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: chipotle queso pollo y tequila camarón aguacate

The last few years, my sister and treat our mommy to dinner and desert that we prepare for her. More times than not, we let her go shopping and whatever she picks up fresh is what we craft together into a meal. There seems to be a southwestern / Mexican flare running as yearly theme at this point, so, when my sister suggested this chipotle dish, I just couldn’t refuse. After all, the smoked halipeno is a personal favorite and since she just discovered it’s beauty she was all too eager to test it out. This is a slight variation on the recipe itself which includes the hor’dourves and the meal itself. My sister’s mastery of both art and baking produced a wonderful cake in the shape of a half a wine barrel sprouting with roses. Stunning, to say the least.

Shrimp
Shrimp
Olive Oil
Tequila
cilantro
cayenne pepper
shallot
avocado
lime
yogurt (Greek preferably, something thick, hearty and plain)

Combine equal parts olive oil and tequila
Zest the lime into the liquids
Shred the cilantro into the liquids
Add the shrimp and allow to marinade for 10-20 minutes (don’t go too long or it will begin to cook in the alcohol)
Very finely dice the shallot
Skin and de-pit the avocado and then mash
Combine the mashed avocado and shallt with the yogurt (about a 2:1 or 1.5:1 ratio would be good depending on your preference) and add a splash of tequila and the line juice
Season with cayenne pepper and fresh shredded cilantro
One a wooden skewer soaked in water, shift 4-5 shrimp separated by 1/8th’ed lime wedges (the ones you’ve already “zested and juiced”
Grill the shrimp, use the marinade to help keep the shrimp moist and from sticking, they will cook fast on a hot grill, do NOT overcook. Shrimp come with a “built in” thermometer – as they change color they are ready to turn, when they go to reddish-orange they are done!

To serve, take the avocado mixture and place it in a bowl in the center of a large platter, line the platter with chips, then place the skewers of shrimp along the edge of the platter over the chips with a few fresh sprigs of cilantro. People can dip the shrimp into the avocado, they can use the grilled lime if they’d like to drench the shrimp with an extra flavor level (esp. because once grilled they take on an extra flavor level) and of course the chips will finish up the dip.

Chicken
Chicken – thighs are better but breasts will work just fine*
Tequila
Lime (both zest and juice)
onion
garlic
montery jack cheese (shredded)
heavy cream
cilantro
chipotle peppers (they usually come packaged in an adobo sauce, which is tomato paste, onion and the pepper’s natural juices)
butter
flour

Marinade the chicken in the tequila and the zest and juice of the lime, you can shred a little fresh cilantro. Anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours would be a good start.
* Thighs come with a darker meat, usually a little bit more fat content and will grill much more evenly on the grill, but breasts will work just fine too. I would suggest, with thighs a bit lower heat and a longer more generous cook that includes a good hot burn right at the end to give texture, with the breasts, thttp://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/central/he fatter the breast the more I’d probably cook it like a thigh, but the smaller ones, super high heat on the first sear and then put them on the top rack and let them cook through. If you can get with skin, I would because it will protect the flesh, but you don’t need to eat it or serve it if you don’t want.

The topping you are creating is a derivative of the Béchamel mother sauce, which is a light roux combined with a dairy. In this case, you are augmenting the mother sauce with a few southwestern concepts to bring it together as a sauce, but it follows a very basic principle

Very finely dice the onion, garlic
Combine equal parts lipid and starch (oil and flour) in the pan over low heat and keep them moving until they combine and become a rich yellow color
Add the veggies to the mixture and continue to keep the mixture moving until the roux begins to turn a light brown and the veggies themselves go to browning
Add the finely diced chipolte and a adobo sauce (1 tbsp per pepper used, to taste)
Add the tequila and allow it to thin out the mixture
Add the heavy cream and allow to combine into the mixture
Bring up to a low boil and immediately back down to a simmer to allow the roux to take shape
Beginning mixing in slowly the shredded montery jack cheese to combine completely
Do not allow anything to burn and continue combining adding the lime as desired
Finish the sauce with the fresh cilantro

Remove the thighs to cooking preference
Serve with the sauce in a bowl or gravy boat that is warmed (with a tea candle or other small candle would be typical but any heater would work)
Allow guests to select their meat and drench in sauce as desired

A nice side is to include an additional lighter version, or as an undergarment to the original recipe is to take the flour and butter and put it in a fry pan and allow it to come to a blond roux, add the tequila and finely chopped garlic and onion and bring to a boil and reduce immediately add the lime juice and zest and some water or stock and reduce by half, add the cilantro bring back to a boil and then back to warm and serve

