies all finely chopped (finer the better, use a food processor if you’d like)
Put the veggies with the ground beef, sausage, cilantro in a mixing bowl and slowly add the espagnole. Do Not over-mix / overwork the meat. Only add enough espagnole to gain a wet consistency where the meat still sticks together itself.
Spit the meat into fist sized balls and lightly press the balls between your palms to form burger patties. Do not press the patties to be too thin. Season both sides of the patties with black pepper (and house seasoning).

You can grill the burgers or sear them off on a cast iron skillet. I suggest, either way, cook the first side 2/3 of the way and flip only once to complete the cooking for the balance of the time. Do no press the burgers while cooking, allow them to cook and keep the juices in, pressing the juices out just dries the burger out, it doesn’t really reduce the fat content or anything. Before serving allow the burgers to rest a few minutes for the juices to redistribute. Reheat the remaining the espagnole while the burgers are cooking, add Crystal Hot Sauce while it reheats to give it a little extra kick.

recipe: prawn etouffee

In North America the prawn is regarded as the crawdad, crayfish, mudbug, etc. It could be construed by most passerby as a freshwater shrimp, however there is a distinct difference between shrimp and lobster-esque species, and that is what and how you eat them. I always giggle at the menu item “shrimp scampi” (as you will see in soon to be published recipes) because a scampi is crustacean NOT a sauce and true scampi are Nephrops norvegicus, a species to their area. The North American version is a closer cousin to the lobster than the shrimp that it is most often substituted for in recipes. I suppose this is both out of laziness and out of availability, but none the less… it is painful to hear people refer to dishes using names that don’t fit. Anyway… I was out today and overheard etouffee, a personal favorite, referred to not as the dish which is all about the sauce, as a afterthought, as in the sequence “I would like my shrimp, well done, with rice and etouffee, oh and no garlic, I’m allergic to garlic.” I’m not only floored but possibly insulted. you can have your shrimp etouffee but you can’t have etouffee shrimped! And, Damned, Nor Should You! Don’t even get me started on the asininity of the garlic comment! Eat it the way the chef prepared it or don’t order it in the first place. Seriously! HA. Good to note, the word etoufee is actually French for smother. This is a more robust version, but I’ve seen (and usually make) a much more stripped down version that does not include the trinity in the base veggies, doesn’t include most of seasonings and other parts which is more authentic to the bayeau, but if you include them it brings a much deeper flavor set to the dish.

prawns (tails cleaned, but having a few whole for plating is always nice too)
prawn liquor (fish stock will work, but the fatty water that comes from cleaning is what is better so save it if you can)
celery (with leaves)
onion (vadellia but yellow will work)
Cubanella pepper
garlic
oil and butter combo
flour
bay leaf
dried rosemary
parsley
black pepper
cayenne pepper
coffee
chicory
tomato paste

If you are doing this over rice, begin the rice now. I prefer my rice with bay, rosemary, coffee, and chicory steeped thoroughly. **

Coarsely dice the celery, onion, Cubanella pepper and garlic and set aside
Begin the roux by combining equal parts by weigh of the lipids (oil and butter) and the flour in a large skillet over low heat. Do not allow the roux to burn, work it over low heat until it is a reddish brick color.
Add the prawn liquor or stock and coffee (about 2:1) as well as a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste and combine until the roux and paste is dissolved into the liquid.
Add the diced veggies and season with bay leaf, dried rosemary, black pepper, cayenne pepper
Bring up to a boil and then down to a low simmer (in order for the roux to achieve it’s truest thickening power, always bring to that quick boil)
Allow the entire mixture to simmer 20-30 minutes minimum allowing the liquid to reduce and flavors to meld completely.
When sauce is done to desired thickness, add prawn tails (and a couple of whole prawns to steam on top), cover with lid.
Cook 5-8 minutes, do NOT overcook.
Re-season again, to taste, and finish with shredded celery leaves and the parsley
Serve over rice with a whole prawn over each dish or better serve family style with the prawns arranged over the top of the main dish **

