Old Creole Winter Okra Soup - a weekend recipe

In Black Magic Woman,  my French Quarter Mystery No. 4, Wyatt Thomas and Mama Mulate's latest squeeze, Jason Fasempaur, travel back to old New Orleans, circa 1845, to implore voodoo high priestess Madam Marie Laveau to help them lift a curse that is plaguing Wyatt. While there, they visit a haunted plantation on River Road and a townhouse in New Orleans. Wyatt also fights a duel with a French sword master. When Jason sees the rustic kitchen of the New Orleans townhouse, he enjoys a bowl of cook Sarah's delectable soup that he declares ‘a taste of heaven.’ Here is Sarah’s recipe. Try it, and I think you’ll agree with Jason.

Old Creole Winter Okra Soup

Ingredients

      ·         3 pints Okra

·         6 tomatoes, fresh

·         2 onions

·         2 T butter

·         2 dozen oysters

·         3 T rice

·         1 red pepper pod, deseeded

Directions

Wash and stem the okra, and then slice it very fine. Chop the tomatoes finely and preserve the juice. In a large pot, chop the onions finely, and then fry them in the butter. Wash the rice well. Slow stew the onions, tomato juice, and pepper in about three quarts of water and one pint of oyster juice for three hours, stirring frequently. Don’t add the okra and rice until ten minutes before serving, then let it boil. Drop in the oysters, boil up once, and serve.

Note: Even though south Louisiana usually has a long growing season, the Creoles of New Orleans didn’t have fresh okra and tomatoes during the winter. They resolved this problem by canning fruits and vegetables during the plentiful months. To follow the original recipe, use one can (jar) of okra and one can or jar of tomatoes instead of fresh okra and tomatoes. Either way, it's good.

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Born near Black Bayou in the little Louisiana town of Vivian, Eric Wilder grew up listening to his grandmother’s tales of politics, corruption, and ghosts that haunt the night. He now lives in Oklahoma, where he continues to pen mysteries and short stories with a southern accent. He authored the French Quarter Mystery Series set in New Orleans, the Paranormal Cowboy Series, and the Oyster Bay Mystery Series. Please check it out on his Amazon author page. You might also like checking out his Facebook page.

Bertram Picou's Spicy Tomato Sauce - a weekend recipe

Except for occasional help from his on again, off again girlfriend Shirley, Bertram Picou relies mostly on himself to manage his French Quarter bar. Every now and then, he grows tired of tourists and locals, and shuts the doors for some R and R, usually cooking something just for himself. Sometimes, his friend Wyatt Thomas becomes the lucky recipient of his cooking prowess.

Bertram might lug his charcoal grill upstairs to Wyatt’s room, grilling on the balcony overlooking Chartres as they listen to the sounds of boats on the river, and cacophony on Bourbon Street. When Wyatt gets very lucky, Bertram, drinking shots of Cuervo as he cooks, will grill up his Andouille Fired Oysters, topping them with his spicy tomato sauce.

Here’s the recipe for Bertram’s own spicy tomato sauce. It’s a great sweet and sour sauce that goes perfectly with broiled and baked fish, and, oh yes, Andouille Fired Oysters. Stay tuned for Bertram’s Andouille Fired Oyster recipe. Meantime, here’s the recipe for his spicy tomato sauce.

Bertram’s Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

·         1 onion, thinly sliced

·         2 Tbs. butter

·         2 tomatoes, fresh, finely chopped

·         2 lemons, juiced

·         1 ½ Tbs. sugar

·         ½ tsp. mustard, dry

·         salt, to taste 

Directions 

Sauté onion in butter and then stir in tomatoes. Add lemon juice, salt, and mustard, and then simmer for a few minutes.

 

Check out more of Bertram and Wyatt in the French Quarter mysteries Big Easy, City of Spirits, and Primal Creatures.

