World Recipes

Cajun Meat Pies

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons garlic puree
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Cook meat and seasoning over medium heat until mat is browned. Stir bread crumbs over the meat mixture. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Drain mixture in colander and set aside.

Pastry
2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten

Sift flour into a medium bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and egg. Stir with fork until ingredients are moistened. Shape dough into a ball and divide into 3 balls. Roll 1/3 of dough out on a lightly floured cloth to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut dough into 5 1/2-inch circles, using a saucer as a cutting guide. Place cut dough on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Place a large spoonful of meat filling on one side of each pastry round. Moisten edges of rounds with a small amount of water. Fold pastry over to cover filling. Seal edges using a fork dipped in water. Prick pastry gently with a fork. Deep fry in hot oil (350 degrees F) until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve warm. May be frozen uncooked in zip-type bags. Cook frozen.

Cajun Pepper Steak

1 pound beef (round or sirloin) cut into strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Tabasco sauce to taste (that means USE A LOT)
1 1/2 cups water
2 large onions, cut into strips
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
2 tablespoons cornstarch (or all-purpose flour and a little water)
Steamed rice

Brown steak in oil for about 5 minutes turning to go both sides. Add 1 1/4 cups of the water and Tabasco Sauce. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the onions and and bell pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Continue simmering until meat is tender. If the gravy is too thin, thicken it by mixing 1/4 cup of water with the cornstarch or flour stirring until there are no lumps. Remove beef mixture from heat and slowly add the thickening mix while you continue stirring. Return to heat and simmer until gravy thickens.

Serve over rice. Garnish with chopped shallots and make sure the bottle of Tabasco is on the table.

Cajun Salmon Steaks

2 servings

2 (6 to 8 ounce) salmon steaks, 1 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Cajun spice blend or blackened redfish seasoning
1/2 medium size green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
1/2 medium size red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

Arrange steaks side by side but in opposite directions in a baking dish; press thin belly flaps together, against other steak. (If cooking 4 steaks, arrange in a circle with belly flaps toward the center of the dish.) Rub the top of each steak with 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, then sprinkle or rub with 1/8 teaspoon spice blend. Sprinkle peppers over fish in center of the pan. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH (100% power) until flesh is nearly opaque, 5 1/2 to 6 minutes. (Cook one steak 3 1/2 to 4 minutes; 4 steaks about 7 minutes.) Let salmon stand, still covered (puncture plastic wrap if tightly sealed), 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Cajun Potato Pancakes

Serves 4

6 cups finely grated, peeled potatoes
1/2 cup minced scallions
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons peanut oil, for frying

Squeeze potatoes dry in a clean towel.

Combine potatoes, scallions, eggs, flour, salt, cayenne, baking powder and milk. Mix well.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and drop potato mixture by tablespoonsful into hot oil. Fry until lightly browned on both sides and no longer wet in the center. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1 pound hot smoked sausage, cut
    into 1/4-inch slices
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/4 to 1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 quarts hot water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
Hot cooked rice
Gumbo file (optional)

Brown sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove to paper towels, leaving drippings in Dutch oven. Brown chicken in drippings; remove to paper towels, reserving drippings.

Measure drippings, adding enough oil to measure 1/2 cup. Heat in Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add flour to hot oil; cook, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of chocolate (about 30 minutes).

Add onion, bell pepper and celery; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often. Gradually stir in water; bring to a boil. Return chicken breasts to Dutch oven; add garlic and next 5 ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 1 hour.

Remove chicken; let cool. Return sausage to Dutch oven; cook gumbo, uncovered, 30 minutes. Stir in scallions; cook, uncovered, an additional 30 minutes. Add salt, if desired. Bone chicken breasts and cut into strips. Add to gumbo and cook until thoroughly heated. Remove bay leaves.

Serve gumbo over rice. Sprinkle with gumbo file, if desired.

Serves 8.

Cajun Seafood and Noodles

6 ounces uncooked medium noodles (about 3 cup)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes (undrained)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen cut okra, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package frozen cooked small shrimp, thawed and drained
1 (6 ounce) package frozen crabmeat, thawed, drained and cartilage removed

Cook noodles as directed on package; drain. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook bell pepper, onion, parsley, red pepper, pepper and garlic in oil 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour and tomatoes; break up tomatoes. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and boils. Stir in okra, shrimp and crabmeat. Cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over noodles.

Makes 6 servings.

Cajun Stuffed Peppers

1 pound ground meat
1 (16 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups cooked rice
6 to 8 bell peppers
Sliced cheese

Cook meat, tomatoes, onions, chopped peppers and tomato paste. Cook 20 to 30 minutes until done.

Cook rice. Mix rice into meat mixture, then simmer 20 minutes.

Clean peppers. Boil in large pot until peppers turn darker green. Dry peppers on paper towels. Cool.

Stuff peppers with meat and rice mix.

Serve with a slice of cheese on top.

Cajun Shrimp

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 pounds medium to large shrimp

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients except shrimp in a wide oven-proof skillet or baking pan just big enough to hold the shrimp in 1 layer. Place the pan in the oven just to melt butter. Add the shrimp and stir to coat with butter mixture.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is pink and -opaque. Remove from oven just as they become pink . They will continue to  cook another minute or 2 in the hot skillet. The shrimp will exude a lot of juice and give you a generous amount of sauce for pouring over bread or potatoes or to use for dipping.

Serves 4 to 6.