Veggies
Vidalia Onion
Multi-colored bell peppers, poblano pepper, anaheim pepper
Tomatoes
Squash (summer yellow, zucchini, etc)
olive oil
lime
black pepper
cayenne pepper
wood dowels

combine the olive oil, lime and both ground pepper into a vinaigrette
soak wood dowels in water min of 20 minutes
allow the veggies to soak in the vinaigrette for between 20 min and 2 hours
skewer the veggies on the dowels
sear over high heat on the grill until each veggie reaches desired tenderness

note the higher the heat the greater the char but the less done the veggies and this is a quick cook, the lower the heat the less carmalization but the more tender the veggies will be on a longer cook. use the vinaigrette / oil to keep the veggies from sticking and burning.

recipe: blackened bluefish

When I was younger I used to go bluefishing off the Jersey shore all the time. Blues are an amazing fish, but anyone with a color aversion might avoid them because raw, they live up to their name. We used to fish for two kinds… the traditional lunker (generic term for any big ol’ fish) and what was called sandwich blues. See, blues will eat almost anything and because of their voracious appetites they ingest a lot of “stuff.” The general rule of thumb is, if you plan on eating them, take home the smallest of the slot lengths or the smallest overall fish in general because they had the least amount of time to eat junk. I have many fond memories of bringing home way too many filets from each trip for my mom’s freezer.

I’ve always been a big fan of blackened fish and it is among my favorite ways to enjoy Blues (next to grilling them, where they are amazing too). It is one of the single fastest ways too cook fish, which generally, cooks pretty fast to begin with. Do it right and you get a spicy, crispy exterior with a super moist and flaky fish, the fish will not burn, the outside will not “char” in the traditional sense like if you over-toasted a piece of bread. In the case of blues, it is completely your call if you want to remove the skin of the filet. If you scale it lightly the skin is edible and grilled, that is always the way to go, however blackened you can go either way. This recipe, I leave the skin on and only go heavy with the blackening spice on one side of the fish, since the skin adds to the texture and they were really thin filets so I wanted to keep them with the skin. I go skin side up first because i actually find I can control the sear on the flesh side better when it goes down first, especially on thinner filets. By the way, any meatier fish like catfish, redfish, halibut, stripped bass, swordfish, tuna, mahi mahi, etc work well with blackening, though I’ve learned with being careful too with other fish like tilapia.

The blackening seasoning is something I made at home myself with ground cayanne and black pepper, onion and gariic powder, paprika, dried thyme, dried finely crushed rosemary, cumin, and a touch sea salt

Bluefish
Blackening seasoning
cast iron skillet
butter

butternut squash (frozen cubed, thawed)
onion
garlic
red pepper flakes
black pepper
cilantro
frying pan

Heat the skillet over a high flame
Coat the bluefish, both sides, with blackening seasoning, concentrating heavily on the flesh side
Dice the onion and garlic
Add the onion and garlic to the frying pan and saute over medium heat
Add the butternut squash to the frying pan and season with black pepper, red pepper flakes and dried cilantro flakes
Add the bluefish to the skillet skin side up first and sear for 1 minute or until it appears to be about 1/3 to 1/2 cooked (blues turn color from blue to white as they cook.
While the bluefish sears toss the butternut squash
Flip the bluefish and cook the skin side of the blue until the skin is crispy and the fish cooked through
Serve

recipe: tea soup

I am home sick today, complete with the migraine, fever, body aches, congestion, the whole nine. The old adage about curing a cold with chicken soup I cannot attest to, but I do know that cooking does make me feel better. I took a look in the cupboard and decided to throw together this recipe that included a bunch of those home remedy ideas.

tea bags (i used both chai spiced black tea & English breakfast tea)
water
onion
bell pepper
celery
cilantro
garlic
ginger
flour
oil
ground cayenne pepper
kale (or other dark leafy green)
snap pea pods
mushroom (i used shitakke)
teryiaki sauce (or soy sauce)
lime juice
stock pot

Combine the flour and oil in the stock pot and begin a roux over low heat, allow it to darken to at a brick color.
Finely dice the onion, bell pepper and celery (reserve the celery leaves), garlic and if you are using fresh ginger that as well.
Add the diced veggies to the stock pot and allow them to soften over low heat until the onions become translucent, do not induce browning and allow the flavors to fully meld to form the base.
Add the water and stir the roux into it. Add the tea bags. Bring the water up to a boil and down to a simmer to allow the roux to begin to thicken the water and start the steeping process for the tea.
Season with the cayenne pepper if you want a little extra depth to the flavor of the soup, but do not over season as it’s not supposed to be spicy.
Chop the kale, cut the snap pea pods to bite size if they are large pods, julienne the mushrooms.
Allow the mixture to simmer about 10 minutes.
Add a 3:1 ratio of the teryiaki sauce and lime juice.
Add the rest of the veggies and allow them to cook until tender, introducing the dark greens first and working backwards to the mushrooms.
Finish with the chopped celery leaves and the cilantro.