** I actually really like this over grits, believe it or not. It also works over pasta, mixed warm greens and a new one I just found, molasses oats – trust me sounds crazy, it was one of the more brilliant concepts I’ve come across, though, it does require a nice thick sauce and nothing too wet and watery!

recipe: tomato veggie chili

Ok, so there is a very Suburban Traditional version of the chili recipe that’s probably been floating around since the 50s. It is tomato based and I’m sure it probably came out of McCall’s or some similar magazine for aspiring non-regional cooks to spice up Friday night so it wasn’t always about meatloaf. Now, despite not being a native, I’ve read up on it enough to know that tomato chili is not authentic, plus I’ve been enough times to the Southwest to tasted the difference between the tomato, beef and bean version from a chili pepper flesh version.

However, that’s not to say, you cannot marry the old school of chili based in chili peppers and chili that is steep in the tomato regime, which is what this very vegetarian version seeks to do. Funny enough, the original Mexican chili recipes from what I understand were veggie stews anyhow, so the concept itself isn’t that far off. However, one could very easily make this using ground meat like my mom always did… perhaps another recipe for another time. This uses the pre-packaged veggie crumble available in most freezer sections, but hand chopped veggie burgers can work as a substitute. The tomatoes are the canned, diced kind, fresh can work too, if you have them available (I didn’t, sorry not Jersey Tomato season yet), either way, you have to get the liquids out, but for some reason canned actually works better because the skins are less prominent I think.

onion
bell pepper
celery
garlic
chipolte peppers
tomato (pressed, but hold the liquids too)
tomato paste
veggie crumble
dark red kidney beans
stock (mostly veggie, but beef, or perhaps pork can work too)
house seasoning
cumin
chili powder
dried rosemary
bay leaf
dried cilantro
stock pot

Finely dice the onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery and place in a stock pot over low heat
Sweat the veggies over low heat allowing their flavors to meld, season with the house season (it should contain some salt, if not add sea salt to aid in the sweating) keep stirring so nothing burns
Once the veggies are thoroughly sweat and just beginning to brown add the pressed chopped tomato and the diced chipolte, re-season with the house seasoning
Continue to work the mixture over low heat to continue melding the flavors, and keep stirring so nothing burns and add the dried rosemary and the bay leaf
Add the tomato juices and stock in equal parts (do not make over wet) and season with the chili power, cumin and house seasoning
Allow to simmer over low heat to let the flavors meld
Add the tomato paste (and adobo from the chipolte as necessary) After 20-30 minutes (minimum) or as the existing liquid has reduced by half add the kidney beans and cilantro after the mixture
Continue to simmer adding stock as necessary through the rest of the cooking process, re-season with house seasoning and/or chilli power as necessary

After it is fully simmered serve, the longer the better, short version could be as little as 30-40 minutes, long version 3-6 hours. For me today, I served it over huge dollop of grits with some chopped collards. Grits, you say! Yes, grits. Ok, a little irregular, or so seemingly, but trust me, it’s a great experience on this type of chili, I love chili’s served on unique tables, my rojo is over a corn bread, so since this is a veg dish this seemed like a tasty idea.

recipe: cephalopod & mollusk stew

So, yes, no meat recipes for the next so many days as I undergo a self cleansing and hold true to the Lenten traditions of a bygone era, not that anyone would question my cooking in that, apart from the lack of pork based on the recipes. When I went grocery shopping there were a bunch of specials that I took advantage of. Scary enough, there is one inclusion here that had been bought at full price would actually encompass the cost of the entire meal I think.

The cephalopods were all frozen and on-sale uncleaned (so I had to de-beak and clean then, fun for me! It isn’t difficult, but time consuming, and considering how much fun I have doing it the almost 3x price even on sale between the two was worth the fun… note, if you can, save the ink sacs, they really do under a good boil add great flavor to the dishes.

