First of all, welcome to my first blog post! Please bear with me as I navigate my way through this process. Excuse my mistakes...I'm sure I'll make many trying to figure out how to publish a successful and interesting blog.
No matter what I try as far as things to make me happy, I always come back to cooking. I've been retired now for almost 21 months and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have tried many things and have left many projects unfinished. Those who know me know I have tried my hand at a few artsy things like jewelry making, stained glass, collage and some other mixed media stuff which I am half good at. However, I always come back to the kitchen. I think it's trying to tell me something!
Anyway, let's dive into my cookbook collection and take a spin down to the Bayou. With all the trouble recently suffered by the folks in Louisiana because of the BP oil disaster, I've decided to pay tribute and make my first post a recipe from that state and the Acadians by cooking one of my favorite recipes, Shrimp Creole. The little gem of a cookbook this recipe hails from is called "Cajun Country Cooking, Basic Acadian Cooking from the True Acadian Country of Louisiana" by Bobby Potts. The 64 page paperback contains traditional Cajun recipes, lots of color pictures, and includes tidbits of background information and folklore of Acadian/Cajun cooking.
The secret to making a great creole is the roux. Roux is simply a cooked mixture of flour and fat. Common fats are butter, oils and even bacon grease. Roux is typically made with equal proportions of flour and fat. The fat is heated in a pan, then the flour is added. The mixture is cooked until the flour taste disappears and the desired color is achieved. Dark roux used in Cajun cooking is generally made with vegetable oil because of the high smoke point. Roux can be any color from white, to peanut butter-colored to chocolate to black. The darker the roux, the nuttier the flavor. However, the thickening power of the roux decreases the darker the mixture becomes. The secret is not to burn it! You will need to stir it constantly to avoid burning it. I would say a good peanut butter colored roux takes about 5-8 minutes, and the dark chocolate color around 20-25 minutes over medium high heat. Again, be sure to whisk constantly!
It is a good idea to have everything ready before you start cooking. This is called mise en place or "everything in place".
Here is the recipe for Shrimp Creole (from Cookin' Cajun Cooking School in New Orleans featured in Bobby Potts book):
4 lbs peeled raw shrimp 1 c. water
1/4 c. flour 3 bay leaves
1/4 c. oil 1 tbsp sugar
1 c. chopped onion 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 c. chopped celery 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 c. chopped bell pepper 1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced salt and lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, or Tabasco to taste,
1 (6oz) can tomato paste or any combination thereof.
1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
Make a dark brown roux of flour and oil (or bacon grease) in a large heavy pot, adding water very slowly after desired color is reached. Add the vegetables and saute till soft. Add tomato paste and mix well with vegetables, cooking until it almost turns color. Add all other ingredients except shrimp and parsley. Simmer slowly for one hour, covered, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and cook till done, 5 minutes or more depending on size. Add parsley at the same time. Serve over hot rice (tastes even better the next day).
Note: I personally find that 2 pounds of shrimp is adequate, however, if you want more, go for the full 4 pounds!
Food trivia: In culinary terms, the combination of onion, celery and bell pepper is known as the holy trinity. This makes up the base ingredient for dishes such as creole, etouffee, gumbo and jambalaya.
Take the pan off the heat, and slowly add the water. Be careful! Once you have the water stirred in, return the pan to the stove and add the holy trinity and garlic. Saute until soft.
When the vegetables are soft, add the tomato paste and stir well. The add the rest of the ingredients except for the shrimp and parsley. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the shrimp
and the parsley and cook for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are pink. Serve over hot rice. I like to accompany the creole with a bottle Tabasco Sauce on the side to add some heat.
If you can make a decent roux, the results will be a rich and tasty shrimp creole! Assembling the ingredients, cutting up the veggies and peeling the shrimp is the time consuming part of this recipe. It is a relatively easy recipe. I guarantee you will want seconds! Check out the cookbook for more great Cajun delights:
"Laissez les bon temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!)
