Chili’s Southwest Chicken Chili
¼ c vegetable oil
½ c diced onions
1-1/3 cup diced green bell pepper
2 tbsp diced seeded jalapeno pepper
3 tbsp fresh minced garlic
4-1/2 c water
8 tsp chicken base
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp sugar
3 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp ground cumin
2-1/2 tbsp ground chili powder
4 tsp ground paprika
4 tsp dried basil
2 tsp freshly minced cilantro
1-1/2 tsp ground red pepper
½ tsp ground oregano
½ c crushed canned tomatillos
1 can diced green chilis (4oz), drained
2 cans navy or small white beans (15oz ea)
1 can dark red kidney beans (15oz) drained
3 lb diced cooked chicken breast
Garnish – shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips
1. In 5-qt or larger pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté along with bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender.
2. In another container, combine water, chicken base, lime juice, sugar, cornstarch and seasonings. Add to vegetable mixture.
3. Add tomatillos and diced green chilies to pot; bring to boil. Add beans and chicken,simmer 10 minutes.
4. Serve with topped shredded cheese and sour cream if desired, with tortilla chips on the side.
Serves 4
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
IHOP Pancakes
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg – slightly beaten
1-1/4 c buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter
¼ c granulated sugar
1.Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine egg and buttermilk. Add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth.
3. Blend in melted butter and sugar.
4. Cook on a preheated, greased griddle, using about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Drop batter on griddle in 5 inch wide segments.
5. Cook until brown on one side and around edge; turn and brown on the other side.
Serves 4
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg – slightly beaten
1-1/4 c buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter
¼ c granulated sugar
1.Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine egg and buttermilk. Add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth.
3. Blend in melted butter and sugar.
4. Cook on a preheated, greased griddle, using about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake. Drop batter on griddle in 5 inch wide segments.
5. Cook until brown on one side and around edge; turn and brown on the other side.
Serves 4
Hard Rock Café Shrimp Fajitas
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled
1 c chopped cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 c lime juice
4 (9-inch) flour tortillas
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ c sour cream
1. Stir together shrimp, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil and place in a 350F oven until hot (about 15 minutes).
3. Heat oil in a wide nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until limp (about 10 minutes). Remove vegetables and keep warm.
4. Add shrimp mixture to pan, increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until shrimp are opaque in center; cut test (about 3 minutes). Return vegetables to pan, stirring to mix with shrimp.
5. Spoon shrimp mixture into tortillas, top with sour cream, and roll up.
Serves 4
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled
1 c chopped cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 c lime juice
4 (9-inch) flour tortillas
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ c sour cream
1. Stir together shrimp, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil and place in a 350F oven until hot (about 15 minutes).
3. Heat oil in a wide nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until limp (about 10 minutes). Remove vegetables and keep warm.
4. Add shrimp mixture to pan, increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until shrimp are opaque in center; cut test (about 3 minutes). Return vegetables to pan, stirring to mix with shrimp.
5. Spoon shrimp mixture into tortillas, top with sour cream, and roll up.
Serves 4
Hard Rock Café Potato Soup
8 slices bacon
1 c diced yellow onions
2/3 c flour
6 c hot chicken stock
4 c diced baked potato – peeled
2 c heavy cream
¼ c chopped parsley
1-1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1-1/2 tsp dried basil
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp red pepper sauce
1-1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
1 c grated cheddar cheese
¼ c diced green onions
Garnish – grated cheese, chopped parsley and bacon bits
1. Fry bacon bits until crisp. Chop bacon and reserve drippings. Cook onions in
remaining drippings over medium-high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add in flour. Stir frequently to prevent lumps. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until mix becomes golden.
3. Gradually add in chicken stock and let cook until liquid thickens.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic, basil,salt, pepper sauce and black pepper. Let simmer for 8 – 10 minutes.
5. Add in grated cheese and green onions and simmer until cheese melts smoothly.
Garnish each serving as desired with bacon bits, grated cheese and chopped parsley.
Serves 8
8 slices bacon
1 c diced yellow onions
2/3 c flour
6 c hot chicken stock
4 c diced baked potato – peeled
2 c heavy cream
¼ c chopped parsley
1-1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1-1/2 tsp dried basil
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp red pepper sauce
1-1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
1 c grated cheddar cheese
¼ c diced green onions
Garnish – grated cheese, chopped parsley and bacon bits
1. Fry bacon bits until crisp. Chop bacon and reserve drippings. Cook onions in
remaining drippings over medium-high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add in flour. Stir frequently to prevent lumps. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until mix becomes golden.
3. Gradually add in chicken stock and let cook until liquid thickens.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic, basil,salt, pepper sauce and black pepper. Let simmer for 8 – 10 minutes.
5. Add in grated cheese and green onions and simmer until cheese melts smoothly.
Garnish each serving as desired with bacon bits, grated cheese and chopped parsley.
Serves 8
Hard Rock Café Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
This traditional chicken noodle soup is a classic American dish. Cut the chicken pieces to your desired thickness to make it more or less “chunky”. Serve with soup crackers.
1 lb chicken breast fillets
1 lb chicken thigh fillets
Vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
1 c chopped onion
½ c diced celery
4 c chicken stock
2 c water
1 cup sliced carrot
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp minced fresh parsley
2 c egg noodles
Minced fresh parsley for garnish
2 c of soup crackers
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Add the chicken and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven – set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and lightly sauté for 4 minutes.
4. Dice the chicken into small pieces and add it to the pot along with the remaining
ingredients, except the noodles.
5. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Add the noodles and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or until the noodles are
tender. Serve with a pinch of diced fresh parsley sprinkled on top and with soup crackers.
Serves 6
This traditional chicken noodle soup is a classic American dish. Cut the chicken pieces to your desired thickness to make it more or less “chunky”. Serve with soup crackers.
1 lb chicken breast fillets
1 lb chicken thigh fillets
Vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
1 c chopped onion
½ c diced celery
4 c chicken stock
2 c water
1 cup sliced carrot
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp minced fresh parsley
2 c egg noodles
Minced fresh parsley for garnish
2 c of soup crackers
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Add the chicken and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven – set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and lightly sauté for 4 minutes.
4. Dice the chicken into small pieces and add it to the pot along with the remaining
ingredients, except the noodles.
5. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Add the noodles and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or until the noodles are
tender. Serve with a pinch of diced fresh parsley sprinkled on top and with soup crackers.
Serves 6
Hard Rock Café BBQ Beans
Hard Rock Café was started in 1971 in London as a “specialty theme” restaurant
catering to Rock & Roll lovers worldwide. They have become the world’s leading
collector and exhibitor of Rock & Roll memorabilia which can be seen on display in their restaurants. All this and great food as well.
2 (15oz) cans pinto beans (with liquid)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp cornstarch
½ c ketchup
1/3 c white vinegar
¼ c brown sugar
2 tbsp diced onion
1 tsp prepared mustard
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp coarse ground black pepper
½ c cooked bacon
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Pour entire contents of the can of pinto beans into a casserole dish.
3. Dissolve the cornstarch in a small bowl with the 2 tbsp of water. Add this solution to the beans and stir.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the dish, stir well and cover.
5. Bake for 90 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir every 30 minutes. After removing the beans from the oven, let the beans cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6
Hard Rock Café was started in 1971 in London as a “specialty theme” restaurant
catering to Rock & Roll lovers worldwide. They have become the world’s leading
collector and exhibitor of Rock & Roll memorabilia which can be seen on display in their restaurants. All this and great food as well.
2 (15oz) cans pinto beans (with liquid)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp cornstarch
½ c ketchup
1/3 c white vinegar
¼ c brown sugar
2 tbsp diced onion
1 tsp prepared mustard
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp coarse ground black pepper
½ c cooked bacon
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Pour entire contents of the can of pinto beans into a casserole dish.
3. Dissolve the cornstarch in a small bowl with the 2 tbsp of water. Add this solution to the beans and stir.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the dish, stir well and cover.
5. Bake for 90 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir every 30 minutes. After removing the beans from the oven, let the beans cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6
Monday, February 19, 2007
Joe’s Crab Shack Etoufee
1 tsp chopped garlic
¾ c diced onion
¼ c diced celery
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground mustard seed
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
12 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
½ c condensed cream of celery soup
1 c water
½ lb crawfish meat of ½ lb cubed chicken or ½ lb raw, peeled shrimp
3 tbsp sliced green onions
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 c Rice Pilaf
1. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and green pepper in butter until soft.
2. Stir in spices, soups, water, and meat of your choice.
3. Bring to simmer and continue cooking until meat is cooked through.
4. Stir in green onion and parsley.
5. Scoop ½ c rice pilaf into center of 6 bowls or soup plates.
6. Pour Etoufee over rice.
Serves 6
Tip: The literal translation of the French word “Etoufee” (pronounced AY-too-FAY)
means “smothered” – as in smothered in lots of rich sauce.
1 tsp chopped garlic
¾ c diced onion
¼ c diced celery
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground mustard seed
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
12 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
½ c condensed cream of celery soup
1 c water
½ lb crawfish meat of ½ lb cubed chicken or ½ lb raw, peeled shrimp
3 tbsp sliced green onions
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 c Rice Pilaf
1. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and green pepper in butter until soft.
2. Stir in spices, soups, water, and meat of your choice.
3. Bring to simmer and continue cooking until meat is cooked through.
4. Stir in green onion and parsley.
5. Scoop ½ c rice pilaf into center of 6 bowls or soup plates.
6. Pour Etoufee over rice.
Serves 6
Tip: The literal translation of the French word “Etoufee” (pronounced AY-too-FAY)
means “smothered” – as in smothered in lots of rich sauce.
Joe’s Crab Shack Stuffed Shrimp Enbrochette
20 jumbo raw shrimp – peeled, deveined
½ c Seafood Stuffing like Joe’s Crab Shack (SEE BELOW)
10 jalapeno slices – halved
2 slices Monterey Jack cheese – cut into 20 equal-size pieces
1 lb raw thin sliced bacon
1. Slice shrimp down the middle of the opposite side you deveined.
2. Lay shrimp cut side up and press 1 tsp prepared stuffing into each shrimp.
3. Place a piece of cheese over the stuffing on each shrimp.
4. Wrap each stuffed shrimp in a strip of bacon.
5. Thread 5 shrimp on a bamboo skewer; repeat with remaining shrimp.
6. Deep fry shrimp in 400 degree oil until bacon is browned or grill shrimp over a high flame, turning once, until bacon is browned or broil shrimp, turning once, until bacon is browned.
Serves 4
Tip: If you like scallops, you can substitute the shrimp with scallops minus the seafood stuffing. The bacon gives this recipe such a wonderful flavor.