The mollusks were also on sale frozen, uncooked. I rarely do this, but in dragging myself through the store I saw them and they were labeled “local caught” Mississippi, NOLA, OBNC and I couldn’t help myself because so much sea food is now labeled “farm raised” and/or “product of China” (btw, I don’t care origin on some products, farm raise it anywhere to provide me with non-regional fair, that’s fine, but with China, I get scarred because they don’t have formal farming rules, then again, I’m getting skeptical of the US after the peanut problem… argh) Canned could and would absolutely work too, just reduced the cooking time for them. A huge note on working with cephalopods is to remember they cook one minute or one hour (if you don’t they will be rubbery!).

Anyway, the premise of the dish is fish casserole or stew or soup, it is truly determined by how “wet” you choose to make it and what you serve it over. Doing it like tonight, I went with brown rice, which I went for more a stew consistency in order to work with the rice, but over a pasta, I would do this much thicker and more like a sauce, and, if I did this with potatoes or other heavy root starches, I can envision it being much richer but using the starch in the base probably a thinner soupy base. There are three ways to adjust the thickness. The first is the darkness of the roux. The darker the roux, the more it will be rustic and smokey, but the less thick it will be so, if you go for a dark roux you’ll need twice as much for a stew. The second way is to go for a medium roux (peanut butter to brick) and use another thickener, such as corn meal or okra in the cooking depending on your serving method. The final way is to do it near table side and go for file and related thickeners known as “at dish”

This meal, for me, is a hybrid, it incorporates some of the delta cuisine I adore and my own Iberian heritage. It should be noted that there are a lot of sub in, sub out in the recipe, and I’ve been messing around with variants for years and am just writing this one down now because I can. Should it be done with a sausage or hamhock or other meat product, absolutely, but the stock is a fruit stock I worked on saving for ’tilll this spring and am glad I truly had. You can add the sausage (charise, andoulie, pork chopped, etc) in your own recipe.

Base
onion
celery
bell pepper
cubano pepper
garlic
flour
olive oil

rice
stock (fruit or veggie or fish, but pork works well)

Top
cleaned calamares (fresh or frozen squid)
cleaned octopus (frsh or frozen)
cleaned cuttlefish (fresh or frozen, or canned or not used)
clams (canned, but fresh or frozen would steam over the dish)
oysters (canned, but fresh or frozen would steam over the dish)
muscles (canned, but fresh or frozen would steam over the dish)
stock (fruit or veggie or fish, but pork works well)
Collard or other dark leafy green (Kale is my other top choice, fresh or frozen of each would work

Seasonings
Rosemary
Bay
Tarragon
House seasoning

In the skillet mix equal parts (by weight) the flour and oil
Begin working the roux
Finely dice the veggies (onion, celery, bell pepper, cubano pepper, garlic) and add them to the pan opposite where you are working the roux)
Once the veggies begin to brown, add some black pepper, house seasoning and rosemary and keep browning
Combine the veggies and the roux in the skillet as the roux gets to the appropriate darkness
Put the veggies and roux to one side of the skillet and add the (fresh) cephalopods diced to the pan and begin to sear them
Once the cephalopods sear off and begin to saute you can decide if you want to take them to browning or now
In a pot place the rice and some oil and begin to brown the rice
Add the stock slowly to the skillet and begin to combine the roux and veggies and cephalopods, add additional rosemary and house seasoning, the bay and tarragon and combine until it becomes skilky
Bring the combination to a boil and then back down to a very low simmer and allow to meld, watching the consistency of stock base during cooking
Once the rice is browned add the liquid and cover to simmer (usually with brown rice it is 1 to 2 rice to liquid) over low heat
Watch the rice for consistency and add liquid as necessary
As the skillet begins to thicken up, re-season with tarragon and house seasoning and add liquid as necessary depending on your preference, add the shredded collard
After everything is cooked out, you want to add the mollusks to the skillet and let them steam into the dish, they cook very quick. If they are fresh, cook till they open, frozen or out of shell (such as canned) just add them and let them warm over the the steam), add additional tarragon as necessary
At the same time you add the mullusk, crank the heat on the rice and let it begin to crisp to the bottom of the pot