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: the inexpensive one skillet dish

So, in this crappy economy, I am as conscience as ever as to how much things cost. I’ve been cooking on a sublimely tight budget for many years on some tight time lines. I am a strong believer you can cook inexpensively and healthy and quickly given the right understanding. This meal as noted costs about $12 and for a single person would feed them about 3-4 meals or a small family for a night, it cooks in about 30-40 minutes total (prep to table) and is a balance of flavors with healthy elements. The origins of this meal were actually to prove a point to two friends, one who claimed to hate spinach (and other dark leafy greens, where I used collards this time) and another who had a disdain for seafood. Both adored the final version (and both also helped inspire previously variants of a previously noted Mac & Cheese variant also using these elements)

There are plenty of ways to recreate this base dish, including substituting the tuna with ground meat (or I’ve used flounder, cod, catfish and tilapia at different times or even veggie crumble), the collard with other veggies (often, I do a version with mixed frozen veggies, other dark leafy greens also work too), the rice with pasta, etc. The base veggies (onion, celery, peppers as the trinity can be done as the miraquiox replacing the peppers with carrots, shredded work best) should be done slow to let them get soft and sweet as a nice base flavor. The okra will help thicken this into a nice consistency. Personally, I’m not an okra fan, but a friend got me into using it more often, and though other thickeners can be substituted as well, I do prefer the okra in dishes like this because of how they meld into the dish flavor wise. I’ve also done versions of this with cheese and baked it after the initial cook to give it a nice crusty top too. This dish, or variants of it can also be used as a side dish rather than a main casserole type dish, but that’s for you to figure out!

onion
pepper
celery
garlic
chipotle pepper
diced tomato
canned tuna
brown rice
black beans
collard greens
okra
small amount of olive oil
water (or veggie stock)
house seasoning
large skillet

Mix the rice and olive oil in the skillet and begin to saute
Dice the onion, celery, peppers and garlic
As the rice begins to become translucent add the onion, celery, peppers and garlic and over low heat and sweat the veggies until the onions become translucent, the rice begins to lightly toast and the flavors meld
Drain the tomato and tuna and reserve the liquids
Add the tomato, chopped chipolte and chopped okra, seasoning and allow to continue to sweat to combine flavors
Add the water (or stock), re-season as necessary, combine thoroughly cover and simmer over medium heat 3/4 of the recommended cooking time for the rice
As the rice begins to soften almost to the point of serving, add the black beans, collard greens and re-season as necessary, cover and continue to simmer
Combine again and allow to rest for the remaining liquid to thicken and serve

By my calculation, last month’s costs at average for the three different stores in walking distance from my apt in N. NJ the costs are below… It is not necessary to use the entire amount of some of these, but I didn’t prorate the costs for the post based on the amount used and total shopping trip for this recipe was under 38.00. For example, I only used a couple of stalks of the head of celery, 2 chipolte pepper from the can, 1/2 cup brown rice from the bag, 2 tbsp of oil, a few tbsp of the house seasoning, 1/2 bag of the other veggies at most, etc…

onion 1 lb chopped frozen bag 1.50 or 1 yellow fresh for 1.29
pepper 1lb chopped frozen bag 1.50 or 1 bell pepper fresh for 1.29
celery 1.79/head
garlic 1.29 fresh or a 32 oz minced container for 8.99
diced tomato 14.5 oz can 1.20
canned tuna 10 oz can 2.00
brown rice 1.5 lb bag 2.50
black beans 0.50 14.5 oz can
collard greens 1 lb chopped frozen bag 1.50
okra 1 lb chopped frozen bag 1.50
olive oil 750 ml bottle 7.99
chipolte peppers 4.5 oz canned in adobe 2.99
water (free – if you make your own stock, that’s pretty close to free too)
house seasoning 3 oz shouldn’t cost more than 3-4.00 to make

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: catfish and pasta with tomato topping