Seafood Stuffing like Joe’s Crab Shack
¼ c margarine 1 oz shrimp base
½ bunch celery – trimmed, diced ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
3 large onions – diced ¼ tsp white pepper
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic 2 cups unseasoned croutons
½ lb Pollock fillets ¼ c seasoned bread crumbs
½ lb salad shrimp – chopped ½ lb crab claw meat
-Saute celery, onion, and garlic in margarine until translucent.
-Add Pollock and cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
-Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.
-Drain most (but not all) of liquid from pan.
-Stir in shrimp sauce and peppers.
-Fold in croutons and breadcrumbs.
-Fold in crab meat.
Serves 8
20 jumbo raw shrimp – peeled, deveined
½ c Seafood Stuffing like Joe’s Crab Shack (SEE BELOW)
10 jalapeno slices – halved
2 slices Monterey Jack cheese – cut into 20 equal-size pieces
1 lb raw thin sliced bacon
1. Slice shrimp down the middle of the opposite side you deveined.
2. Lay shrimp cut side up and press 1 tsp prepared stuffing into each shrimp.
3. Place a piece of cheese over the stuffing on each shrimp.
4. Wrap each stuffed shrimp in a strip of bacon.
5. Thread 5 shrimp on a bamboo skewer; repeat with remaining shrimp.
6. Deep fry shrimp in 400 degree oil until bacon is browned or grill shrimp over a high flame, turning once, until bacon is browned or broil shrimp, turning once, until bacon is browned.
Serves 4
Tip: If you like scallops, you can substitute the shrimp with scallops minus the seafood stuffing. The bacon gives this recipe such a wonderful flavor.
Seafood Stuffing like Joe’s Crab Shack
¼ c margarine 1 oz shrimp base
½ bunch celery – trimmed, diced ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
3 large onions – diced ¼ tsp white pepper
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic 2 cups unseasoned croutons
½ lb Pollock fillets ¼ c seasoned bread crumbs
½ lb salad shrimp – chopped ½ lb crab claw meat
-Saute celery, onion, and garlic in margarine until translucent.
-Add Pollock and cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
-Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.
-Drain most (but not all) of liquid from pan.
-Stir in shrimp sauce and peppers.
-Fold in croutons and breadcrumbs.
-Fold in crab meat.
Serves 8
Joe’s Crab Shack Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms
16 large mushroom caps
1-1/4 c Seafood stuffing (recipe below)
1 c Alfredo sauce
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese
Garlic toast for dipping
1. Place mushroom caps (stern side up) in an overproof baking dish.
2. Spoon 1 tbsp hot stuffing into each cap.
3. Pour Alfredo sauce over stuffed mushrooms.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.
5. Broil for 8 – 10 minutes, or until top is browned.
6. Serve with garlic toast for dipping.
Seafood Stuffing like Joe’s Crab Shack
¼ c margarine 1 oz shrimp base
½ bunch celery – trimmed, diced ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
3 large onions – diced ¼ tsp white pepper
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic 2 cups unseasoned croutons
½ lb Pollock fillets ¼ c seasoned bread crumbs
½ lb salad shrimp – chopped ½ lb crab claw meat
-Saute celery, onion, and garlic in margarine until translucent.
-Add Pollock and cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
-Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.
-Drain most (but not all) of liquid from pan.
-Stir in shrimp sauce and peppers.
-Fold in croutons and breadcrumbs.
-Fold in crab meat.
Serves 8
16 large mushroom caps
1-1/4 c Seafood stuffing (recipe below)
1 c Alfredo sauce
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese
Garlic toast for dipping
1. Place mushroom caps (stern side up) in an overproof baking dish.
2. Spoon 1 tbsp hot stuffing into each cap.
3. Pour Alfredo sauce over stuffed mushrooms.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.
5. Broil for 8 – 10 minutes, or until top is browned.
6. Serve with garlic toast for dipping.
Seafood Stuffing like Joe’s Crab Shack
¼ c margarine 1 oz shrimp base
½ bunch celery – trimmed, diced ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
3 large onions – diced ¼ tsp white pepper
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic 2 cups unseasoned croutons
½ lb Pollock fillets ¼ c seasoned bread crumbs
½ lb salad shrimp – chopped ½ lb crab claw meat
-Saute celery, onion, and garlic in margarine until translucent.
-Add Pollock and cook for 5 – 7 minutes.
-Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.
-Drain most (but not all) of liquid from pan.
-Stir in shrimp sauce and peppers.
-Fold in croutons and breadcrumbs.
-Fold in crab meat.
Serves 8
Joe’s Crab Shack Rice Pilaf
1-2/3 c water
1 tbsp butter
1 bay laf
¼ tsp white pepper
1-1/3 c rice
1 tsp butter
¼ c chopped celery
¼ chopped onion
¼ c chopped red bell pepper
½ tsp minced garlic
1. Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in saucepan.
2. Add rice, cover and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
3. Sauté celery, onion, peppers and garlic in butter until tender.
4. Stir sautéed vegetables into rice.
Serves 6
1-2/3 c water
1 tbsp butter
1 bay laf
¼ tsp white pepper
1-1/3 c rice
1 tsp butter
¼ c chopped celery
¼ chopped onion
¼ c chopped red bell pepper
½ tsp minced garlic
1. Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in saucepan.
2. Add rice, cover and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
3. Sauté celery, onion, peppers and garlic in butter until tender.
4. Stir sautéed vegetables into rice.
Serves 6
Joe’s Crab Shack Crab Cakes
A must have recipe for seafood lovers. Serve as an appetizer
with tarter sauce or Dijonaise sauce for dipping.
1 egg yolk
1/3 c mayonnaise
2-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ tsp Old Bay seasoning
¼ tsp salt
1-1/4 c fresh breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 lb crab meat
Flour – to coat
1. Beat together first 9 ingredients.
2. Fold in breadcrumbs and parsley.
3. Fold in crab meat.
4. Form into 4 – 6 patties.
5. Lightly coat patties in flour on both sides.
6. Deep-fry crab cakes in 350 degree oil until browned.
Serves 4 - 6
A must have recipe for seafood lovers. Serve as an appetizer
with tarter sauce or Dijonaise sauce for dipping.
1 egg yolk
1/3 c mayonnaise
2-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ tsp Old Bay seasoning
¼ tsp salt
1-1/4 c fresh breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 lb crab meat
Flour – to coat
1. Beat together first 9 ingredients.
2. Fold in breadcrumbs and parsley.
3. Fold in crab meat.
4. Form into 4 – 6 patties.
5. Lightly coat patties in flour on both sides.
6. Deep-fry crab cakes in 350 degree oil until browned.
Serves 4 - 6
Saturday, February 17, 2007
MawMaw-Made, Back-O-Town Gumbo
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 lbs. smoked sausage, small diced
2 lbs. frozen cut okra
2 cups onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. small mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 to 3/4 cups prepared roux (as needed)*
2 qts. chicken broth + 2 qts. water (as needed)
1 can tomato sauce, 16-oz.
6-8 skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and washed
2 Tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet
2 Tbsp. Frank Davis Complete Seafood Boil
3 Tbsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 tsp. ground thyme
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. salt (if needed)
1 Tbsp. coarse-ground black pepper
1 dozen crabs, raw and cleaned
3 lbs. whole shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. crawfish tails, pre-cooked
1/4 cup parsley, minced
6-8 cups long grain rice, cooked
Gumbo File for garnish
1 box saltine crackers
Experience has taught me over the years that a good gumbo always comes together best when you prepare everything in advance. For example, you should totally defrost the okra in the sink in a colander; clean, wash, and crack the crabs; have all the seasoning vegetables chopped and measured out; and cut up the sausage, butterfly the shrimp, and prep the chicken long before you ever put a skillet on the stove top. Doing this before you begin cooking will keep you from rushing around the kitchen while you're building your gumbo.
So okay, assuming you got everything ready to go, the first thing you want to do is select the right size pot. It should be nothing less than 10 quarts in capacity. A big spaghetti cooker or a canner is ideal for gumbos because they give you room to stir ingredients without crowding them.
One more thing. Procedure here is important. So to get quality, be sure not to skip or short-cut any of the steps.
First off, put the pot on a high fire, add the quarter cup of cooking oil, and toss in the smoked sausage. Fry this really well-it's the base for browning the okra.
Next, without removing the sausage add all of the okra and fry it well too. Plan on this taking you about 20 minutes-it's going to require about that long to cut the amount of "rope" (slime) which will be secreted by the okra. But note: when you add the okra, reduce the heat to medium so that the vegetable doesn't burn. And keep stirring constantly!
When the okra is ready, add to the pot the onions, celery, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, and about half of the prepared roux.
Once they're totally combined in the mix, pour in the chicken broth along with one quart of water, the chicken thighs, and the tomato sauce, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the mixture-stirring occasionally-for about 10 minutes.
At this point it's time to stir in the seafood boil, seafood seasoning, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper, and the bay leaves. Then once more thoroughly blend the ingredients, cover the pot, and simmer again for another 10 to 15 minutes.
At this point, add all the remaining ingredients except the parsley and the rice-the cracked crabs, the peeled shrimp, and the crawfish tails.
Then one more time, stir everything again; you want to create the perfect blend in the pot. Note that at this stage the gumbo liquid should be brownish in color with a reddish tinge, and the okra should be broken up and suspended in solution.
Now cover the pot and continue to simmer the gumbo on low heat for about 20 more minutes (you can stir in a little extra prepared roux any time you want to if you'd like the consistency to be thicker). During this period stir the liquid about 3 times to keep the contents uniformly mixed and re-adjust the salt and black pepper content to your taste.
When the gumbo is done, take the pot off the fire and set it aside but leave the cover on for 20 more minutes. This will allow the seasonings to blend fully-remember the gumbo won't taste like MawMaw's homemade stuff unless you let it set.
Finally, after it has cooled slightly, you can either toss the steamed rice into the pot and stir it all together or ladle the gumbo over separate bowls of steamed rice (which is my favorite way and the traditional way to do it).
I suggest you serve it piping hot alongside a plate of multi-grain saltine crackers. A little parsley and some file` sprinkled over the top makes a nice garnish.
=====
Chef's Notes:
1-To make a prepared roux, whisk together over medium heat in a heavy skillet 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/3 cup all purpose flour and cook the mixture until it transforms to a silky smooth lustrous deep tan color. Prepared roux can be kept in the refrigerator for about two weeks or so.
2-Just like etouffee, jambalaya, and red beans and rice, gumbo is always better the next day. Of course, it's awfully hard to get folks to wait 24 hours to eat when you got something this good!