Serve
If you are using fresh collard add a leaf to the bottom to the dish
Position the rice over the collard
Spoon the stew over the rice and collard
Serve hot, if the mollusk are in shell, be sure to spoon out the shells equally, if out of shell, give the dish a good slosh or two before serving to mix the mollusks in before serving so they are fully integrated
A quick topping I like to the serving is a bit of ground paprika and some goat cheese with fresh tarragon but you can determine that based on your perference

recipe: stuporbowl faves

Normally, when you see the typical Super Bowl grub it is predictable finger foods that truly reflect the breath of diversity of culinary impressions that make up the breath of the American melting pot. For me, the Superbowl has always been a time to really bring out some unique and special creations which I adapt from year to year depending on what I’m typically cooking around that time and some of my more all-time faves blended together to share with my friends. Despite the lack of a big party this year, I would have broke out the following experiments to share among friends, I came back from my hike down at the Jersey Shore to bring together these dishes to enjoy during the game. These are comfort foods to me, and in as such, the represent some of my favorite interpretations of food as I enjoy it. During the game, I was sharing thoughts with my fellow blogger Bobby (you can see the eclectic conversation we had: http://nyphillycombine.wordpress.com/)

There are a couple of courses to the SB meal so scroll through them

Beer and Cheese Soup
Anyone can bust out the canned quesso or some cheese wiz and then try and ‘doctor it up’ into something, but why go though the hassle when you can have it done right the first time and really bring some flavor to the party. Besides… beer and cheese, c’mon you totally weren’t going to do that with the canned crap anyhow!

Ingreds:
butter
flour
milk (or heavy cream)
onion
garlic
chipolte pepper
celery
extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
beer (a nice amber lager or light ale works best)
stock (pork is preferable, beef will work too)
chorizo sausage (pref portuguese charise, however a linguica will work too)
soup pot

Tip:
the liquids are going to be done in parts so please note the beer will be used throughout the recipe to maintain consistency so the final amount will vary. The beer and stock when combine will be about 1:1 to 2:1 beer to stock. The creme should be about 2:1 to the beer and stock to creme (the creme really is just to help set the roux as the thickener like making cheese sauces)

How:
Very finely dice the onion, pepper, celery and garlic and dice the chroizo (cut small pieces not big slices)
Add the butter and the flour to the pot (1:1) and allow to begin to combine over low heat
Once combined add the veggies and continue to work the mixture until the veggies soften and the roux to begin to brown
Do not let the roux or the veggies burn, but allow the roux to get to between a dark blond and light brick color while the veggies begin to break down
Add chorizo and the creme and combine until the creme is integrated with the roux to form a mother sauce
Add the beer and stock mixture and the cheese and stir lightly to combine
Bring the mixture up to a boil and immediately back down to a simmer stirring constantly
Allow to simmer watching the consistency so it remains thick and rich, do not allow the mixture to burn to the bottom (heat is too high) or begin to chuck (heat might be too low)… add beer as necessary during simmering to maintain consistency.
When the soup is ready there should be almost no veggies left to feel in the soup (you can use a blender to thin them out if absolutely necessary) and it should be a creamy and rich combination with balanced flavors
Serve with finely chopped flat leaf parsley and additional grated cheese as desired

Note:
I actually have made this without the charise and with veggie stock, so it is possible to do it other ways, but the charise and pork stock make a nice pairing to the cheese. I’ve also done this with a blended cheese mixture, so feel free to experiment with the cheeses as long as they maintain the consistency of the soup.

Pork and Poblano Chili
Nachos ’supreme’ are so cliche and chili and chips can be pretty plain (besides, the kidney beans make the beer drinking guests fart more). This isn’t my chili verde recipe, but the color and the flavors will definitely turn more than a few heads and tantalize a few tastebuds who probably had one too many hamburger helpers lately.