The origin of this recipe actually comes from a veggie pasta dish I used to make for a friend back in the day. The pasta could be a full meal in-and-of itself if one so chose, but in this case, it’s a nice side using the same basic flavors to marry the two parts of the dish. The conception was to actually serve the fish over the pasta, but the plating can be done several ways. The use of the catfish was because that’s what I had fresh, but the first time I made this it was with tilapia and I’ve used cod, flounder, mahi mahi and even chicken in the past and it’s come out well. The key is to allow the flavors of the “topping” to come together so the longer you can allow them to sit and meld the better. The greens can be substituted easily as well, although I used collard, spinach, kale, mustard or other dark leafy ones will work too. On occasion, I’ve used peas or french cut string beans too, but the other greens seem to lend a much more robust flavor overall. The fish is actually done similar to to a blackening method, so make sure you have proper ventilation as it can get a little smokey.

Topping:
olive oil
tomato
onion
celery
bell pepper
jalapeno pepper
garlic
black pepper
cilantro
mixing bowl
collard greens
frying pan
ice water

Coarsely chop the collard greens
Toss in a very small amount of olive oil
Lightly saute the greens in the frying pan
Remove from heat, immerse in ice water to set color and stop cooking
Finely dice the onion, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic
Coarsely chop the tomato (or used canned diced tomato)
Combine in a bowl the veggies and greens, crack black pepper, add the cilantro and toss with olive oil
Allow to rest and flavors to combine, toss again before topping

The Fish:
Catfish fillet
Corn meal
House seasoning
Cayenne pepper powder
Skillet

Preheat the skillet over medium high heat
Toss together the corn meal, house seasoning and cayenne pepper
Pat dry the fish, then lightly coat with the seasoning and corn meal mixture
Place the fish on the hot skillet
Sear the one side making sure the thickest part of the fillet is over the hottest part of the pan for 2-3 minutes until coating begins to become crusty
Flip the fish placing it the same way in the pan and finish cooking until cooked through

The Pasta
Dried Spaghetti
Pot of boiling water
Colander

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente
Drain the pasta
Toss with a very small amount of the topping

Serve:
Place some had torn leaves of the collard on the plate
Place the pasta on top of the collard greens
Place the catfish on top of the pasta
Spoon the topping over the pasta and fish
Add a sprig of fresh cilantro as desired and serve

recipe: gumbo aux charise et okra

Cajun (Canadian outcasts from Acadia in the 1800s) and creole (the combination of French and Iberian and African descents) is as much a part of the American landscape of food as many of our traditional “other” dishes and influenced our cooking well beyond what most people understand or comprehend, yet often overlooked. Often thought as a niche style, these prolly laid more into what most dishes are and especially in Italian-American or German-American recipes that the original Italian or Germanic origins were when made here, and yet are oft’ written off because of heritage and idealism. The cajuns flight from no’reastern Canada redefined North American culture, and is NEVER taught, and by the time they settled in their Louisiana home they not only affected and effected culture, it is now almost impossible to define how they redefined original cooking styles than even some of their drawing sociological functions…

Ask me in a month about gumbo aux herbes… maybe, if i get enough prodding i’ll do that lentil version… for tonight though.. the French bouillabaisse divided among the Iberian trinity with local fish (the only way to REALLY do any dish) there’s no reason to really get all stupid about the idea. Speaking of Iberian, I was able to procure some wondeful fresh charise (chorizo sausage) and as one might do with andouile, I decided the fresh pork flavor was too good to not include (actually it was the inspiration…)

This is a quick, and dirty no’eners version of the concept, yeah, I know, but I am just that, a Jersey kid, and in the true form, I am cooking it at the concept of it’s devise, not by they creation of what restaurants are trying to give you, maybe this is more to the concept that helps you enjoy what i’ve always loved… i know there is tradition (and argument) about thickeners, it is winter and i’m going to use okra (backwards as I’m sure I will be told), but it is what I have and, of course, being good at making great roux for all other dishes that’s the true foundation of the stew…

flour
butter
onion
bell pepper
celery
garlic
okra
charise (chorizo sausage)
pork shoulder
chili powder
cumin
black pepper
stock pot

Chop coarsly the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, okra
In the stock pot combine the 1:1 combo of butter and flourand bring it together Add the chopped the veggies to the mixture
Season the meat with the
Once the roux begins to darken and take on a tan to redish color and the veggies are softened add the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper
Allow the meat to begin to sear and keep it moving among the roux and veggies
Once the pork and sausage have seared off add the beer to the mixture, reseason with the cumin, pepper, chili powder, crushed rosemary and 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