3-If you'd prefer to use canned okra instead of frozen okra, it's okay. Just substitute 3 cans of drained okra for the 2 pounds of frozen counterpart.
4-To clean the crabs, remove the top shell, cut out the eyes and mouth, scrape away the gills, brush away the innards , and cut off the back flap. Then wash the crabs thoroughly under cold running water. They're ready at this point to be dropped into the gumbo. Note: you can either leave the legs on or snip them off-the choice is up to you.
5-Oh, and you want to be careful not to make the gumbo too watery at the outset, because you got to remember that once you add the shrimp and the crawfish the moisture rendered from the seafood will thin out the base.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 lbs. smoked sausage, small diced
2 lbs. frozen cut okra
2 cups onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. small mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 to 3/4 cups prepared roux (as needed)*
2 qts. chicken broth + 2 qts. water (as needed)
1 can tomato sauce, 16-oz.
6-8 skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and washed
2 Tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet
2 Tbsp. Frank Davis Complete Seafood Boil
3 Tbsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 tsp. ground thyme
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
5 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. salt (if needed)
1 Tbsp. coarse-ground black pepper
1 dozen crabs, raw and cleaned
3 lbs. whole shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. crawfish tails, pre-cooked
1/4 cup parsley, minced
6-8 cups long grain rice, cooked
Gumbo File for garnish
1 box saltine crackers
Experience has taught me over the years that a good gumbo always comes together best when you prepare everything in advance. For example, you should totally defrost the okra in the sink in a colander; clean, wash, and crack the crabs; have all the seasoning vegetables chopped and measured out; and cut up the sausage, butterfly the shrimp, and prep the chicken long before you ever put a skillet on the stove top. Doing this before you begin cooking will keep you from rushing around the kitchen while you're building your gumbo.
So okay, assuming you got everything ready to go, the first thing you want to do is select the right size pot. It should be nothing less than 10 quarts in capacity. A big spaghetti cooker or a canner is ideal for gumbos because they give you room to stir ingredients without crowding them.
One more thing. Procedure here is important. So to get quality, be sure not to skip or short-cut any of the steps.
First off, put the pot on a high fire, add the quarter cup of cooking oil, and toss in the smoked sausage. Fry this really well-it's the base for browning the okra.
Next, without removing the sausage add all of the okra and fry it well too. Plan on this taking you about 20 minutes-it's going to require about that long to cut the amount of "rope" (slime) which will be secreted by the okra. But note: when you add the okra, reduce the heat to medium so that the vegetable doesn't burn. And keep stirring constantly!
When the okra is ready, add to the pot the onions, celery, garlic, mushrooms, parsley, and about half of the prepared roux.
Once they're totally combined in the mix, pour in the chicken broth along with one quart of water, the chicken thighs, and the tomato sauce, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the mixture-stirring occasionally-for about 10 minutes.
At this point it's time to stir in the seafood boil, seafood seasoning, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper, and the bay leaves. Then once more thoroughly blend the ingredients, cover the pot, and simmer again for another 10 to 15 minutes.
At this point, add all the remaining ingredients except the parsley and the rice-the cracked crabs, the peeled shrimp, and the crawfish tails.
Then one more time, stir everything again; you want to create the perfect blend in the pot. Note that at this stage the gumbo liquid should be brownish in color with a reddish tinge, and the okra should be broken up and suspended in solution.
Now cover the pot and continue to simmer the gumbo on low heat for about 20 more minutes (you can stir in a little extra prepared roux any time you want to if you'd like the consistency to be thicker). During this period stir the liquid about 3 times to keep the contents uniformly mixed and re-adjust the salt and black pepper content to your taste.
When the gumbo is done, take the pot off the fire and set it aside but leave the cover on for 20 more minutes. This will allow the seasonings to blend fully-remember the gumbo won't taste like MawMaw's homemade stuff unless you let it set.
Finally, after it has cooled slightly, you can either toss the steamed rice into the pot and stir it all together or ladle the gumbo over separate bowls of steamed rice (which is my favorite way and the traditional way to do it).
I suggest you serve it piping hot alongside a plate of multi-grain saltine crackers. A little parsley and some file` sprinkled over the top makes a nice garnish.
=====
Chef's Notes:
1-To make a prepared roux, whisk together over medium heat in a heavy skillet 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/3 cup all purpose flour and cook the mixture until it transforms to a silky smooth lustrous deep tan color. Prepared roux can be kept in the refrigerator for about two weeks or so.
2-Just like etouffee, jambalaya, and red beans and rice, gumbo is always better the next day. Of course, it's awfully hard to get folks to wait 24 hours to eat when you got something this good!
3-If you'd prefer to use canned okra instead of frozen okra, it's okay. Just substitute 3 cans of drained okra for the 2 pounds of frozen counterpart.
4-To clean the crabs, remove the top shell, cut out the eyes and mouth, scrape away the gills, brush away the innards , and cut off the back flap. Then wash the crabs thoroughly under cold running water. They're ready at this point to be dropped into the gumbo. Note: you can either leave the legs on or snip them off-the choice is up to you.
5-Oh, and you want to be careful not to make the gumbo too watery at the outset, because you got to remember that once you add the shrimp and the crawfish the moisture rendered from the seafood will thin out the base.
Frank's Seafood Gourmet Gumbo
A couple pounds of shrimp, about a pint or two of crawfish tails with the fat, maybe a dozen or so cracked and cleaned blue crabs right from the bayou, and a whole bunch of spicy Cajun country sausage-drop all that into a richly seasoned stock made with a dark brown roux, simmer it slowly over low heat, serve it piping hot in deep bowls filled with steamed rice, top it with a sprinkling of home-ground file, and you got one of the best South Louisiana gumbos ever.
Ingredients:
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 lbs. country sausage, precooked
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb. mushrooms, chopped
2 quarts heavy chicken stock
2 quarts heavy shrimp stock
2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
14 small blue crabs, cleaned and halved
2 lbs. medium shrimp, cut in chunks
2 lbs. crawfish tails with fat
3 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
6-8 cups steamed rice
½ cup parsley for garnish
Instructions:
First. . .you make a roux! Take a heavy-bottom stockpot, combine the quarter-cup each of oil and flour, and whisk them together over medium-high heat until the flour turns a rich dark brown—but don’t let it scorch! This is one of those culinary processes that requires your constant attention. Do not leave the pot! Do not talk on the phone! Do not go to the bathroom! Just keep whisking "figure eights" into the hot roux until you get the color you’re looking for!!
Then, when the roux is "right," drop in the sausage, the onions, the celery, the bell pepper, the garlic, and the mushrooms and uniformly stir everything together. This mixture should cook—stirring every so often—for about 10 minutes to soften the veggies. Note that the temperature of the roux will drop as the vegetables cook in the residual heat. The dropping temperatures also stop the browning effect of the roux. So it is important not to stir in the vegetables until you have the roux color you want.
Next, it’s time to start building "gumbo."
With the pot still on the stovetop, one at a time pour in both the chicken stock and the shrimp stock and work the broths into the roux and vegetable base. If you did everything right up to this point, the gumbo base should not be watery, but it should not be thick and pasty either. Now drop in the Kitchen Bouquet, the bay leaves, the red pepper flakes, and the cracked crab pieces.
Once again, stir everything together. Then reduce the fire to medium-low and simmer the crabs for about 20-25 minutes or so. This is also the time when you should adjust the liquid in the gumbo. If the roux has thickened the base too much, simply add extra water or chicken stock to lighten it up; if the roux hasn’t thickened the base enough, just leave the cover off the pot and allow some of the stock to evaporate.
At this point, add the remaining ingredients to the pot—the shrimp, the crawfish tails, the seafood seasoning, and the green onions. Then after stirring everything one more time, put the lid on the pot and simmer the gumbo for about 15 minutes more. About five minutes before you’re ready to serve, re-season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste. And when you’re ready to eat, generously ladle the gumbo into deep bowls filled with steamed rice. All that’s left is to garnish each serving with minced parsley and a sprinkling of ground file.
Chef's Notes:
1. It's best to use "fresh" sausage (as opposed to pre-smoked sausage) when making this gumbo. To precook the sausage, place the links into a baking pan, pour about a cup of water over them, and bake them uncovered at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until the sausage is a golden brown. You can make this gumbo with country sausage, Italian sausage, or even hot sausage.
2. To make heavy shrimp stock, take the heads and shells from the shrimp you peeled for the gumbo, place them into a 3-quart saucepan, cover the shells with water, and gently boil them (adding water from time to time) for about 30 minutes until the resultant stock becomes rich in flavor. To ready the stock for the gumbo, simply strain out the heads and shells through a layer of cheesecloth or a find-mesh sieve. The greater the reduction the greater the intensity of the stock.
3. To clean the crabs, remove the top shell, cut out the eyes and mouth, scrape away the gills, brush away the innards , and cut off the back flap. Then wash the crabs thoroughly under cold running water. They're ready at this point to be dropped into the gumbo. Note: you can either leave the legs on or snip them off-the choice is up to you.
Oh, you want to be careful not to make the gumbo too watery at the outset, because you got to remember that once you add the shrimp and the crawfish the moisture rendered from the seafood will thin out the base.
A couple pounds of shrimp, about a pint or two of crawfish tails with the fat, maybe a dozen or so cracked and cleaned blue crabs right from the bayou, and a whole bunch of spicy Cajun country sausage-drop all that into a richly seasoned stock made with a dark brown roux, simmer it slowly over low heat, serve it piping hot in deep bowls filled with steamed rice, top it with a sprinkling of home-ground file, and you got one of the best South Louisiana gumbos ever.
Ingredients:
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 lbs. country sausage, precooked
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb. mushrooms, chopped
2 quarts heavy chicken stock
2 quarts heavy shrimp stock
2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
14 small blue crabs, cleaned and halved
2 lbs. medium shrimp, cut in chunks
2 lbs. crawfish tails with fat
3 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
6-8 cups steamed rice
½ cup parsley for garnish
Instructions:
First. . .you make a roux! Take a heavy-bottom stockpot, combine the quarter-cup each of oil and flour, and whisk them together over medium-high heat until the flour turns a rich dark brown—but don’t let it scorch! This is one of those culinary processes that requires your constant attention. Do not leave the pot! Do not talk on the phone! Do not go to the bathroom! Just keep whisking "figure eights" into the hot roux until you get the color you’re looking for!!
Then, when the roux is "right," drop in the sausage, the onions, the celery, the bell pepper, the garlic, and the mushrooms and uniformly stir everything together. This mixture should cook—stirring every so often—for about 10 minutes to soften the veggies. Note that the temperature of the roux will drop as the vegetables cook in the residual heat. The dropping temperatures also stop the browning effect of the roux. So it is important not to stir in the vegetables until you have the roux color you want.
