World Recipes

Cajun Tabasco Wings

Yield: 24 to 30 pieces

1/4 cup Tabasco sauce
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings (12 to 15 wings)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup butter

Split wings at each joint and discard tips, pat dry. Deep fry at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes or until completely cooked and crispy, drain.

While wings are cooking, combine Tabasco sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme and oregano with the melted butter and simmer for a couple of minutes to blend the flavors. Dip fried wings in the sauce and coat completely.

Serve with celery and blue cheese dip.

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.

Skillet Shrimp Creole

Serves 4.

1 cup long grain white rice
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon file powder
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine or no-salt-added tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Prepare rice according to package instructions. Cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add celery, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and file powder. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes.

While vegetables are cooking, in a small saucepan, cook beans until heated through, about 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

Add tomatoes, wine, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.

Add shrimp; cook, stirring until just opaque, about 3 minutes.

Spoon rice and beans onto individual plates. Spoon shrimp mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Louisiana Crunch Cake

Fine dry bread crumbs, as needed

Glaze
1/3 cup sweet butter
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup ground coconut
1/8 cup ground almonds
1/8 cup ground cashews

Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups sweet butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a  9- or 10-inch tube or Bundt pan generously with cooking spray and dust with breadcrumbs. Shake out excess crumbs and set aside.

Glaze: Melt butter in small saucepan. Add sugar and corn syrup. Heat and stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, cashews, almonds and almond and vanilla extracts. Spread in bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.

Cake: Sift flour and baking powder together into medium bowl; set aside.

In mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Mix well.

Spread evenly over topping in prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool in the pan about 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack; remove pan and cool completely.