Ingreds:
onion
poblano peppers
green jalipino or other hot pepper
celery
garlic
bay leaf
cubed pork (very small cubes)
andouile sausage
green chili powder (ancho or other red will work too)
cumin
white pepper
rosemary
beer (a nice amber lager or light ale works best)
olive oil
flour
stock pot

Tips:
because this is a poblano chili, you will need about 2:1 poblano to the rest of your veggies. it isn’t supposed to be super hot. Most poblanos are fairly mild so if you have a batch of mild ones, use the jalipino to give it some bit, otherwise, if you have good, bold polbanos, let them do their business alone. I strongly suggest charring the polblano too to bring out the earthy flavor and really give the dish some depth. Take the whole cooking process SLOW. Like most long cook meals, you can do 30 minutes cook time, but trust me, 3 hours is a much better minimum, set it up and after the first 15 minutes of cooking just check it at regular intervals and go about the rest of your business.

How:
Coarsely chop onion, poblano peppers, jalipino celery and garlic and place it in a large stock pot
1:1 oil and flour should be added to the pot and set the heat to medium, stirring constantly so the veggies begin to soften and the roux begins to form
Dust the pork with the cumin, white pepper, chili powder, crushed rosemary and white pepper
Once the roux begins to darken and take on a tan to redish color and the veggies are softened add the cubed pork and sliced sausage
Keep the whole mixure moving lightly and slowly sear off the pork and sausage
Once the pork and sausage have seared off add the beer to the mixture, reseason with the cumin, while pepper, chili powder, crushed rosemary and white pepper, add the bay leaf
Bring up to a boil and then immediately back down to a very very low simmer
Allow to simmer and reseason as necessary till the meat is almost ready to fall apart with a fork and the sauce is thick and rich from redection and the roux
Nicest to finally serve with chips and let people dig in or with collard lined bowls with shredded cheese, shredded poblano peppers and cilanro

Catfish Cakes
So, you wanted to serve chicken fingers. Ahem, lame! C’mon really? Deep fried, breaded chicken with a collage of lame “dipping” sauces? I’m not only Portuguese and grew up with spectacular codfish cakes, but I grew up in MD and have an inherent love of crab cakes. This recipe combines what I love of both into an invention that encompasses another great white fish for the experience. Trust me, it’ll turn a head and it’s not the greezy serve of those bock bocks you were gonna serve

What:
Catfish filets
whole black pepper corns
rosemary
cumin
garlic
house spice
cilantro
corn meal
large skillet

Tips:
Fresh, fresh, fresh… catfish can be realy cheap and not even the farm raised ones, but go with what you can get and it’ll really add to the experience the fresher it is. Also, for “dipping” sauces, there are a tonne of great ones, from a garlic and clarified butter, to a nice coarse ground mustard, to a chili paste, to molassase and then some… the house spice, which is a lynchpin in this recipe, could be anything from say a storebought blackening seasoning to your own personal house spice, but it is a mixture or combination of the flavors you “love” and that’s what is most important.

How:
Cut up the catfish filets into pieces (I strongly suggest not buying “catfish bits” on sale, you’ll spend too much time removing skin and “fat” and not enjoy the experience, trust me, nice fresh filets will go a long long way)
In your deep skillet put garlic, the bay leaf, rosemary and the pepper corns and bring up to a boil with water that covers at least 1/3 the depth
Once the aroma begins to exude, add the catfish filet and let it poach till it’s just about flaking
Set the fish aside and once “cooled” crumble it in a large mixing bown with rosemary, cumin, garlic, fresh cilantro and house spice to the corn meal and then coat the fish totally pressing it together against itself as necessary into palm sized balls
Keep the skillet super hot and then re-add the coated catfish
Do not let the catfish to burn to the dry skillet, keep the pan moving and the catfish searing over the high heat rolling through the pan
If necessary add a little bit of oil the the skillet to keep from burning and let the coating begin to brown before removing from heat

Note:
If necessary, you can add a nice heavy starchy mashed potato to the mixture, boil it cubed into small pieces with the fish and then mash it and combine it with the flaked fish at the same time as the spices before you hit the high heat. You may actually need a light coating of oil if you use the potato, but you’ll have to feel out your pan to decide. The potato will strech the same amount of fish twice as far, but do not over potato and for every one you add per big filet remember to reduce the corn meal by the same amount or you’ll have a dry starchy mess.