Next, it’s time to start building "gumbo."
With the pot still on the stovetop, one at a time pour in both the chicken stock and the shrimp stock and work the broths into the roux and vegetable base. If you did everything right up to this point, the gumbo base should not be watery, but it should not be thick and pasty either. Now drop in the Kitchen Bouquet, the bay leaves, the red pepper flakes, and the cracked crab pieces.
Once again, stir everything together. Then reduce the fire to medium-low and simmer the crabs for about 20-25 minutes or so. This is also the time when you should adjust the liquid in the gumbo. If the roux has thickened the base too much, simply add extra water or chicken stock to lighten it up; if the roux hasn’t thickened the base enough, just leave the cover off the pot and allow some of the stock to evaporate.
At this point, add the remaining ingredients to the pot—the shrimp, the crawfish tails, the seafood seasoning, and the green onions. Then after stirring everything one more time, put the lid on the pot and simmer the gumbo for about 15 minutes more. About five minutes before you’re ready to serve, re-season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste. And when you’re ready to eat, generously ladle the gumbo into deep bowls filled with steamed rice. All that’s left is to garnish each serving with minced parsley and a sprinkling of ground file.
Chef's Notes:
1. It's best to use "fresh" sausage (as opposed to pre-smoked sausage) when making this gumbo. To precook the sausage, place the links into a baking pan, pour about a cup of water over them, and bake them uncovered at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until the sausage is a golden brown. You can make this gumbo with country sausage, Italian sausage, or even hot sausage.
2. To make heavy shrimp stock, take the heads and shells from the shrimp you peeled for the gumbo, place them into a 3-quart saucepan, cover the shells with water, and gently boil them (adding water from time to time) for about 30 minutes until the resultant stock becomes rich in flavor. To ready the stock for the gumbo, simply strain out the heads and shells through a layer of cheesecloth or a find-mesh sieve. The greater the reduction the greater the intensity of the stock.
3. To clean the crabs, remove the top shell, cut out the eyes and mouth, scrape away the gills, brush away the innards , and cut off the back flap. Then wash the crabs thoroughly under cold running water. They're ready at this point to be dropped into the gumbo. Note: you can either leave the legs on or snip them off-the choice is up to you.
Oh, you want to be careful not to make the gumbo too watery at the outset, because you got to remember that once you add the shrimp and the crawfish the moisture rendered from the seafood will thin out the base.
Trout Napoleon with Schirling Sauce and Steamed Rice
Ingredients:
6 fresh speckled trout fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 oz. Hellman's Dijonnaise
6 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced in halves vertically
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. Durkee's Garlic Bread Sprinkles (or garlic powder)
3 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
2 heads garlic, roasted and creamed
1/2 cup warm brandy
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. Frank Davis Garlic Cayenne Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (optional, but recommended)
6 cups steamed long-grain rice
First, thoroughly wash and pat dry the speckled trout fillets. Then, after laying them out on the countertop on a sheet of freezer wrap, lightly sprinkle them on both sides, front and back, with the Kosher salt and the fresh ground black pepper. Then immediately brush each fillet again on both sides liberally with the Dijonnaise (a pastry brush does this most effectively).
Now gently cover the fillets with a sheet of plastic food wrap and allow them to "rest" in the refrigerator for an hour and a half (which just so happens to be the same amount of time it is going to take you to roast the tomatoes).
And speaking of the tomatoes. . .
First, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees and place a sheet of parchment paper into a cookie pan. Then cut the thoroughly washed tomatoes vertically into halves and remove their cores. When they're all done, place them cut side up onto the parchment paper in the cookie sheet and brush each one liberally with olive oil. Then season each half first with the garlic bread sprinkles and then with the seafood seasoning (plain salt and pepper will suffice if you have no seafood seasoning on hand). Now slide the tomato halves into the oven and let them bake-fully uncovered-for a full hour and a half.
In the meantime, when it's almost time for the tomatoes to come out of the oven, take the trout fillets from the refrigerator, drop them into a hot skillet, and bronze them on both sides over a high fire until flaky and tender. But try not to break up the fillets too much as they cook. When they reach just the right color, place them side-by-side next to each other in a large, buttered, Pyrex baking pan. Momentarily, set them aside.
At this point, remove the tomatoes from the oven and set them on the counter on top of a couple of hot pads (careful! the pan should be really hot!). Next take the roasted garlic you prepared in advance, remove all the little pods from the main head, and drop them into the pan-in other words distribute them evenly throughout the tomatoes. Also be certain to incorporate into the dish the caramelized tomato juices-just scrape them away from the pan with a bit of water as they cook. Now return the pan to the oven for yet another hour.
At this stage of the recipe, it is time to remove the pan from the oven and mash the tomatoes with a potato masher, scraping the bottom and sides of the dish to get all the brown bits into the mix. Then stir in the brandy, the Worcestershire sauce, the balsamic vinegar, the basil, the rosemary, and the garlic cayenne sauce. If, after everything is thoroughly mixed together, the tomato sauce appears too thin, or it seems like it will separate too easily, then whisk in the tomato paste to thicken it slightly.
Finally, gently ladle the tomato reduction over the pan of trout and place the pan back into the oven again (for 15 minutes at 350 or so) to re-warm and finish. Then when you're ready to eat, spoon the sauce, along with a generous serving of trout, over freshly steamed jasmine rice. A frosty glass of richly brewed iced tea and a chilled Romaine and raddicchio salad covered with balsamic vinaigrette will complete the meal!
=======
Editor's Note:
This sauce not only serves as an appropriate cover for speckled trout and other tender-flesh fish, it also works very well with zucchini, eggplant, or veal Parmesan. But since it has a tendency to separate easily when used with these liquid producing mainstays, I recommend that you heat the sauce separately, add it to the specific dish as a topper, then run it under a broiler to re-heat as quickly as possible.
To keep the sauce from "breaking" or to thicken it slightly for various applications, you can also whisk in a couple of tablespoons of prepared butter roux. The best way to make your own is to gently cook equal amounts of unsalted butter and all purpose flour over low heat until totally combined into a smooth paste. A butter roux will keep in a Mason jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.
If you don't have trout on hand, this recipe works just as well with sheepshead, redfish, tilapia, snapper, catfish, or whatever else you have. And it is even super-fantabulous served simply over pasta and crowned with either Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
6 fresh speckled trout fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 oz. Hellman's Dijonnaise
6 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced in halves vertically
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. Durkee's Garlic Bread Sprinkles (or garlic powder)
3 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
2 heads garlic, roasted and creamed
1/2 cup warm brandy
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. Frank Davis Garlic Cayenne Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (optional, but recommended)
6 cups steamed long-grain rice
First, thoroughly wash and pat dry the speckled trout fillets. Then, after laying them out on the countertop on a sheet of freezer wrap, lightly sprinkle them on both sides, front and back, with the Kosher salt and the fresh ground black pepper. Then immediately brush each fillet again on both sides liberally with the Dijonnaise (a pastry brush does this most effectively).
Now gently cover the fillets with a sheet of plastic food wrap and allow them to "rest" in the refrigerator for an hour and a half (which just so happens to be the same amount of time it is going to take you to roast the tomatoes).
And speaking of the tomatoes. . .
First, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees and place a sheet of parchment paper into a cookie pan. Then cut the thoroughly washed tomatoes vertically into halves and remove their cores. When they're all done, place them cut side up onto the parchment paper in the cookie sheet and brush each one liberally with olive oil. Then season each half first with the garlic bread sprinkles and then with the seafood seasoning (plain salt and pepper will suffice if you have no seafood seasoning on hand). Now slide the tomato halves into the oven and let them bake-fully uncovered-for a full hour and a half.
In the meantime, when it's almost time for the tomatoes to come out of the oven, take the trout fillets from the refrigerator, drop them into a hot skillet, and bronze them on both sides over a high fire until flaky and tender. But try not to break up the fillets too much as they cook. When they reach just the right color, place them side-by-side next to each other in a large, buttered, Pyrex baking pan. Momentarily, set them aside.
At this point, remove the tomatoes from the oven and set them on the counter on top of a couple of hot pads (careful! the pan should be really hot!). Next take the roasted garlic you prepared in advance, remove all the little pods from the main head, and drop them into the pan-in other words distribute them evenly throughout the tomatoes. Also be certain to incorporate into the dish the caramelized tomato juices-just scrape them away from the pan with a bit of water as they cook. Now return the pan to the oven for yet another hour.
At this stage of the recipe, it is time to remove the pan from the oven and mash the tomatoes with a potato masher, scraping the bottom and sides of the dish to get all the brown bits into the mix. Then stir in the brandy, the Worcestershire sauce, the balsamic vinegar, the basil, the rosemary, and the garlic cayenne sauce. If, after everything is thoroughly mixed together, the tomato sauce appears too thin, or it seems like it will separate too easily, then whisk in the tomato paste to thicken it slightly.
Finally, gently ladle the tomato reduction over the pan of trout and place the pan back into the oven again (for 15 minutes at 350 or so) to re-warm and finish. Then when you're ready to eat, spoon the sauce, along with a generous serving of trout, over freshly steamed jasmine rice. A frosty glass of richly brewed iced tea and a chilled Romaine and raddicchio salad covered with balsamic vinaigrette will complete the meal!
=======
Editor's Note:
This sauce not only serves as an appropriate cover for speckled trout and other tender-flesh fish, it also works very well with zucchini, eggplant, or veal Parmesan. But since it has a tendency to separate easily when used with these liquid producing mainstays, I recommend that you heat the sauce separately, add it to the specific dish as a topper, then run it under a broiler to re-heat as quickly as possible.
To keep the sauce from "breaking" or to thicken it slightly for various applications, you can also whisk in a couple of tablespoons of prepared butter roux. The best way to make your own is to gently cook equal amounts of unsalted butter and all purpose flour over low heat until totally combined into a smooth paste. A butter roux will keep in a Mason jar in the refrigerator for several weeks.
If you don't have trout on hand, this recipe works just as well with sheepshead, redfish, tilapia, snapper, catfish, or whatever else you have. And it is even super-fantabulous served simply over pasta and crowned with either Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Frank's Cajun Stew
Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean boneless chuck, cut in chunks
2 lbs. lean pork, cut in chunks
1 tsp. Frank Davis Beef Seasoning
1 tsp. Frank Davis Pork Seasoning
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 lbs. extra fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 whole head garlic, peeled and cloved
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
1 bunch green onions
1/3 cup Italian flatleaf parsley, finely minced
2 bay leaves
3/4 stick butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 lbs. Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 lbs. white or brown steamed rice
First, place the beef and pork cuts on a sheet of waxed paper on the countertop and sprinkle them liberally with the seasonings.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil to "high" in a 5 quart cast iron or heavy aluminum Dutch oven.
