"Some Good" Onion Rings
Peel and slice red onions into rings. Use only red onions! The amounts you use in this recipe will depend entirely upon the amount of onion you use.
In a paper bag, mix about a cup of white flour with paprika and 1 tablespoon salt. Dip the onion rings in buttermilk, then shake them well in the bag of flour and fry them in hot, deep fat.
Smothered Okra
2 pounds fresh young okra
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup tomatoes, canned or fresh
Wash whole okra and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Slice into 1 /8- to 1/4-inch rounds. Saute in oil over medium heat until okra stops "stringing," stirring frequently. This could take 20 to 30 minutes. Do not let it brown. Add onion and garlic and saute until they soften. Add seasoning and tomatoes (and some juice too). Allow to simmer at least 10 minutes or longer.
Serves 6.
Okra Louisiana
2 tablespoons bacon fat or oil
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice or grated lemon rind
1 pound fresh okra, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup grated cheese
Heat fat in medium skillet. Saute onion and green bell pepper. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and lemon juice; simmer for 15 minutes.
In another skillet, heat oil. Dust okra with flour. Add to skillet and cook until heated, but not brown. Reduce heat. Pour sauce over okra. Add grated cheese; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
New Orleans Crabmeat au Gratin
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
3 1/2 cups hot whipping cream
1/4 pound butter
1 ounce dry white wine
1/4 cup diced onions
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup diced celery
Dash Louisiana Gold hot sauce
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon diced garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a heavy bottomed 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, green onions and garlic. Saute three to five minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Be careful not to brown vegetables.
Sprinkle in flour, blending well into mixture. Using a wire whip, whisk hot cream into saucepan, stirring constantly until thick cream sauce is achieved. Reduce heat to simmer. Add white wine, lemon juice and hot sauce. Sprinkle in half of the Cheddar cheese, stirring the mixture constantly. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Add green bell pepper and parsley for color. If mixture becomes too thick, add a small amount of hot water or whipping cream.
Place equal parts of jumbo lump crab in the bottom of six au gratin dishes, top with sauce and sprinkle with remaining Cheddar cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Serves 6.
Louisiana Bayou Fish Fry
Catfish, trout, sac-a-lait and bass are all good cooked this way!
2 pounds fish fillets
Salt
Pepper
Season-all
1/2 cup yellow mustard
Oil
2 cups Fish Fry
Cornmeal (optional)
Season fish with salt, pepper, and season-all. Spread with mustard and set aside. In a fryer, heat enough oil to deep fry. Place Fish Fry or a mixture of half Fish Fry and half cornmeal in a small paper bag. Place a few fillets in the bag and shake to coat well. Remove from bag and place in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy.
Serves 4.
Oyster Patties
24 Pepperidge Farm pastry shells
24 Louisiana oysters, with oyster liquid
4 stalks celery, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, minced
1/3 bunch parsley, minced
2 tablespoons butter
Bake pastry shells according to directions on the box. Let cool, then remove pastry from inside the shells with a fork. Put aside in a bowl for later use.
Melt butter in skillet. Saute celery until slightly soft, then add scallions. Saute for about 3 minutes, then add garlic, stirring constantly. After mixture becomes soft, add the insides of the patty shells and water from the oysters. Consistency should be like a thick gravy. If necessary, add water to keep the mixture from becoming too thick.
When the pastry mixture cooks down, add the oysters and cook until the butter rises to the top, about 10 to 15 minutes. Oysters will shrink when cooked. Add the parsley, and stir for about 1 minute. Fill each patty shell with at least one oyster and some of the mixture. Put pastry top on to cover.
The patty shells can be filled and refrigerated, then warmed in the oven at 300 degrees F when ready to serve.
Makes 24.
Oyster Loaf (La Mediatrice)
This was popular throughout America in the 19th century. In the Vieux Carre of New Orleans it was known as "the mediator." It was the one thing a man felt might effectively stand between his enraged wife and himself when he came home after spending an evening carousing in the saloons of the French Quarter. He would buy the oyster loaf for pennies, just before going home, in the French market.
Cut the tops off small French rolls and scoop out most of the center. Brush the cut side of the tops and the hollowed-out center with melted butter. Place both tops and rolls in a 425 degrees F oven until toasted to a very light brown
Meanwhile, saute the oysters in hot butter until they plump up and the edges curl. Add salt, pepper, 2 or 3 drops Tabasco sauce and a little hot cream, if desired. Fill the hot rolls and cover with crusty tops. Use about 3 oysters to one roll.
Serve hot.
Oyster Dressing
DO NOT MAKE THIS THE DAY BEFORE!!! Make it just before stuffing the turkey right before you bake it.
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup butter
6 cups dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
3 cups raw oysters, chopped
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups oyster liquor plus milk, if needed
Cook celery, onion and bay leaf in butter until tender but not brown. Discard the bay leaf. Add crumbs and parsley to the butter mixture. Add oysters, seasonings and eggs. Add enough of the liquid mixture to moisten.
This will stuff a 10- to 12-pound turkey.