Eric'sWeb

Mama's Green Gumbo - a weekend recipe

There are as many varieties of gumbo in New Orleans as there are streets with French names. One variety, Green Gumbo, or Gumbo Z’herbs, is little-known and generally found only in New Orleans. Catholic’s often serve this meatless gumbo (although meat may be added) on Good Friday. Superstition has it that a new friend will be made for every different green leafy vegetable used in the gumbo. Mama, a naturally suspicious person, always uses seven different types of greens. Here is her special recipe for Green Gumbo.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds leaves of (pick your own seven greens) collard, cabbage, radish, turnips, mustard, spinach, watercress, parsley and green onion, equal portions, chopped very fine
• 1 onion, white, large, chopped
• ½ red pepper pod
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 bay leaf, finely chopped
• 1 sprig thyme, finely chopped
• 1 sprig parsley, finely chopped
• 1 sprig sweet marjoram, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic
• ¼ tsp. allspice, ground fine
• ½ tsp. cayenne
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup flour, all-purpose
• boiled rice

Directions

Wash the leaves thoroughly then remove coarse midribs. Pat dry. Put greens in a large pot with enough water to cover. Add black pepper. Boil for about 2 hours, strain and then chop very fine. Save the water in which they were boiled. Combine cooking oil and flour over medium heat in a heavy pot or Dutch oven.

When hot, add chopped onion and chopped sprig of parsley. Stir until roux reaches a rich peanut brown, and then add the chopped greens. When the leaves become brown, pour contents into the water in which the leaves were boiled. Throw in the bay leaf, thyme, sweet marjoram, red pepper pod, clove of garlic and allspice. Stir slowly. Place pot over low flame and simmer, partially covered for about 2 more hours, adding cayenne during the process. Serve with rice and French bread. Enjoy.

Eric'sWeb

Mama Mulate's Creole Catfish Bites - a weekend recipe

Mama Mulate has a natural connection with her Tulane English students, often hosting poetry readings and literary events at her home in urban New Orleans. When she does, she always provides home cooked delicacies such as her famous Creole catfish bites. Bite into one yourself and you’ll see (and taste) why they’re famous.

Ingredients
 • 1 pound catfish fillets, poached
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• ¾ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. dry mustard
• ½ tsp. Jamaican allspice, ground
• 1 ½ cups bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cup green onions, finely chopped
• ½ tsp. Tabasco
• 1 ½ cups bread crumbs, fresh, plus more for coating Bites
• Vegetable oil for sautéing

Directions
 Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the flour, stirring constantly (2 to 3 minutes). Add the milk slowly, continuing to stir until the cream sauce is thick (10 to 12 minutes). Add salt, pepper, mustard, and allspice, mixing well. Flake the catfish fillets into a bowl. Add the cream sauce and the remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Form bite-sized balls with the fish mixture, coating them with more bread crumbs. In about ½ inch of vegetable oil, gently sauté the bites in a heavy skillet, until they are browned.

Eric'sWeb

Mama Mulate’s Salade de Crevettes d'Orange - a weekend recipe

Mama Mulate is a character from my French Quarter murder mystery Big Easy. Being a voodoo mambo, she is deft at preparing magical potions and enchanted concoctions. She’s also a great cook and here’s her recipe for a wonderful summer salad.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. orange peel, dried and ground
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 oz. lime juice, fresh
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 4 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Triple Sec

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine orange peel, paprika and brown sugar. Toss the shrimp in the mixture, shaking until evenly coated. Sauté shrimp in olive oil. Toss plum tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell peppers, and cilantro in a large salad bowl. Whisk together red wine vinegar, remaining olive oil, lime juice and Triple Sec. Top individual salads with shrimp and serve.

Eric'sWeb

Mama Mulate's Creole Zucchini Casserole - a weekend recipe

Mama Mulate is a character in my French Quarter murder mystery Big Easy. When she’s not mixing voodoo potions, or teaching English at Tulane University, she’s likely in her kitchen, whipping up a meal fit for a Mardi Gras king. She has a garden behind her house near the river in New Orleans, where she grows her own herbs and vegetables. Check out her recipe for Creole zucchini.