Then when the oil is up to temperature, begin searing the seasoned meats—a few pieces at a time—until until they're all uniformly browned.
Take special care not to crowd too much meat into the pot all at once though—the temperature of the oil will fall and all the juices will render out of the beef and the pork, leaving them stringy and dry.
When the meats are done, remove them from the pot with a strainer spoon and place them into a deep bowl, leaving the oil in the Dutch oven.
Now drop the mushrooms into the pot (again, not all at once!) and quickly stir them around to coat them with the oil.
When the whole batch is in, reduce the heat to medium, put the lid on the pot, and let the mushrooms cook for about 10 minutes to soften and "sweat."
Note—it’s the juices from the mushrooms that will form the flavor base for your stew, so take your time with this step.
Now you're ready to start putting the rest of the dish together.
Without removing the mushrooms, drop in the garlic cloves (all of them—whole).
Then, one ingredient at a time, stir in the wine, the mustard, the chicken broth, the Kitchen Bouquet, the green onions, the parsley, and the bay leaves.
Then when everything is thoroughly mixed, put the beef and pork pieces back into the pot (along with all the drippings that rendered out while they were resting in the bowl) and stir the pot once again.
At this point, reduce the fire to "low," put the lid back on the pot, and simmer the stew for at least an hour.
Do not look in the pot! Do not stir the stew! Leave it alone—I promise you it won't burn!
In the meantime, in a small saucepan, make a light French roux with the flour and butter.
Then when the meats are "fall-apart tender" (which should take about an hour or more of slow simmering), remove them—and the mushrooms—from the pot again with a strainer spoon and place them briefly back into the large bowl.
Now bring the remaining liquids in the Dutch oven up to a slow boil and stir in the milk.
All you do now is begin whisking in as much of the roux as you need to thicken the gravy.
Remember, though, you have to let the gravy cook for about five minutes or so to actually reach its "thickened peak."
Now this is the time when you drop in the shrimp and stir them around in the hot gravy.
It is also the time when you add your salt and pepper and make your final seasoning adjustments.
One note here: As the shrimp cook (which won’t take but a few minutes) they will sweat out some of their natural juices, thereby thinning out the gravy a little. But that’s what you want them to do.
Finally, when you think the shrimp gravy is just right, stir the meats and mushrooms back into the pot and uniformly mix everything together one more time.
When the stew is piping hot, ladle it generously over a plate of rice and serve it alongside a piece of buttered French bread, a cold tossed green salad, and a glass of your favorite chilled red wine.
I done made you hungry, huh?
============================
CHEF'S NOTES:
1--If you'd like to "spice up" the stew a bit, about halfway through the meat simmering process, sprinkle in a teaspoon or two of red pepper flakes.
2--If you happen to add too much roux and your gravy turns out too thick, simply stir in a little additional milk or chicken broth to get back to the consistency you desire. Once again, though, remember that the shrimp will also thin out the stew a little bit, so don’t make the gravy too watery at the outset.
3—If you don’t have any of my beef and pork seasonings on hand, you can simply use 3-4 teaspoons of your favorite Cajun all purpose seasoning instead.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean boneless chuck, cut in chunks
2 lbs. lean pork, cut in chunks
1 tsp. Frank Davis Beef Seasoning
1 tsp. Frank Davis Pork Seasoning
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 lbs. extra fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 whole head garlic, peeled and cloved
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
1 bunch green onions
1/3 cup Italian flatleaf parsley, finely minced
2 bay leaves
3/4 stick butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 lbs. Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 lbs. white or brown steamed rice
First, place the beef and pork cuts on a sheet of waxed paper on the countertop and sprinkle them liberally with the seasonings.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil to "high" in a 5 quart cast iron or heavy aluminum Dutch oven.
Then when the oil is up to temperature, begin searing the seasoned meats—a few pieces at a time—until until they're all uniformly browned.
Take special care not to crowd too much meat into the pot all at once though—the temperature of the oil will fall and all the juices will render out of the beef and the pork, leaving them stringy and dry.
When the meats are done, remove them from the pot with a strainer spoon and place them into a deep bowl, leaving the oil in the Dutch oven.
Now drop the mushrooms into the pot (again, not all at once!) and quickly stir them around to coat them with the oil.
When the whole batch is in, reduce the heat to medium, put the lid on the pot, and let the mushrooms cook for about 10 minutes to soften and "sweat."
Note—it’s the juices from the mushrooms that will form the flavor base for your stew, so take your time with this step.
Now you're ready to start putting the rest of the dish together.
Without removing the mushrooms, drop in the garlic cloves (all of them—whole).
Then, one ingredient at a time, stir in the wine, the mustard, the chicken broth, the Kitchen Bouquet, the green onions, the parsley, and the bay leaves.
Then when everything is thoroughly mixed, put the beef and pork pieces back into the pot (along with all the drippings that rendered out while they were resting in the bowl) and stir the pot once again.
At this point, reduce the fire to "low," put the lid back on the pot, and simmer the stew for at least an hour.
Do not look in the pot! Do not stir the stew! Leave it alone—I promise you it won't burn!
In the meantime, in a small saucepan, make a light French roux with the flour and butter.
Then when the meats are "fall-apart tender" (which should take about an hour or more of slow simmering), remove them—and the mushrooms—from the pot again with a strainer spoon and place them briefly back into the large bowl.
Now bring the remaining liquids in the Dutch oven up to a slow boil and stir in the milk.
All you do now is begin whisking in as much of the roux as you need to thicken the gravy.
Remember, though, you have to let the gravy cook for about five minutes or so to actually reach its "thickened peak."
Now this is the time when you drop in the shrimp and stir them around in the hot gravy.
It is also the time when you add your salt and pepper and make your final seasoning adjustments.
One note here: As the shrimp cook (which won’t take but a few minutes) they will sweat out some of their natural juices, thereby thinning out the gravy a little. But that’s what you want them to do.
Finally, when you think the shrimp gravy is just right, stir the meats and mushrooms back into the pot and uniformly mix everything together one more time.
When the stew is piping hot, ladle it generously over a plate of rice and serve it alongside a piece of buttered French bread, a cold tossed green salad, and a glass of your favorite chilled red wine.
I done made you hungry, huh?
============================
CHEF'S NOTES:
1--If you'd like to "spice up" the stew a bit, about halfway through the meat simmering process, sprinkle in a teaspoon or two of red pepper flakes.
2--If you happen to add too much roux and your gravy turns out too thick, simply stir in a little additional milk or chicken broth to get back to the consistency you desire. Once again, though, remember that the shrimp will also thin out the stew a little bit, so don’t make the gravy too watery at the outset.
3—If you don’t have any of my beef and pork seasonings on hand, you can simply use 3-4 teaspoons of your favorite Cajun all purpose seasoning instead.
Crab and Crabmeat Gumbo
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Crisco oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup all purpose flour, as needed
2 cups prepackaged seasoning mix
4 quarts bottled water
2 quarts concentrated chicken broth
1 tsp. sweet basil
4 bay leaves
2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes, chopped with liquid
2 medium overripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 slices of lemon rind
1/3 cup minced parsley
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 dozen cracked gumbo crabs
4 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Frank Davis Seafood Boil
1 lb. unpeeled shrimp, heads-off
2 lbs. claw crabmeat
8 cups cooked long grain rice
3/4 cup green onions for garnish, thinly sliced
1 bottle file gumbo for thickening
4 sleeves saltine crackers
Margarine or butter for topping
Instructions First, in a heavy gumbo pot or stockpot, heat the oil over a medium-high heat just to the point of it beginning to smoke. Then, with a wire whip in one hand and a third cup of all-purpose flour in the other, begin sprinkling and whisking the flour into the hot oil to make a roux.
Now here's the trick—never stop whisking once! Continue to swirl the two ingredients together as you add the flour to prevent them from scorching and burning. Then, when the roux takes on the consistency of a heavy pancake batter, stop adding flour—at that point it will be all you'll need. But keep whisking and cooking the roux until it becomes a rich dark brown color.
When that happens, immediately toss in the seasoning vegetables. This action reduces the temperature of the roux and serves to thoroughly combine the veggies and the roux. At the same time take the pot off the fire to stop the cooking process. Set it aside temporarily so that you can prepare the cracked crabs. To do this, wash them (pre-cleaned with top shell removed) under cool running water, taking care to pick away all the debris from the belly section and gills. Then with a sharp knife split them into right and left halves and set them aside too.
When the roux has cooled down sufficiently (remember you never want to add liquids to a hot roux!), put the pot back on a high fire and add half the water and half the chicken stock. Then immediately stir everything together well to blend in the flour and create a smooth "gumbo base." Continue to pour in additional liquids a little at a time (first the chicken stock, then the water) as the base develops and thins out—keep in mind that you want the final gumbo stock to mirror the consistency of melted ice cream.
Now, when the stock reaches this stage, it's time to drop in all the remaining ingredients except the crabmeat—put in the basil, bay leaves, Rotels, fresh tomatoes, lemon rind, parsley, red pepper flakes, cracked crab halves, seafood seasoning and seafood boil and stir them all together well. Then put the lid on the pot, lower the fire to simmer, and allow the gumbo to cook for 30 minutes (stirring periodically). Note: depending upon how well the roux turned out, you may need to stir in additional small amounts of either chicken broth or water as the dish simmers so that it doesn’t thicken too much.
Then after the allotted cooking time, and about 10 minutes before you’re ready to eat, you’re going to do something that sounds rather strange—you’re going to drop in the de-headed but unpeeled shrimp, along with the crab claw meat, and stir everything together one more time. Then, after putting the lid back on the pot and making sure that the fire is still set at a low, let the gumbo simmer once more for 10 minutes before it’s served in deep soup bowls over a mound of steamed white rice.
I like it best adorned with a sprinkling of both green onions and file powder and dished up next to a stack of buttered saltine crackers. Ummmm—talk about mouth-watering! This is its true definition!
Chef's Hints
1. If you can’t find the packages of precut seasonings where you shop, you can always chop up a couple of cups of an onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, green onion, and parsley mix. Just blend it in amounts to your liking.
2. Because of the delicateness of crabmeat, bottled water doesn’t give this gumbo a harshness likely to be found in everyday tap water. After all, if you’re striving to pique the unique flavor of crab you want to keep the base as neutral as possible.