Hush Puppies
No no, not those shoes you hated as a kid, and i’m sure, if not positive that this recipe is probably a last choice but it’s designed to be a good pairing to the rest of these ideas… remember, i suck at making dough and other baking goods and I’m not typically a fryer guy either, but this, could be worth it, if you can figure out my stupidity

What:
1/2 cup finely grated veggies (onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic in “equal” parts)
flat leaf parsley
2 cups sifted fine stone ground corn meal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
cold water
mixing bowl
deep skillet
oil

How:
fill skillet 1/2 deep with oil and bring up to under a simmer, no more than 375 degrees
Stir corn meal, sugar, soda together in mixing bowl
Add egg, shredded veggies and parsley and buttermilk and beat until frothy in mixing bowl
Pour wet ingreds into dry and stir lightly to mix in bowl
Add just enough of the cold water to make dough a good dropping – the dough should hold its shape in the palm of your hand
Drop by palmfulls into hot oil, keep turning until golden brown on all sides

RECIPE: One, two, fisherman’s stews

Boiled on timbers and stirred with a broom”……So, The Doormouse and I have talked Paella recipe’s a few times, and he’s got a great grasp, ok a firm hold on the dish, as for me I’m a big fan of wingin’ things sometimes, this is by no means a paella, but it is what I call a “fisherman’s stew” it came out pretty tasty so I thought I’d share it with you all….I had a few smaller portions of various sea creatures leftover, so I decided to make one bigger portion out of them all, here’s what transpired….

FISHERMAN’S STEW

1 small yellow onion

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

6 stalks of celery

1lb baby carrots

3 medium tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped garlic

1 can okra (fresh is better & ideal)

1 small can baby clams

1lb 16/20 shrimp

2 4oz pollock loins

2 4oz white fish fillets(I used capensis)

white wine

dark roux*

Chop all your veggies with the exception of the baby carrots, saute in some olive oil with your garlic, now here’s where I get a little random, I just season with out thinking sometimes after years of doing it you learn to just add the shit you think something needs, so I give you this advice start with a little taste and re-add if needed…..anyhow, add some thyme, old bay seasoning, rosemary, sage, crushed red chilies, cracked black peper, and a couple bay leaves give your veggies a good few minutes in the oil, then deglaze with your white wine once your pan is deglazed drop your shrimp in, once they start to turn red, add a little veggie stock, bring to a boil and thicken slightly with the dark roux, then lay your fillets on top of the concoction, and cover and let them steam. Serve with some nice steamed rice or potatoes, some fresh bread and you got yourself some good grubbin’….

*dark roux — equal parts butter and flour cooked until just before the burning point, if you haven’t done this before cook over low to medium heat and pay attention once it starts to brown it goes quick, take it to the point that it smells like burnt popcorn and you’re good to go…

If you want the goods for fisherman’s stew hit up the Doormouse for his paella recipe……

And Big Rob, here’s “a” paella recipe I worked on over the summer. I actually call it casserole poisson a l’acadia because it’s not a true Iberian Paella

I love a lot of fish dishes and this is a mish-mosh of some of my faves, building off the traditional idea of the Portuguese Paella that I hold oh so dear to my heart. One note for those who only had thedish in Spanish-American resturants, the true dish is about the freshness of the seafood and the use of the pan and less necessarily about the dish itself. I have a very nice pan that only is used for a select few meals specifically given as a gift to make this recipe, of which today’s meal was done as a celebration.

Despite my remark earlier about the dish’s forte being in the freshness of the fish, several trips to several stores over the week did not provide all the preferences I would have hoped. I’m not going to give up the shortcuts, but I highly suggest you look for some fresh fish and match spices to them in a meal like this. It’ll be worth the effort.

This dish I named this way because I could. By strict definition creole is white French (of Canadian decent, usually Acadia, but also via modern Quebec) mixed with Iberian (predominantly Spanish although some Portuguese or, of course, French Iberian) -or- French (any origin) mixed with Carribean Islander (typically Haitian, but which, by traditional creole standard usually being mixed with an Iberian, usually Spanish in general, and originated as a French man with a Carribean woman of “color,” though, after the first generation the distinction becomes lost). White creole is rare form these days even among those who study creole heritage, yet oddly enough, by definition being French Canadian and Portuguese would make me, yes, creole. How’s that for a fun stretch??