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini squashes, ¼ inch slices

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic

• 3 tomatoes, chopped

• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 2 Tbsps flour

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

• ¼ tsp oregano

• ¼ tsp basil

• 1 bay leaf

• ¼ tsp salt

• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

• ½ cup bread crumbs

Directions

Cook zucchini (about 5 minutes) until tender, but firm. Drain and arrange in greased 2 quart casserole dish. Melt butter over medium heat in medium saucepan, and add flour. Stir until smooth and bubbly.

Add tomatoes, onion, and cloves of garlic, green bell pepper, brown sugar, salt, bay leaf, oregano and basil. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes. Remove bay leaf and cloves of garlic. Pour mixture over zucchini. Top with bread crumbs and cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

Eric'sWeb

Mama Mulate's Voodoo Dipping Sauce - a Mardi Gras, weekend recipe

Mardi Gras Day, or Fat Tuesday, is this coming Tuesday. Six Carnivals since Katrina, the Crescent City will be rocking. Voodoo mambo Mama Mulate can mix a potion for anything from growing hair to casting an undying spell of love. She’s also a great cook.


One of Mama’s favorite Mardi Gras finger foods is Cajun Chicken Fingers, a lightly-breaded delicacy you can’t eat just one of. Along with her chicken fingers, she makes the meanest dipping sauce in the universe. Here is the secret recipe for her famous Voodoo Dipping Sauce. Don’t tell her I gave it to you, or she’s liable to make a certain bodily part of mine shrivel up and fall off. P.S.- read more about Mama Mulate in my new ebook Voodoo Nights.

Mama Mulate’s Voodoo Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• ½ cup cold water
• 1 t cornstarch
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 T green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ green pepper, small, thinly sliced
• 1 T lemon juice
• 4 t prepared Dijon-style mustard
• ¼ t onion powder

Directions

Place water in a medium saucepan, and mix in cornstarch to dissolve. Stir in honey. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat. Stir in green onions, lemon juice, prepared Dijon-style mustard, onion powder and green pepper. Serve warm or chill in the refrigerator. Happy Mardi Gras, and laissez les bons temps rouler!!

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Stuffed Mirlitons

Lily was a religious woman and never missed a Sunday service. Gail and I were spiritual, but not so religious. Still, whenever we visited Chalmette, we somehow managed to make it to church. It all seemed worth it when we returned home, enjoying the feast Lily always prepared on Sundays. Here is just one of the wonderful side dishes we often enjoyed.

Lily’s Stuffed Mirlitons

Ingredients

• 6 mirlitons

• 1 onion, large, finely chopped

• 3 shallots, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ green pepper, chopped

• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

• 2 c bread crumbs, or as needed

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tsp Creole seasoning

• 1 lb beef, ground, lean

Directions

Cut mirlitons in halves and cover with cold water. Bring to aboil and continue until tender. Remove from water. Let cool and scoop out pulp, discarding seed and fibrous pulp around seed. Place pulp in colander over bowl, and chop, reserving water. Place shells on a coated pizza pan.

Fry beef in cast iron skillet until all lumps are broken but not brown. Add vegetables and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Add merliton pulp, bread crumbs, and a little merliton water if needed. Add beaten egg. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Fill each mirliton half shell. Top with bread crumbs and ½ slice bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy.

Eric'sWeb

Big Billy's Oyster Balls - a weekend recipe

Big Billy was a Dallas restauranteur and oil man, but he loved Cajun food and knew how to prepare it. Big Billy liked people and he liked parties. When he hosted one of his famous parties, he often prepared this appetizer. It’s one of my favorites and I think you will like it too.


Big Billy’s Oyster Balls

Ingredients

• 2 pints oysters, chopped

• 2 pints sausage, chopped

• 1 egg

• 2 cups bread crumbs, grated

• Cajun hot sauce, to taste

Preparation

Combine oysters and sausage. Season liberally with Cajun hot sauce. Add egg. Shape into small balls. Coat with bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Serve hot.

