Mike

Remoulade Sauce

Posted: June 29, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Kitchen, Recipe, Sauces | Tags: , , | 3 Comments

Remoulade is probably most well known for being used as a dressing for shrimp salads or covering peeled boiled shrimp in a small bowl. I like to use it as dipping sauce for boiled shrimp and crawfish and fried fish and shrimp.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup Hellmann’s Dijonnaise (or ¼ cup mayonnaise and 1 tbsp dijon or creole mustard)
  • 1 tablespoon horseradish (a little more if you like a little kick to it)
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tbsp garlic powder
  • ½ tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp celery salt
  • Dash of thyme
  • Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Method

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Whisk it well it ensure everything is blended together.  Whisk a little more to make sure.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours.  For some reason this sauce develops it’s best taste when the ingredients have had some time swap flavors with each other in the refrigerator.

Advertisement

The Mother of all Steak Grills

Posted: June 27, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Kitchen, Recipe | 3 Comments

I like my steaks seared on the outside and medium rare (closer to rare) on the inside. I cook a good steak, but they just do not have the quality of a steak cooked at a top rated steak house. The biggest difference is the amount of heat produced by a restaurant’s equipment versus home equipment. I have heard chefs mention their ovens and grills reach temperatures of 1500 or more degrees. No typical home system comes close to that temperature. I can come close in my kitchen by searing a butter coated steak in a smoking white hot black iron skillet for about a minute on each side, then finishing it off in my oven preheated to 500 degrees. The problem with this method is that it produced more smoke than my kitchen vent could handle (I have an above average vent system). Outdoors I can do so by overloading my grill with charcoal and rigging the grill to raise the charcoal tray closer to the cooking surface.

Last week I found this photo taken earlier from my barbecue pit when I working on another article.

I thought to myself, that is some heat! Heck! It looks like Tom Cruise’s Jet Fighter in “Top Gun” with the afterburners on. What if I put a grill on top of my charcoal starter and grilled a steak on it? I am sure someone has tried this before, but not me. Not wanting to sink a lot of money into a ribeye that might turn out like a marshmellow that fell into the campfire, I rushed down to Walmart and purchased two of their “low cost” ribeyes.

Here’s what happened.

I seasoned the steak, minus pepper. (I feared burned pepper might turn bitter) Placed the steak on the grill for about a minute before turning. It was necessary to shift the steak every few seconds to keep the now glowing hot grills from severly branding the meat.

I cut my test steak to see if I achieved my desired results and was quite pleased.

Looks perfect to me. So I tried a second steak, added seasoning after it was cooked and here is my finished steak.

PASTALAYA

Posted: June 21, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Creole, Kitchen, Recipe | Tags: , , , | 4 Comments

Pastalaya is a relatively new dish appearing at social gatherings. It’s a very close cousin of jambalaya because you use the same ingredients, but substitute some type of pasta for the rice. If you struggle with the rice in your jambalaya being too crunchy or mushy, give pastalaya a try. The pasta is much more forgiving when it comes to the water ratio than rice. Most cooks use spaghetti, but any kind of pasta will do. Thicker types of pasta may need more water. 

This recipe is the one I used to place second in a local cook-off this past Spring. I multiplied all the ingredients by five and used my five gallon pot since the rules required the recipe to feed 50. I am not crazy about competition cooking, but it was part of a professional conference and my office hoped to “make a statement” to our colleagues from other offices.  This was my first time to make a pastalaya in my large pot and only my second time to use this recipe, so I was pleased with the results. Next time, I think I will use bow tie pasta because I beleave it will make a better presentation.

Pastalaya – This batch was made in my five gallon black iron pot and placed 2nd in a local cookoff.

Ingredients:
1 pound of pork, (I like to use boneless country-style ribs cut into 1” pieces)
1 pound of pork sausage (sliced) mild.
1 pound of boneless chicken thighs (cut into pieces)
1/2 pound of mild ground sausage
2 large onions (diced)
2 cups bell pepper (diced)
6 slices of bacon
Enough veg oil to cover bottom of pot
Creole seasoning, salt, pepper to taste
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 quart of  beef broth or water (add one more cup for a “juicier” pastalaya) see NOTE 1:
1 pound of number 4 spaghetti (break spaghetti into three pieces)
Parsley
green onions

NOTE 1: I heat my water and add beef broth granules, or bullion cubes to save money. 