The crux of the meal is built on the trinity. A throw to the underlying christian heritage holding the region’s will. Where traditional French cooking depends heavily on the mariquois the carrot is replaced as an aromatic in the early steps. The important part of finishing is the high heat on the rice, (it has a special name I cannot recall)

Vadalia Onion
Celery
Poblano pepper
Anaheim pepper
garlic
brown rice
olive oil
prawns (crayfish)
little neck clams
oysters
blue crab (backfin crab)
andouile sausage
bay leaf
rosemary
paprika
coriander
black pepper corns
bourbon
stock (fish, veggie or pork will work, I prefer veggie)
tarragon
kale leafs
extra large skillet, or paella pan

Char both the peppers under the broiler than sweat the charred skins off and dice the flesh
Dice the onion, garlic, celery
place all in the pan with a bit of oil along with the pepper corns and sweat them out
add the chicken brown the thighs and allow to begin to brown
if you prefer add the sausage and all to brown, but remove before adding rice
add the rice and saute until the kernels become translucent
add the bourbon and burn it off over a low flame
add the stock and bring it to a simmer
add the bay leaf, paprika, rosemary and coriander
allow rice to simmer to 25-30 minutes
add the fish based on cooking times, typically crustaceans in their native shells uncracked will take longer than mollusks, and any fish out of its shell (such as gulf shrimp or bay scallops) will take the least time
make sure the last bit of liquid is evaporated or absorbed
cover the last fish with tarragon and kale leaves and bring the heat up to high
allow the bottom rice to begin to crisp along the bottom of the pan and bring up some of the smokey charred flavor

serve family style with the casserole
or for single servings, line the bowl with the steamed kale, then, bring up the bottom of the pan in the serving bowl with rice and a balance of the fish and meat

RECIPE: crowded soup

When I (eric doormouse) was younger I always heard stories about the infamous crowded soup my grandmother used to make. She would collect the leftovers from the week (which is difficult to believe there would be any, considering my uncles and grandfather) and put them in a stock pot and make a big soup out of them so as to see nothing go to waste. It hardly requires a recipe when you think about it, so long as most of the leftovers make some kind of culinary sense with one another and could be construed as soup-worthy.

Although this is not exactly my grandmother’s recipe for a Crowded Sunday Soup, this is one of those recipes that changes a little bit every time I make it based on what veggies I have hanging around the place. In this case, it was time to use up a number of base veggies and the last bit of homemade stock I had left. This is the gist of what I used. The okra, a traditional African and later Mississippi Delta veggie that acts as a wonderful thickener for meals. Typically, I cook with the trinity (in Delta cooking the combo of onion, celery and bell pepper is a replacement for the more traditional miraquois of onion, celery and carrot) but in this case I combine a number of aeromatics to create the base flavor and build up from there. Once the base flavors are in and the stock is settled, the rest of the veggies are just a suggestion…

Also, I used leftover sugar ham in the dish, because pork typically makes everything better, however, eliminating it makes it a very nice vegitarian dish. I also actually made this in a crock pot on low after a quick saute of the base veggies, but the recipe is written the way I would do it over long cook in a heavy stock pot.

coarsly diced:
onion
bell pepper
anaheim pepper
celery
carrot
garlic
okra

sugar cured ham

shredded dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, mustard leaf, collard green, chicory, chard, etc.)
corn (frozen or cut fresh from the cob raw)
tomato (diced / sliced / crushed, fresh is best, though canned can work too)
squash (yellow summer, butternut, zucchini, etc.)
beans (red kidney, red pinto, black, black eyed pea, Cannellini, blue navy, etc. NOTE there is a difference in cooking using canned, frozen & dried!)
lentels (if you use ANY lentels you NEED to ensure there is enough extra liquid for the lentels since most are dried)