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Oyster Stew - a weekend recipe

Oyster stew is a Louisiana staple, but is prepared and eaten everywhere the succulent sea creature is found. Like gumbo, there are many variations, some heartier than others. Here is one of Lily’s versions. This recipe is included in Lily's Little Cajun Cookbook, available in ebook format at Smashwords.com.


Lily’s Oyster Stew

Ingredients

1 stick butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely diced

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, plus more to taste

2 pints oysters (with liquor), drained and liquor reserved

1 quart seafood stock

1 10-ounce can of tomatoes, pureed

1 quart half-and-half

¼ cup white wine or brandy

Garlic croutons

Directions

In a large 2-gallon stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion and carrot and cook, stirring constantly, until onions are translucent. Add 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning and stir to combine. Add oyster liquor, seafood stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes. Add half-and-half and bring back to a simmer. Add oysters and cook until their edges begin to curl. Add wine or brandy and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve immediately in hot soup bowls garnished with croutons, green onions, parsley and paprika.

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Cajun Butter

We all like butter on our corn. My ex-mother-in-law Lily used to whip up a special concoction she called Cajun butter and often served it over carrots, cauliflower and even her mirlitons. It makes fresh vegetables taste even more wonderful and it’s easy to prepare. Whip up a batch and see if you don’t agree.


Lily’s Cajun Butter

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 tsp. lemon juice

• 1/8 tsp. parsley

• 1/4 tsp. chili powder

• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

• 2 Tbsp. butter

• 1 tsp. cornstarch

• 1/4 cup chicken broth

Preparation

Mix parsley, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder and red pepper. Cook in hot butter and olive oil for 1 minute. Stir in cornstarch. Add chicken broth and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Serve warm over corn or vegetables.

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Cajun Butter - a weekend recipe

We all like butter on our corn. My ex-mother-in-law Lily used to whip up a special concoction she called Cajun butter and often served it over carrots, cauliflower and even her mirlitons. It makes fresh vegetables taste even more wonderful and it’s easy to prepare. Whip up a batch and see if you don’t agree.

Lily’s Cajun Butter

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. parsley
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup chicken broth

Preparation

Mix parsley, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder and red pepper. Cook in hot butter and olive oil for 1 minute. Stir in cornstarch. Add chicken broth and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Serve warm over corn or vegetables.

Eric'sWeb

Chicken Sauce Piquante - a weekend recipe

A certain spicy stew is a cooking staple in south Louisiana. Sauce piquante was introduced to Louisiana by the Spanish. It has been embraced by Cajun chefs and has evolved into nearly as many differing recipes as there are cooks.

The dish begins with a roux, combined with the sauce and almost any meat you can think of. In Louisiana, there is chicken, pork, wild duck, turtle and even alligator sauce piquante.

Chicken Sauce Piquante

Ingredients

1 chicken, cut up
¼ cup chopped shallots
½ cup cooking oil
2 8oz. cans tomato sauce
½ cup flour
1 cup water
2 large onions, chopped
1 cup Burgundy
4 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 medium bell pepper
Salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste

Preparation

Make roux with cooking oil and flour, stirring constantly until medium brown. Add onions, garlic, bell pepper and shallots. Sauté until onions are clear. Add chicken, tomato sauce, water, Burgundy, parsley and seasoning. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until sauce begins to thicken. Serve over rice. Serves six.

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Crab Balls - a weekend recipe

Lily, my former Chalmette mother-in-law, loved to cook and also loved to entertain. Here is an appetizer she liked to serve, and one I enjoyed eating.

Lily’s Crab Balls

Ingredients
• 14 oz. crabmeat
• 2 cups bread crumbs, dry
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh
• 2 tablespoons onion, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon mustard, dry
• ½ cup white wine, dry
• 1 lb. bacon

Directions
remove shell and cartilage from crab meat. In medium bowl, combine crabmeat, bread crumbs, lemon juice, minced onion, mustard, and enough wine to moisten the mixture. Mix thoroughly and shape into quarter-sized balls. Wrap crabmeat balls in a half slice of bacon, covering crab mixture completely. Secure with toothpicks. Place in oven and broil for about 15 minutes, turning frequently, until bacon is crispy on all sides.

