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 - 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

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 Red Snapper Louisianne - a weekend recipe

Red snapper is perhaps the most popular main entrée at many fine restaurants in New Orleans. My Cajun ex-mother-in-law always prepared a wonderful version she called, simply, red fish.

Lily always made her signature dish when her little brother Junior brought home red snapper from one of his morning fishing trips. I don’t have Lili’s recipe (she did everything by memory) but here is a similar one.

2 onions, minced
1 sprig saffron
2 green peppers, minced
4 pounds red snapper
2 fresh mushrooms, minced
1 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
6 fresh tomatoes, peeled

Cook onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, add tomatoes and cook for 30 minutes. Add saffron. Remove head and middle bone from fish and arrange in a buttered baking dish. Pour wine over fish and season very lightly with salt and pepper. Add sauce and cook for 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Garnish with parsley. Serves 8 to 10.

Fiction South