No matter what I try as far as things to make me happy, I always come back to cooking. I've been retired now for almost 21 months and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have tried many things and have left many projects unfinished. Those who know me know I have tried my hand at a few artsy things like jewelry making, stained glass, collage and some other mixed media stuff which I am half good at. However, I always come back to the kitchen. I think it's trying to tell me something!
Anyway, let's dive into my cookbook collection and take a spin down to the Bayou. With all the trouble recently suffered by the folks in Louisiana because of the BP oil disaster, I've decided to pay tribute and make my first post a recipe from that state and the Acadians by cooking one of my favorite recipes, Shrimp Creole. The little gem of a cookbook this recipe hails from is called "Cajun Country Cooking, Basic Acadian Cooking from the True Acadian Country of Louisiana" by Bobby Potts. The 64 page paperback contains traditional Cajun recipes, lots of color pictures, and includes tidbits of background information and folklore of Acadian/Cajun cooking.
The secret to making a great creole is the roux. Roux is simply a cooked mixture of flour and fat. Common fats are butter, oils and even bacon grease. Roux is typically made with equal proportions of flour and fat. The fat is heated in a pan, then the flour is added. The mixture is cooked until the flour taste disappears and the desired color is achieved. Dark roux used in Cajun cooking is generally made with vegetable oil because of the high smoke point. Roux can be any color from white, to peanut butter-colored to chocolate to black. The darker the roux, the nuttier the flavor. However, the thickening power of the roux decreases the darker the mixture becomes. The secret is not to burn it! You will need to stir it constantly to avoid burning it. I would say a good peanut butter colored roux takes about 5-8 minutes, and the dark chocolate color around 20-25 minutes over medium high heat. Again, be sure to whisk constantly!
It is a good idea to have everything ready before you start cooking. This is called mise en place or "everything in place".
Here is the recipe for Shrimp Creole (from Cookin' Cajun Cooking School in New Orleans featured in Bobby Potts book):
4 lbs peeled raw shrimp 1 c. water
1/4 c. flour 3 bay leaves
1/4 c. oil 1 tbsp sugar
1 c. chopped onion 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 c. chopped celery 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 c. chopped bell pepper 1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced salt and lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, or Tabasco to taste,
1 (6oz) can tomato paste or any combination thereof.
1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
Make a dark brown roux of flour and oil (or bacon grease) in a large heavy pot, adding water very slowly after desired color is reached. Add the vegetables and saute till soft. Add tomato paste and mix well with vegetables, cooking until it almost turns color. Add all other ingredients except shrimp and parsley. Simmer slowly for one hour, covered, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and cook till done, 5 minutes or more depending on size. Add parsley at the same time. Serve over hot rice (tastes even better the next day).
Food trivia: In culinary terms, the combination of onion, celery and bell pepper is known as the holy trinity. This makes up the base ingredient for dishes such as creole, etouffee, gumbo and jambalaya.
Let's get started and make the roux. Measure out the flour and oil. Put the oil in a heavy pan (I use copper), and over medium high heat, add the flour. Stir constantly until your desired color is reached.
Take the pan off the heat, and slowly add the water. Be careful! Once you have the water stirred in, return the pan to the stove and add the holy trinity and garlic. Saute until soft.
When the vegetables are soft, add the tomato paste and stir well. The add the rest of the ingredients except for the shrimp and parsley. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the shrimp
and the parsley and cook for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp are pink. Serve over hot rice. I like to accompany the creole with a bottle Tabasco Sauce on the side to add some heat.
If you can make a decent roux, the results will be a rich and tasty shrimp creole! Assembling the ingredients, cutting up the veggies and peeling the shrimp is the time consuming part of this recipe. It is a relatively easy recipe. I guarantee you will want seconds! Check out the cookbook for more great Cajun delights:
"Laissez les bon temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!)
2 comments:
That sounds wonderful!!! I know i am going to love your cooking blogs!! Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome Nancy Beth! I hope I get the hang of blogging quickly. I know this site needs some improvement. With practice it'll get better. Anyway, looking for an excuse to keep all these cookbooks so I need to start using them more!
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