3. You can use either homemade or canned chicken broth in this gumbo. If you decide to use your own, just be sure to de-fat it before adding it to the pot. By the way, for a thinner gumbo you can add an additional cup or two of either water or chicken stock.
4. The easiest way to strip off a slice of lemon rind (and you really don’t want to make crab gumbo without it!) is to use a potato peeler. It gives you just the "zest" and leaves the pith on the lemon.
5. The unpeeled shrimp actually accent the subtleties of the crabmeat. And like the crab halves, all you do is just pick them out of the gumbo bowl with your fingers and eat them very informally (which is the way we do dishes like this down-South anyway).
6. Crab gumbo contains no okra, even though that sounds like it would be a contradiction in terms. File powder, instead of okra, is used as a topical thickener in this recipe. And of course, the file should always be added at the table as a condiment, never put into the pot on the stove.
7. Finally, if crabmeat is a little pricey where you live it’s okay to use only one pound of crabmeat instead of two in this gumbo. Just don’t, whatever you do, substitute imitation crabmeat! It’s nothing but a gelatin and will dissolve into a gooey mess in your gumbo!
8. Oh, yeah—like all gumbos, this one too is unbelievably better the next day (or so I’m told, since the pots I always cooked up never made it to the next day).
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Crisco oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup all purpose flour, as needed
2 cups prepackaged seasoning mix
4 quarts bottled water
2 quarts concentrated chicken broth
1 tsp. sweet basil
4 bay leaves
2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes, chopped with liquid
2 medium overripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 slices of lemon rind
1/3 cup minced parsley
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 dozen cracked gumbo crabs
4 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Frank Davis Seafood Boil
1 lb. unpeeled shrimp, heads-off
2 lbs. claw crabmeat
8 cups cooked long grain rice
3/4 cup green onions for garnish, thinly sliced
1 bottle file gumbo for thickening
4 sleeves saltine crackers
Margarine or butter for topping
Instructions First, in a heavy gumbo pot or stockpot, heat the oil over a medium-high heat just to the point of it beginning to smoke. Then, with a wire whip in one hand and a third cup of all-purpose flour in the other, begin sprinkling and whisking the flour into the hot oil to make a roux.
Now here's the trick—never stop whisking once! Continue to swirl the two ingredients together as you add the flour to prevent them from scorching and burning. Then, when the roux takes on the consistency of a heavy pancake batter, stop adding flour—at that point it will be all you'll need. But keep whisking and cooking the roux until it becomes a rich dark brown color.
When that happens, immediately toss in the seasoning vegetables. This action reduces the temperature of the roux and serves to thoroughly combine the veggies and the roux. At the same time take the pot off the fire to stop the cooking process. Set it aside temporarily so that you can prepare the cracked crabs. To do this, wash them (pre-cleaned with top shell removed) under cool running water, taking care to pick away all the debris from the belly section and gills. Then with a sharp knife split them into right and left halves and set them aside too.
When the roux has cooled down sufficiently (remember you never want to add liquids to a hot roux!), put the pot back on a high fire and add half the water and half the chicken stock. Then immediately stir everything together well to blend in the flour and create a smooth "gumbo base." Continue to pour in additional liquids a little at a time (first the chicken stock, then the water) as the base develops and thins out—keep in mind that you want the final gumbo stock to mirror the consistency of melted ice cream.
Now, when the stock reaches this stage, it's time to drop in all the remaining ingredients except the crabmeat—put in the basil, bay leaves, Rotels, fresh tomatoes, lemon rind, parsley, red pepper flakes, cracked crab halves, seafood seasoning and seafood boil and stir them all together well. Then put the lid on the pot, lower the fire to simmer, and allow the gumbo to cook for 30 minutes (stirring periodically). Note: depending upon how well the roux turned out, you may need to stir in additional small amounts of either chicken broth or water as the dish simmers so that it doesn’t thicken too much.
Then after the allotted cooking time, and about 10 minutes before you’re ready to eat, you’re going to do something that sounds rather strange—you’re going to drop in the de-headed but unpeeled shrimp, along with the crab claw meat, and stir everything together one more time. Then, after putting the lid back on the pot and making sure that the fire is still set at a low, let the gumbo simmer once more for 10 minutes before it’s served in deep soup bowls over a mound of steamed white rice.
I like it best adorned with a sprinkling of both green onions and file powder and dished up next to a stack of buttered saltine crackers. Ummmm—talk about mouth-watering! This is its true definition!
Chef's Hints
1. If you can’t find the packages of precut seasonings where you shop, you can always chop up a couple of cups of an onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, green onion, and parsley mix. Just blend it in amounts to your liking.
2. Because of the delicateness of crabmeat, bottled water doesn’t give this gumbo a harshness likely to be found in everyday tap water. After all, if you’re striving to pique the unique flavor of crab you want to keep the base as neutral as possible.
3. You can use either homemade or canned chicken broth in this gumbo. If you decide to use your own, just be sure to de-fat it before adding it to the pot. By the way, for a thinner gumbo you can add an additional cup or two of either water or chicken stock.
4. The easiest way to strip off a slice of lemon rind (and you really don’t want to make crab gumbo without it!) is to use a potato peeler. It gives you just the "zest" and leaves the pith on the lemon.
5. The unpeeled shrimp actually accent the subtleties of the crabmeat. And like the crab halves, all you do is just pick them out of the gumbo bowl with your fingers and eat them very informally (which is the way we do dishes like this down-South anyway).
6. Crab gumbo contains no okra, even though that sounds like it would be a contradiction in terms. File powder, instead of okra, is used as a topical thickener in this recipe. And of course, the file should always be added at the table as a condiment, never put into the pot on the stove.
7. Finally, if crabmeat is a little pricey where you live it’s okay to use only one pound of crabmeat instead of two in this gumbo. Just don’t, whatever you do, substitute imitation crabmeat! It’s nothing but a gelatin and will dissolve into a gooey mess in your gumbo!
8. Oh, yeah—like all gumbos, this one too is unbelievably better the next day (or so I’m told, since the pots I always cooked up never made it to the next day).
Shrimp and Okra Gumbo
In the Gumbo Pot:
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup coarsely diced onions
3/4 cup coarsely diced celery
1/2 cup coarsely diced bell pepper
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
In the Skillet:
6 strips thick-sliced bacon, cut in small pieces
2 lbs. frozen okra, cut and thawed
2 cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes with chilies (12-ounce size)
Later, In the Gumbo Pot:
6 cups homemade shrimp stock (or chicken stock)
3/4 cup white wine
2 cups water as needed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. sweet basil
1/2 tsp. powdered thyme
1 tsp. red pepper flakes, if desired
2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
2 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
4 lbs. peeled and deveined shrimp (36-40 count)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 lb. long grain rice (cooked al dente)
Instructions
Start off by placing the gumbo pot on the stove top, turning the fire up to medium-high, and heating the vegetable oil until it begins to sizzle. Then, a little at a time, briskly whisk in the flour until it has all been added and it begins to brown. Keep moving the flour around in the pot until it reaches a deep tan color (but be careful not to let it burn or scorch).
At that point, drop in the seasoning vegetables (onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic), reduce the fire to low, and incorporate all the veggies into the darkening roux. In other words, mix, mix, and mix again! Then immediately move the gumbo pot off the fire and set it aside for a while.
In the meantime, in a 12-inch, high-sided skillet over medium high heat, cook down the bacon pieces until they wilt and render out their pan drippings and become crunchy and crusty. Then, without reducing the heat, stir in the cut okra and begin pan-frying it, stirring continually, until the edges of the okra begin to toast lightly (expect this to take about 12 minutes or so). One note here: don't worry about cooking out the okra "slime." That will take care of itself later in the cooking process.
When the okra begins to toast evenly, stir into the skillet the Rotel tomatoes and cook them into the mixture until thoroughly blended. And yes…use the liquid the tomatoes come packed in, too!
At this time,everything gets transferred to the gumbo pot. The bacon, drippings, okra, and tomatoes now get stirred into the tan roux and the seasoning vegetables you cooked in the gumbo pot. And while you're at it, go ahead and add the next nine ingredients-the stock, the wine, the water, the bay leaves, the basil, the thyme, the red pepper flakes, the sea salt, and the seafood seasoning.
Keep in mind that it is important to stir thoroughly at this stage-(1) you want to completely dissolve and smooth out the roux to keep lumps out of the gumbo, and (2) you want to fully disperse the ingredients into the liquids to cause them to blend and balance the overall flavor. When this is done, reduce the flame to low, cover the pot tightly, and simmer the gumbo base for about 20 minutes to get all the ingredients to marry.
Then when the flavors have combined and peaked, toss in the raw shrimp and stir the entire pot once again for continuity. Remember that the shrimp will be ready to eat in just a matter of minutes, so be careful that you don't overcook them (about 5 to 6 minutes should be all it takes!)
Finally, just before you plan to serve the gumbo, once more check the thickness and texture (and the seasonings). Add extra water, wine, or chicken stock if the gumbo has become too thick; or work in a little extra roux if it has turned out too thin. All that's left to do, then, is to sprinkle on the green onions and the parsley and fold everything together one last time.
This gumbo is best when ladled over steaming hot rice in deep soup bowls, surrounded by either sesame-studded bread sticks, multi-grain saltine crackers, or hot buttered French bread right from the oven.
Chef's Hints
1. Once again, don't overcook the shrimp. The moment they turn a rich pink, they're done! Overcooking makes them tough and rubbery.
2. The worst thing you can do to this gumbo is to thicken the liquid to resemble a heavy sauce. The broth should barely have body, and only enough of it to coat the shrimp and rice. Let's put it this way--if you're satisfied that what you have is a "semi-thick soup," you're right on! Not all gumbos have to boast heavy gravies.
3. If you' like the gumbo to be a tad darker than the roux caused it to be, feel free to stir in a little Kitchen Bouquet to color the stock. It adds flavor without altering the integrity of the dish.
4. A real culinary trick-want to get a richer, more shrimpy flavor in the gumbo? Fry down a handful of sun-dried shrimp in the bacon drippings when you do the okra. The hot oil (in this case, bacon fat) releases the essence of the shrimp and intensifies the locked in flavor. Later, as the stock simmers and cooks, the dried shrimp virtually disappear into the liquids.
5. To make homemade shrimp stock, wash the shrimp shells and heads thoroughly under cold running water, then place them into a stockpot and simmer them over a low flame for about an hour. The final flavor will be intense. Try not to let the shrimp water boil-the stock will remain clear that way. And for an even richer taste, toast the shells and heads in a 450 degree oven before making homemade stock.