This should serve 12 to 15.

Directions:

I used a #12 Black Iron Pot  For smaller pots, cut back on meat and spaghetti but not seasonings

  1. Heat oil in pot – just enough to brown and keep sausage from sticking – brown and remove sausage.
  2. Salt and pepper pork, brown and remove
  3. Cook bacon – when crisp remove bacon, wrap in sliced bread and eat.  You can skip this and sub veg oil if you prefer a good heart to good flavor.
  4. In bacon grease – add onion and cook until it starts to caramelize.  I have learned you really need to get onion caramelized to bring out its best flavor. Adding peppers or other veggies in this stage will prevent onions from caramelizing due to too much steam from water. 
  5. Add ground sausage and brown. 
  6. Add bell peppers and garlic
  7. Add the cream of mushroom soup
  8. Add the broth, meat from steps 1 and 2, and bring to a boil.
  9. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to the pot.  Stir till chicken almost done.
  10. Taste and add creole season, salt and pepper to taste.  Should be a little salty because spaghetti will take some salt.
  11. Now add the spaghetti. Don’t forget to break it.  You can reduce heat to medium after adding the spaghetti. Now, stir the spaghetti well. NOTE 2: This is an important step because you do not want the spaghetti to clump together. Once you are satisfied that each strand is loose, turn off the burner,stir in the parsley and green onions and place a lid on the pot. Allow your pastalaya to stand for about 20 minutes. NOTE 3: It is okay to stir the pasta every 5 to 10 minutes to prevent the pasta on top from drying out or sticking to pot. 

Crawfish Boil Seconds – Crawfish Omelet

Posted: June 19, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Cajun, Kitchen, Recipe | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

One of my favorite parts of our crawfish boils is the anticipation of having leftover crawfish. If you are lucky, there will be enough leftovers for a second meal. They make a great morning after breakfast. A tradition at our house are crawfish omelets. If you have been to a crawfish boil, the ingredients, such as crawfish, potatoes, corn and sausage, soak up the wonderful Cajun spices. The leftovers give you a second taste of the feast.

This is a basic omelet, but the types of ingredients are limited only by your taste buds and imagination.

Crawfish Omelet

10 to 15 crawfish tails peeled and deveined
two eggs
spray canola oil
1 tbsp water
1 strip of bacon fried and chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup shredded cheese (your favorite) I like sharp cheddar
dash of creole seasoning

20120529-103740.jpg

Put two eggs in a mixing cup, add a tablespoon of water and a dash of seasoning. Coat a 6 inch non-stick frying pan with the canola oil spray. Heat the pan to med-high. While the pan is heating stir the egg mixture well with a fork. You can use an electric mixture also, but I find that to be one extra thing to clean. Mixing well creates bubbles and water creates steam bubbles, both help fluff up the omelet during the cooking process. When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture. When the bottom half starts to firm up add the bacon and cut the heat back to medium-low. Add the crawfish and cheese to a half side of the omelet when the mixture begins firming up around the bacon.

20120529-162553.jpg

With only a small amount of liquid remaining on top gently fold the side without the crawfish over the crawfish. It is important to have a small amount of liquid egg when you make the fold so the omelet will seal itself up – a trick I learned from a omelet chef at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. Once liquid egg is no longer seeping out (about a minute or two) gently remove a place on a plate. Let it rest 3 to 5 minutes then enjoy.

20120529-164603.jpg

Note – Don’t pile on too many crawfish until you get the hang of making the fold. If the omelet tears b don’t panic, Plan B offers great crawfish, bacon, and cheese scrambled eggs.

What extra ingredients would you add to your omelet?