Stock (I prefer homemade veggie, but chicken or pork could work too)
water
olive oil
bay leaf
dried rosemary
tarragon
parsley
black pepper
paprika
Stock Pot

add a small amount of oil to the stock pot over medium heat
add the coarsly chopped veggies (peppers, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, okra) and simmer over medium heat so the veggies soften and the flavors begin to meld
add the dired rosemary and make sure to keep the veggies evenly cooking, do not allow them to over-carmalize as they saute

add the pork and allow it to meld with the rest of the flavors as you saute

add the stock and water, 2:1 ratio stock to water and allow to come to a simmer covered with the bay, black pepper, paprika and tarragon (dried, if fresh only add at the end or it’ll end up mushy grey leaves and taste like nothing)

after those flavors set, add the dark leafy greens, tomato, the lentils and re-season as necessary and allow to simmer

after those flavors set and the greens wilt and lentils become moist add the other veggies and allow to simmer, reseason (with the black pepper, paprika and tarragon etc) as neccessary. do not overcook the last group of veggies, as they will reduce to mush if you do

serve warm… sometimes, i like it with some flat leaf parsley and a hard cheese like parmeseano reggiano or pecorino romano grated on top

RECIPE: NYE Special … Bourbon Lime Chicken over Rice

Nearly every year over the last decade I’ve (Eric doormouse) cooked on New Year’s Eve. Sometimes it was a romantic dinner for two for the lady I was with, sometimes it was for a gathering of close friends, I’ve even cooked with family for it (or at least brought around some of the better leftovers from it). I really enjoy cooking, it’s such a creative and relaxing experience and with a nice glass of scotch or wine, some good music and good company there’s really few other ways I would rather spend time… and that’s exactly what inspired this meal. I made some adjustments in transcribing my notes from actually creating this recipe since it was mostly made up as I went along while looking at the ingredents that were brought along by friends. The ingreds were pretty straight forward, so this wasn’t nearly as big a challenge as say, trying to watch Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve contemplating 1) where’s the rock and 2) is that really DC or is it a CGI to maintain the illusion of a once great broadcaster?

chicken (breasts or theighs about 1″ cubed)
onion
garlic
bell pepper
anaheim pepper
celery
limes (zested and juiced)
molassas
brown rice
stock (veggie or chicken)
coffee
bourbon
spinach
black pepper
house seasoning
bay leaf
dried rosemary
olive oil
fry pan
large skillet
medium pot

lightly coat the cubed chicken in black pepper and then marinade for no less than 20 minutes in equal parts lime juice and bourbon
rough chop the onion, both peppers, celery and garlic
in the medium pot place 1/4 of the diced veggies, the rice and a little bit of oil
allow the rice to begin to become translucent and the veggies to soften over medium heat
mix the stock, bourbon and coffee 2:1:1 at aprox 4:1 to the rice (ie: 1/4 cup of rice, 1 cup of liquid) and add the liquid to the rice
bring the rice up to a boil, add the bay leaf and rosemary, cover and allow to simmer until rice softens and is tender
while the rice is cooking, heat the skillet with a little bit of oil
remove the chicken from the marinade and sear it on all sides, do not cook through, remove from heat and set aside covered
in the skillet add the rest of the veggies and lightly saute them
carefully add bourbon to the pan, increase the heat to high, carefully light the alcohol and allow to quickly burn off
add the lime juice and zest, mollassas and the reserved chicken to the pan and allow to simmer over low heat until chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce is reduced by about half (it should come out viscous, not overly thick)
while the meat is finishing cooking place the washed spinach in the fry pan very coated lightly with a bit of oil, the house seasoning (and the leftover parts of the zested & juiced limes)
lightly saute the spinach until the leaves begin to wilt (if you used the lime parts, remove and do not serve them)

I served the rice in the center of the plate with the spinach encircling it and the chicken and sauce spooned over the top.

(note from Jan 1) Because it is good luck to serve pork as part of your New Years festivities, when I reheated this the next day, I used some leftover ham to help set up the rice as I fried it and used some chorizo sausage along with the chicken because there wasn’t a lot of left over chicken and it made for a very nice meal as well, looking back again, a little pork in the rice to begin with and the combo of meats might have even made this even more bold, like a nice andouile sausage, mm mm good