Eric'sWeb

Blackened Catfish Burritos - a weekend recipe

Here is a San Francisco-style burrito with a Cajun twist. It has my comfort food guarantee.

BLACKENED CATFISH BURRITOS

Ingredients
• 4 catfish filets
• 8 large flour tortillas, steamed
• rice, cooked
• red beans, cooked
• Cajun spice
• 1 cup butter
• Avocado, chopped
• Tomato, chopped
• Lettuce, shredded
• Tabasco Sauce, to taste

Directions

Heat a cast-iron skillet at least ten minutes, the hotter the better. Dip catfish in butter, coating both sides liberally. Sprinkle Cajun spice evenly on both sides of the fish. Cook quickly over high heat until the underside forms a crust, and then flip the filet, letting it cook and form a crust. This doesn’t take long so be careful not to burn the fillets. Slice each filet down the middle, into eight pieces.

Drain your ingredients. You don’t want a soggy burrito. Build your burrito by adding ingredients to a large flour tortilla in this order: rice, beans, lettuce, avocado, and tomato. Add blackened catfish last, along with Tabasco Sauce to taste, and then roll that puppy up. Wrap the burrito in foil to give it structure. Serve on a festive plate along with chips and salsa on the side. Enjoy.

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Born near Black Bayou in the little Louisiana town of Vivian, Eric Wilder grew up listening to his grandmother’s tales of politics, corruption, and ghosts that haunt the night. He now lives in Oklahoma where he continues to pen mysteries and short stories with a southern accent. He is the author of the French Quarter Mystery Series set in New Orleans and the Paranormal Cowboy Series. Please check it out on his Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iBook author pages. You might also like to check out his website.

French Market Beignets - a weekend recipe

I was eleven when I first visited New Orleans with Aunt Carmol. She was a schoolteacher and off for the summer. Every day, she would awaken Brother Jack and me and take us on a tour of the old city. We rode the streetcars and roamed the French Quarter, Carmol the quintessential tour guide, filling our heads with both history and lore.

One of the places I remember visiting was Café du Monde in the French Quarter. It is there that I first tasted the luscious confections dusted with powdered sugar. It is also there that I first learned about the delicious taste of coffee.

That was long ago. Carmol has since passed away but Café du Monde survives, still selling strong French coffee and beignets, the French version of the American doughnut. Here is a recipe. Though probably not exact, it is close.

French Market Beignets

• ½ pkg. yeast cake
• 3 ½ cups flour, plain
• 1 cup milk
• ¾ Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
powdered sugar, generous sprinkle


Soften yeast cake in 1/3 cup lukewarm water to form a paste. Warm the milk and add sugar, oil and yeast mixture. Gradually stir in 2 cups flour and the salt. Stir until it forms a batter. Stir in egg until it is mixed well, and then add rest of flour. Mix well. Cover and set in warm place about 1 ½ hours to rise. Take dough out and roll until about ¼ inch thick. Cut in 2 inch pieces. Place on cookie sheet or pan and let rise another half hour. Fry dough until it is brown and then remove and let drain. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya

My former mother-in-law was a wonderful Cajun/Creole cook. Like most good chefs, she had no recipes, except those in her head. She was the mother of seven and was used to feeding a crew. Here is a recipe for a regional dish that she often prepared.