In the Gumbo Pot:
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup coarsely diced onions
3/4 cup coarsely diced celery
1/2 cup coarsely diced bell pepper
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
In the Skillet:
6 strips thick-sliced bacon, cut in small pieces
2 lbs. frozen okra, cut and thawed
2 cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes with chilies (12-ounce size)
Later, In the Gumbo Pot:
6 cups homemade shrimp stock (or chicken stock)
3/4 cup white wine
2 cups water as needed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. sweet basil
1/2 tsp. powdered thyme
1 tsp. red pepper flakes, if desired
2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
2 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
4 lbs. peeled and deveined shrimp (36-40 count)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 lb. long grain rice (cooked al dente)
Instructions
Start off by placing the gumbo pot on the stove top, turning the fire up to medium-high, and heating the vegetable oil until it begins to sizzle. Then, a little at a time, briskly whisk in the flour until it has all been added and it begins to brown. Keep moving the flour around in the pot until it reaches a deep tan color (but be careful not to let it burn or scorch).
At that point, drop in the seasoning vegetables (onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic), reduce the fire to low, and incorporate all the veggies into the darkening roux. In other words, mix, mix, and mix again! Then immediately move the gumbo pot off the fire and set it aside for a while.
In the meantime, in a 12-inch, high-sided skillet over medium high heat, cook down the bacon pieces until they wilt and render out their pan drippings and become crunchy and crusty. Then, without reducing the heat, stir in the cut okra and begin pan-frying it, stirring continually, until the edges of the okra begin to toast lightly (expect this to take about 12 minutes or so). One note here: don't worry about cooking out the okra "slime." That will take care of itself later in the cooking process.
When the okra begins to toast evenly, stir into the skillet the Rotel tomatoes and cook them into the mixture until thoroughly blended. And yes…use the liquid the tomatoes come packed in, too!
At this time,everything gets transferred to the gumbo pot. The bacon, drippings, okra, and tomatoes now get stirred into the tan roux and the seasoning vegetables you cooked in the gumbo pot. And while you're at it, go ahead and add the next nine ingredients-the stock, the wine, the water, the bay leaves, the basil, the thyme, the red pepper flakes, the sea salt, and the seafood seasoning.
Keep in mind that it is important to stir thoroughly at this stage-(1) you want to completely dissolve and smooth out the roux to keep lumps out of the gumbo, and (2) you want to fully disperse the ingredients into the liquids to cause them to blend and balance the overall flavor. When this is done, reduce the flame to low, cover the pot tightly, and simmer the gumbo base for about 20 minutes to get all the ingredients to marry.
Then when the flavors have combined and peaked, toss in the raw shrimp and stir the entire pot once again for continuity. Remember that the shrimp will be ready to eat in just a matter of minutes, so be careful that you don't overcook them (about 5 to 6 minutes should be all it takes!)
Finally, just before you plan to serve the gumbo, once more check the thickness and texture (and the seasonings). Add extra water, wine, or chicken stock if the gumbo has become too thick; or work in a little extra roux if it has turned out too thin. All that's left to do, then, is to sprinkle on the green onions and the parsley and fold everything together one last time.
This gumbo is best when ladled over steaming hot rice in deep soup bowls, surrounded by either sesame-studded bread sticks, multi-grain saltine crackers, or hot buttered French bread right from the oven.
Chef's Hints
1. Once again, don't overcook the shrimp. The moment they turn a rich pink, they're done! Overcooking makes them tough and rubbery.
2. The worst thing you can do to this gumbo is to thicken the liquid to resemble a heavy sauce. The broth should barely have body, and only enough of it to coat the shrimp and rice. Let's put it this way--if you're satisfied that what you have is a "semi-thick soup," you're right on! Not all gumbos have to boast heavy gravies.
3. If you' like the gumbo to be a tad darker than the roux caused it to be, feel free to stir in a little Kitchen Bouquet to color the stock. It adds flavor without altering the integrity of the dish.
4. A real culinary trick-want to get a richer, more shrimpy flavor in the gumbo? Fry down a handful of sun-dried shrimp in the bacon drippings when you do the okra. The hot oil (in this case, bacon fat) releases the essence of the shrimp and intensifies the locked in flavor. Later, as the stock simmers and cooks, the dried shrimp virtually disappear into the liquids.
5. To make homemade shrimp stock, wash the shrimp shells and heads thoroughly under cold running water, then place them into a stockpot and simmer them over a low flame for about an hour. The final flavor will be intense. Try not to let the shrimp water boil-the stock will remain clear that way. And for an even richer taste, toast the shells and heads in a 450 degree oven before making homemade stock.
Shrimp Creole
Ingredients:
4 lbs. medium-size fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Canola oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
3/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and small diced
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies, undrained, chopped, (10-1/2 oz)
1 can tomato sauce, (8 oz)
1 can tomato paste, (12 oz)
3 tomato paste cans of water (or chicken stock when it's not Lent)
½ cup sherry wine
3 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice + zest of one lemon
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Dash Frank Davis Cayenne/Garlic Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp. sweet cream butter
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
6 cups hot boiled long-grain rice
First, using a flexible wire whisk, combine the canola oil and the flour in a heavy 5-quart Dutch oven and cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking continually, until it transforms into a golden colored roux.
Figure that this should take you about 15 to 20 minutes.
Next, drop into the pot the onion, celery, green onions, green pepper, and garlic. Then blend this into the roux and cook everything together, stirring often, for about 15 minutes or until the seasoning vegetables are fully wilted and tender.
Then stir in the all of the tomatoes-the fresh diced, the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, and the Rotels-as well as the water and the sherry wine.
When everything is fully blended, begin adding and whisking into the mixture the seafood seasoning, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
Now bring the contents of the Dutch oven to a full boil and stir everything around briskly.
Then immediately cover the pot and reduce the heat to nothing harsher than a gentle simmer. At this point, you allow the "Creole" to simmer for a full 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Finally, when you're ready to eat, gently stir in shrimp (along with the 2 tablespoons of butter, and simmer everything once more for about 10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and tender. All that's left is to whisk in the minced parsley and serve the Creole over a big bowl of hot, steaming rice alongside a glass of chilled white wine.
-------
Chef's Notes:
If you want to extract a number of other recipes from this "base recipe," you merely follow the directions to the letter until you arrive at the signature ingredient-in this case it's shrimp, but it can also be crawfish, crabmeat, calamari, lobster meat, etc. Of course, outside of the Lenten season you can also re-fashion this base recipe into Chicken Creole, Pork Creole, Sausage Creole. . .it's limited only by your imagination.
Ingredients:
4 lbs. medium-size fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Canola oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
3/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and small diced
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies, undrained, chopped, (10-1/2 oz)
1 can tomato sauce, (8 oz)
1 can tomato paste, (12 oz)
3 tomato paste cans of water (or chicken stock when it's not Lent)
½ cup sherry wine
3 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice + zest of one lemon
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Dash Frank Davis Cayenne/Garlic Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp. sweet cream butter
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
6 cups hot boiled long-grain rice
First, using a flexible wire whisk, combine the canola oil and the flour in a heavy 5-quart Dutch oven and cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking continually, until it transforms into a golden colored roux.
Figure that this should take you about 15 to 20 minutes.
Next, drop into the pot the onion, celery, green onions, green pepper, and garlic. Then blend this into the roux and cook everything together, stirring often, for about 15 minutes or until the seasoning vegetables are fully wilted and tender.
Then stir in the all of the tomatoes-the fresh diced, the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, and the Rotels-as well as the water and the sherry wine.
When everything is fully blended, begin adding and whisking into the mixture the seafood seasoning, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
Now bring the contents of the Dutch oven to a full boil and stir everything around briskly.
Then immediately cover the pot and reduce the heat to nothing harsher than a gentle simmer. At this point, you allow the "Creole" to simmer for a full 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Finally, when you're ready to eat, gently stir in shrimp (along with the 2 tablespoons of butter, and simmer everything once more for about 10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and tender. All that's left is to whisk in the minced parsley and serve the Creole over a big bowl of hot, steaming rice alongside a glass of chilled white wine.
-------
Chef's Notes:
If you want to extract a number of other recipes from this "base recipe," you merely follow the directions to the letter until you arrive at the signature ingredient-in this case it's shrimp, but it can also be crawfish, crabmeat, calamari, lobster meat, etc. Of course, outside of the Lenten season you can also re-fashion this base recipe into Chicken Creole, Pork Creole, Sausage Creole. . .it's limited only by your imagination.
Frank's Crabmeat Au Gratin Deluxe
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour plus
1 can evaporated milk, 13 oz. size
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 Tbsp. cocktail sherry
1/2 cup green onion tops, thinly sliced
1 lb. lump crabmeat, picked for shells
2 cups Zapp's Original Potato Chips, crushed
8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup parsley
12 French bread pistolettes
First thing you do is take a heavy, high-sided skillet and sauté the onions, the celery, and the garlic in the butter that you've melted and very lightly browned (but not burned!). Then when all the veggies are wilted, soft, and tender, immediately whisk in the flour until it is totally combined.
Next, pour in the evaporated milk (but do it gradually to create a silky smoothness in the sauce). Then temper the egg yolks gently so that they do not curdle and stir them into the mixture. At that point, it's time to add in the salt, the red pepper, the lemon juice, and the sherry. Best advice is to thoroughly blend all the ingredients together and cook them into a sauce mixture for 5 to 7 minutes or until velvety.
All that's left to do now is to fold in both the green onion tops and the crabmeat, pour the concoction into a lightly greased casserole pan (or individual ramekins), evenly sprinkle on the potato chips, and liberally top with copious amounts of cheddar cheese. The dish is done and ready to eat after you bake the pan for 10-15 minutes in a 375-degree oven until brown and crusty.
I recommend you serve the au gratin piping hot with a garnish of minced parsley, a cold tossed salad, and couple of hot, buttered crispy pistolettes.
=========
Chef's Notes:
IVariation: Make the sauce portion of the recipe in a large skillet. Then evenly lay out the crabmeat in the greased casserole or in individual ramekins and pour the au gratin sauce over the top. Complete the recipe by baking it as directed.
You can use either lump crabmeat or crab claw meat in this au-gratin dish. But do not use canned crabmeat! And whatever you do, never use imitation crabmeat!!
The proper way to temper eggs is to gradually add small amounts of the hot liquids to the egg yolks as you whip them to bring up the temperature. This process keeps the eggs from "scrambling" when they are then whisked into the hot sauce.
You can use either mild or sharp cheddar cheese for making an au gratin. Personally, I prefer an equal part mixture of both.
