World Recipes

Cajun Meatballs

Posted by FootsieBear at recipegoldmine.com May 9, 2001

3/4 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/4 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Soak bread crumbs in cream 5 minutes. Saute onions in 1 tablespoon butter.

Combine all ingredients and beat 5 minutes at medium speed (8 minutes by hand). Form into 1-inch balls. Brown in 2 tablespoons butter; set aside. Save pan drippings. Make the following gravy:

2 tablespoons flour
1 can condensed beef broth
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee

Stir 2 tablespoon flour into fat in skillet, add 3/4 can of beef broth, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee. Stir until thickened over medium heat. Add meat balls, cover, cook slowly about 30 minutes, basting occasionally.

Makes 5 dozen. Freezes well.

Chicken Creole

Posted by RackyRain at recipegoldmine.com 1/13/2002 12:56 am

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons light butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup water
3 cups hot cooked rice

Sprinkle the chicken with paprika and cayenne pepper and set aside.

In a large frying pan, saute the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the butter for 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove vegetables from pan.

Turn heat to medium high and melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in frying pan. Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, turning to brown on both sides.

Add tomatoes with liquid, rosemary, marjoram, bay leaf, and half of the cooked vegetables.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is tender. Blend flour and water until smooth. Stir gradually into frying pan.

Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add remaining vegetables and heat through.

Remove and discard bay leaf.

Serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings.

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.

Catfish Gumbo

1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pounds farm-raised catfish fillets
1 (10 ounce) package frozen sliced okra, thawed
Hot cooked rice

Saute green pepper, celery, onion and garlic in hot oil in a Dutch oven until tender. Stir in broth and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut catfish into 1-inch pieces; add to gumbo and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in okra; cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Serve over rice.

Shrimp Gumbo

2 pounds shrimp
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chopped okra
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 can tomatoes
2 quarts water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves
Red pepper

Peel shrimp and de-vein. Make a dark roux with flour and oil. Add shrimp for a few minutes and stir constantly. Set aside.

Smother okra and onions in oil. Add tomatoes when okra is nearly cooked. Add water, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper. Add shrimp and roux. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Red Beans and Rice with Sausage

Source: decorating4less.com

1 pound dry red kidney beans
1 pound smoked sausage
1/3 pound andouille sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 chopped green onion with stalk
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons red pepper sauce
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Red or black pepper to taste
Approximately 6 cup water
2 cups cooked white rice

First, empty dry beans into a large cooking pot and fill with water to about 3 inches above beans. Add salt, pepper, pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce to pot and let soak.

Cut up sausage into approximately 1- to 2-inch lengths.

In a large skillet, add cooking oil and saute sausage on medium/high heat until browned. Remove and add to pot with the red beans.

You can begin cooking the beans over medium-high heat while completing the next steps. With the oil and drippings from the sausage, add the onions, green onions, bell pepper and brown sugar and saute over medium heat until onions are opaque. Add garlic and flour and stir constantly over medium heat for about 6 minutes. (be careful not to burn roux) When browned, stir mixture into pot with beans and bring to a boil. Turn heat setting to "low" (but, still bubbling) and cook slow, stirring occasionally about 3 hours or until beans are soft and water is thickened. (If not thick enough, you can remove 1/2 cup of just the beans and mash with a fork and return to pot.)

Serve over rice with sweet cornbread!

Red Beans and Rice

Source: Culinary Institute of New Orleans

Serves 10 (8 ounce) portions.

16 ounces red beans
3 sprigs thyme
6 bay leaves
16 ounces pickled pork
1/2 cup butter or bacon drippings (1/4 pound bacon)
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 onions, finely chopped
18 ounces rice (cooked to serve)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place beans in a large bowl or pot, cover with water about 4 inches above beans and soak overnight.

Drain and place in a pot of fresh water until covered by 1 inch. Add the thyme, bay leaves and the pickled pork and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours longer. Do not boil.

Melt butter or place diced bacon in a small skillet and cook the onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery until the onions look translucent. Add this mixture to the beans along with parsley and continue cooking them for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours longer, adding more water if necessary.

After the full 2 1/2 to 3 hours remove the pickled pork, trim and cut meat into 1/2 inch pieces. Return to the beans and add cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Stir well and continue cooking if necessary. Remove thyme and bay leaves before serving.

Place hot steamed rice (3 ounces) on serving plates and spoon beans over rice. Sprinkle the top with the chopped green onions.

Garnish: Green Onions (chopped on bias)

Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta

4 ounces linguine pasta
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, minced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl, and toss to coat.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in butter until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms and green onions; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in heavy cream. Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper, and heat through.

In a large bowl, toss linguini with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.