Ingredients

· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· ½ pound smoked hot sausage, sliced
· 1 medium onion, diced
· ½ pound chicken, cubed
· ½ teaspoon Creole seasoning
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 rib celery, diced
· 1 bell pepper, diced
· 2 cups beef broth
· ¼ teaspoon whole thyme
· 1 cup raw rice

Directions

Heat oil in a heavy pot. Add sausage and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add onion, and brown. Add chicken and Creole seasoning, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken browns. Add garlic, celery, bell pepper, broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Add rice, cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Chalmette Meatloaf - a recipe

My ex-mother-in-law Lily was a wonderful cook. Not only could she cook Cajun and Creole dishes, she also knew how to prepare traditional southern dishes, famous from Florida to Texas. Meatloaf, without question, is a southern comfort food, and here is Lily’s Creole version of the recipe.

Chalmette Meatloaf

Ingredients

· 2 bay leaves, whole
· 1 tablespoon salt
· 1 teaspoon ground red pepper ( cayenne)
· 1 teaspoon black pepper
· ½ teaspoon cumin, ground
· ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
· 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
· ½ cup of celery, finely chopped
· ½ cup bell pepper, finely chopped
· ¼ cup greens onions, chopped
· 12 teaspoons of garlic, minced
· 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
· 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
· ½ cup milk
· ½ cup catsup
· 2 pounds beef, ground
· ½ pound of pork, ground
· 2 eggs lightly beaten
· 1 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in 1 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper, green onions, garlic, Tabasco, Worcestershire and seasoning mix.

Sauté about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom well. Stir in the milk and ½ cup catsup. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Place the ground beef and pork in an ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Remove the bay leaves, add the eggs, the cooked vegetable mixture and the bread crumbs. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined in the center of the pan. Shape the mixture into a loaf that is about 1 ½ inches high x 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes, then raise heat to 400 and continue cooking until done, about 35 minutes longer.

Eric'sWeb

Lily's Rice Dressing

Lily, my former mother-in-law, had eight children. All her kids and their families usually came to her house for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Lily was a Cajun, but like families across the country, she would usually cook the traditional turkey.

Unlike most of the country, she would stuff her bird with Cajun rice dressing. Lily cooked by feel and taste rather than recipe, but this is a close approximation. Try it sometime and enjoy.

Lily’s Rice Dressing

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 cups rice
1 pound chicken gizzards
½ pound chicken livers
½ pound ground beef
½ pound pork
½ cup oil or meat drippings
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Salt, pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer until done, about 20 minutes. Set aside. Simmer chicken gizzards in water to cover until fork tender, about 30 minutes, add livers and cook about 10 more minutes until livers are done. Drain and remove the tender meat from the gizzards, discarding the tough gristle. Grind or process gizzard meat and livers together until coarse. Set aside.

In a large pot, brown the ground beef and pork, drain and set aside. In the same pot, heat the oil and sauté onions, celery and bell pepper until soft. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Away from the heat, add rice, meat, green onions, parsley and seasonings, and toss lightly.

Eric'sWeb

Crab Meat Broussard - a weekend recipe

New Orleans is the home of many fine restaurants. Broussard’s, a French Quarter destination since 1920, is one of the best. Here is a recipe from Broussard’s website as interpreted by Chef Gunter Preuss. Try it and enjoy.

CRAB MEAT BROUSSARD

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 6 jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail left on, deveined; butterfly
- 1 oz. (2 tbsp.) olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 fresh artichoke hearts, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz. brie cheese
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. whole fresh thyme leaves
- ¾ lb. jumbo lump crab meat
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the shrimp until they are just cooked. Set aside to cool. In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the yellow onion, artichoke hearts, and garlic over medium heat until the onions become limp. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well while cooking for a minute more.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and then add stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for three minutes.

Add the heavy cream and simmer for another five minutes. Take the brie and scrape off and discard the white skin; cut cheese into small pieces. Add brie to the ream sauce and stir until all of the cheese is melted and mixed well. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, olive oil, and thyme. Set aside.

After the cheese mixture is cool, gently fold in the crabmeat, being careful not break up the lumps. To assemble, place one shrimp in the center of an oven proof serving dish so that it stands. Spoon the crabmeat mixture around the shrimp and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture. Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Arrange the dishes on a large baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for fifteen minutes, or until the crab mixture is hot and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Serves 6

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