Once again, remember that the term "au gratin" doesn't mean "cheesy," as many folks believe. Instead, it means "with a crust." In this deluxe recipe the combination of potato chips and richly baked cheddar cheese provides that crust. So don't take it out of the oven until it gets crusty!!
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour plus
1 can evaporated milk, 13 oz. size
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 Tbsp. cocktail sherry
1/2 cup green onion tops, thinly sliced
1 lb. lump crabmeat, picked for shells
2 cups Zapp's Original Potato Chips, crushed
8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup parsley
12 French bread pistolettes
First thing you do is take a heavy, high-sided skillet and sauté the onions, the celery, and the garlic in the butter that you've melted and very lightly browned (but not burned!). Then when all the veggies are wilted, soft, and tender, immediately whisk in the flour until it is totally combined.
Next, pour in the evaporated milk (but do it gradually to create a silky smoothness in the sauce). Then temper the egg yolks gently so that they do not curdle and stir them into the mixture. At that point, it's time to add in the salt, the red pepper, the lemon juice, and the sherry. Best advice is to thoroughly blend all the ingredients together and cook them into a sauce mixture for 5 to 7 minutes or until velvety.
All that's left to do now is to fold in both the green onion tops and the crabmeat, pour the concoction into a lightly greased casserole pan (or individual ramekins), evenly sprinkle on the potato chips, and liberally top with copious amounts of cheddar cheese. The dish is done and ready to eat after you bake the pan for 10-15 minutes in a 375-degree oven until brown and crusty.
I recommend you serve the au gratin piping hot with a garnish of minced parsley, a cold tossed salad, and couple of hot, buttered crispy pistolettes.
=========
Chef's Notes:
IVariation: Make the sauce portion of the recipe in a large skillet. Then evenly lay out the crabmeat in the greased casserole or in individual ramekins and pour the au gratin sauce over the top. Complete the recipe by baking it as directed.
You can use either lump crabmeat or crab claw meat in this au-gratin dish. But do not use canned crabmeat! And whatever you do, never use imitation crabmeat!!
The proper way to temper eggs is to gradually add small amounts of the hot liquids to the egg yolks as you whip them to bring up the temperature. This process keeps the eggs from "scrambling" when they are then whisked into the hot sauce.
You can use either mild or sharp cheddar cheese for making an au gratin. Personally, I prefer an equal part mixture of both.
Once again, remember that the term "au gratin" doesn't mean "cheesy," as many folks believe. Instead, it means "with a crust." In this deluxe recipe the combination of potato chips and richly baked cheddar cheese provides that crust. So don't take it out of the oven until it gets crusty!!
Almost Famous Buffalo Hot Wings
Ingredients:
To Do The Wings…
5 lbs. chicken wings, fried for 10-12 minutes until done
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
2 cups all purpose flour or Frank Davis Chicken Fried Mix for dusting
Peanut oil for frying
Roll paper towels or Kraft brown bags for draining
To Make The Hot Sauce Mixture: (Use medium size saucepan)
1 stick Fleischmann's margarine, softened
1 bottle Frank Davis Garlic Cayenne Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp. premium white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
Hunt's BBQ sauce to taste (optional). Do not use hickory flavored BBQ sauce!
First and foremost, in a heavy high-sided frypan, heat the peanut oil to between 375 to 400 degrees. Some recipes say you can bake, grill, or broil the wings, but you really don't have "authentic" Buffalo wings unless you deep-fry 'em in small batches. Hot wing lovers know that this is not a heart-healthy recipe!
It is important that you first wash the wings in cold running water. Then with a super-sharp knife split them at the joints (discard the wing tips), pat them well with paper towels, and air dry them on a rack in the refrigerator. This procedure alone will ensure crispy wings once they are deep-fried.
Next, simply dust them very lightly in the flour or the chicken-fried mix-do not dip them in an egg wash and coat them with a batter. The only reason you even want them floured is because the light coating helps to keep the sauce on the wings. I also recommend that if possible you separate the drumettes from the mid-wing sections and fry them separately-the drumettes will take a few minutes longer to cook than the mid-wings.
When you're ready to fix 'em, drop about 15 wings at a time into the hot oil (each wing piece should be submerged in the oil-you want to deep fry 'em, not pan fry 'em). Then fry the batch for about 12 to 14 minutes, stirring them occasionally. You can figure they're done when the rapidly bubbling oil subsides significantly in the skillet. A couple of batches and you'll get the hang of it!
In the meantime, while the wings are frying, make the hot sauce mixture.
In a 3-quart saucepan, first melt the margarine. Then briskly stir in the hot sauce, the vinegar, the paprika, and the cayenne.
But once everything is totally combined, remove the pan from the fire right away! Cooked too long over the flame, the sauce will break!
When it's time for the wings to come out of the hot oil, simply lift them out either with a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs and place them immediately on either paper towels or brown grocery bags to drain. Then put them into an extra-large stainless steel bowl, ladle the sauce over them, and toss them briskly to liberally coat each wing part thoroughly.
The trick to getting them "just right" is to toss them with "just the right amount" of hot sauce mix. You don't want them dripping with sauce-you're not marinating them. And the more sauce you use the hotter they will become.
All that's left to do now is place the wings on a shallow baking sheet, slide them into a preheated 400-degree oven for about 5 minutes or so to bake on the sauce, and then serve them with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a big bowl of Roquefort dip. This sho' is some fine vittles!
========
Chef's Notes:
1-Just in case you want to make your own gourmet Roquefort Wing Dip, here's the recipe:
½ cup high-quality bleu cheese chunks
1 pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 3 oz.-size softened
½ cup Blue Plate Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tbsp. premium white wine vinegar
½ cup sour cream
Put everything into a non-reactive bowl (preferably glass) and combine thoroughly. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least three hours. This keeps well in the refrigerator for about 10 days.
2- The basic formula for hot sauce is x amount of margarine to x amount of hot sauce (with a little BBQ sauce tossed in to tone down the heat a little if so desired). But to increase the heat intensity of the sauce, simply do the following:
For mild sauce, use equal parts of hot sauce and margarine.
For medium sauce, use twice the amount of hot sauce as margarine.
For killer sauce, use three times the amount of hot sauce as margarine.
For kiddie wings, just splash a few drops of the hot sauce into the margarine.
3-If you don't have a large stainless steel bowl, you can put the wings into a large container with a cover, pour on the hot sauce, and shake the container briskly until each of the wings is thoroughly coated.
4-For the ultimate in Buffalo Hot Wings, try to buy what are called "grinders," extra meaty, extra large, unfrozen chicken wings. They are, however, sometimes hard to find.
5-Just for the record, the word is that the old Anchor Bar and Grill still serves over 1,000 pounds of hot wings every day!
Ingredients:
To Do The Wings…
5 lbs. chicken wings, fried for 10-12 minutes until done
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
2 cups all purpose flour or Frank Davis Chicken Fried Mix for dusting
Peanut oil for frying
Roll paper towels or Kraft brown bags for draining
To Make The Hot Sauce Mixture: (Use medium size saucepan)
1 stick Fleischmann's margarine, softened
1 bottle Frank Davis Garlic Cayenne Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp. premium white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
Hunt's BBQ sauce to taste (optional). Do not use hickory flavored BBQ sauce!
First and foremost, in a heavy high-sided frypan, heat the peanut oil to between 375 to 400 degrees. Some recipes say you can bake, grill, or broil the wings, but you really don't have "authentic" Buffalo wings unless you deep-fry 'em in small batches. Hot wing lovers know that this is not a heart-healthy recipe!
It is important that you first wash the wings in cold running water. Then with a super-sharp knife split them at the joints (discard the wing tips), pat them well with paper towels, and air dry them on a rack in the refrigerator. This procedure alone will ensure crispy wings once they are deep-fried.
Next, simply dust them very lightly in the flour or the chicken-fried mix-do not dip them in an egg wash and coat them with a batter. The only reason you even want them floured is because the light coating helps to keep the sauce on the wings. I also recommend that if possible you separate the drumettes from the mid-wing sections and fry them separately-the drumettes will take a few minutes longer to cook than the mid-wings.
When you're ready to fix 'em, drop about 15 wings at a time into the hot oil (each wing piece should be submerged in the oil-you want to deep fry 'em, not pan fry 'em). Then fry the batch for about 12 to 14 minutes, stirring them occasionally. You can figure they're done when the rapidly bubbling oil subsides significantly in the skillet. A couple of batches and you'll get the hang of it!
In the meantime, while the wings are frying, make the hot sauce mixture.
In a 3-quart saucepan, first melt the margarine. Then briskly stir in the hot sauce, the vinegar, the paprika, and the cayenne.
But once everything is totally combined, remove the pan from the fire right away! Cooked too long over the flame, the sauce will break!
When it's time for the wings to come out of the hot oil, simply lift them out either with a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs and place them immediately on either paper towels or brown grocery bags to drain. Then put them into an extra-large stainless steel bowl, ladle the sauce over them, and toss them briskly to liberally coat each wing part thoroughly.
The trick to getting them "just right" is to toss them with "just the right amount" of hot sauce mix. You don't want them dripping with sauce-you're not marinating them. And the more sauce you use the hotter they will become.
All that's left to do now is place the wings on a shallow baking sheet, slide them into a preheated 400-degree oven for about 5 minutes or so to bake on the sauce, and then serve them with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and a big bowl of Roquefort dip. This sho' is some fine vittles!
========
Chef's Notes:
1-Just in case you want to make your own gourmet Roquefort Wing Dip, here's the recipe:
½ cup high-quality bleu cheese chunks
1 pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 3 oz.-size softened
½ cup Blue Plate Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tbsp. premium white wine vinegar
½ cup sour cream
Put everything into a non-reactive bowl (preferably glass) and combine thoroughly. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least three hours. This keeps well in the refrigerator for about 10 days.
2- The basic formula for hot sauce is x amount of margarine to x amount of hot sauce (with a little BBQ sauce tossed in to tone down the heat a little if so desired). But to increase the heat intensity of the sauce, simply do the following:
For mild sauce, use equal parts of hot sauce and margarine.
For medium sauce, use twice the amount of hot sauce as margarine.
For killer sauce, use three times the amount of hot sauce as margarine.
For kiddie wings, just splash a few drops of the hot sauce into the margarine.
3-If you don't have a large stainless steel bowl, you can put the wings into a large container with a cover, pour on the hot sauce, and shake the container briskly until each of the wings is thoroughly coated.
4-For the ultimate in Buffalo Hot Wings, try to buy what are called "grinders," extra meaty, extra large, unfrozen chicken wings. They are, however, sometimes hard to find.
5-Just for the record, the word is that the old Anchor Bar and Grill still serves over 1,000 pounds of hot wings every day!
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