Beef Stroganoff – Easy Summer Series

Posted: June 16, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Easy Summer Series, Kitchen, Recipe | Tags: , | Leave a comment

This is another simplified recipe for an easy summer meal. The egg noodles took longer to prepare than the stroganoff. We are going for easy here, so there are shortcuts that may sacrifice some flavor. Just remember, I’d rather be doing something outside instead of spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

Egg Noodles – enough for 4 servings
1 pound of beef stew meat (ground meat would work)
1 cup sour cream (I use light)
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp canola oil

Salt and pepper the stew meat while the canola oil is heating in a skillet. Brown the stew meat, then stir in the flour well. Deglaze the skillet with the wine. Add the garlic and onion powder. Stir in the sour cream. Continue to stir while letting it simmer for several minutes to allow flour and sour cream to interact and thicken. Serve over the egg noodles.

Serves 4

Daylilies Final Fling

Posted: June 14, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Garden | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s been a great year for our daylilies.  They started a month early (April) this year.  Why the early bloom? Speculation from myself and other gardeners is due to the very mild winter followed by summer like temps in March and April.  I thought they would end their show early, but my rebloomers are still going strong. I am seeing less new scapes (bud stems) appearing, which leads me the think the show will soon end.

Here are several that were showing off yesterday. 

Unidentified 😦

“Open My Eyes”

     

“Aztec Headdress”

“Victorian Lace”

Smoked Chicken and Andouille Etouffee

Posted: June 13, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Cajun, Easy Summer Series, Kitchen, Recipe | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

I am pretty much an outdoors type person which means I spend less time in my kitchen during the summer. I still have to eat, so if I am not grilling I tend to prepare dishes that take less to prepare.  Also, during the summer I tend to use a lighter or thinner gravy or sauce. I plan to do a series of dishes that take less preparation time or allow you to spend cooking time outside.

I saw a segment on the Food Network for a similar recipe several months ago. Typically, some type of Louisiana shellfish (crawfish, shrimp or crab) is used to make etouffee. Guy Fieri was visiting a restaurant somewhere in the heartlands that featured some type of chicken etouffee. I suspect the dish was created due to the lack of fresh seafood.  I created this version recently and thought it was good enough to share with y’all. The base ingredients for etouffee are usually onion, bell pepper, roux and broth. I have more complex bases for etouffee, but remember it’s summer so I am keeping this one simple. There are a thousands of base recipes, so if you have a favorite use it.

I happen to be a fan of smoke flavor, so I added a few chicken thighs and andouille sausage to the smoker this weekend. I usually load up the smoker with meat when I fire it up. I figure why not use all the space, it takes the same amount of heat and smoke.

Ingredients

1 pound of smoked boneless skinless chicken thighs (I would have preferred bone and skin on for a little more flavor, but the store was out)
1 pound of smoked andouille sausage chopped (regular link smoked sausage will do if andouille is not available)
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of water
1-2 tbsp Creole seasoning
1 stick butter
½ cup of powdered roux
4 bay leaves
1 cup rice uncooked

Method

Season the chicken with creole seasoning. Smoke or grill the chicken thighs until done. (This can be cooked ahead of time or as I mentioned, use leftovers).  Leave 6 thighs whole and chop up the rest into bite size pieces.

For the rice, bring 1 cup of water, 1 cup of the chicken stock, two bay leaves and few dashes of creole seasoning to a boil.  Add the rice, when it comes back to a boil stir, cover and set burner to lowest setting.  Remove from heat when the water is gone.

Melt half the butter in a saucepan or high sided skillet. I like a black iron pot. Add the onions and bell pepper and sauté until clear, add the andouille.  When the andouille is heated up and begins to brown, mix the powdered roux into the  pot. Once all is mixed well, add the remaining butter.  When the butter has melted add the remaining 3 cups of broth one cup at a time. Stir well as you add the broth. Add the two bay leaves. Let this slow simmer at least 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the 6 whole thighs to the etouffee. Let the chicken and etouffee swap flavors for 5 to 10 minutes.

Presentation

Spoon a serving of rice into a bowl.  Place a whole chicken thigh on top of the rice, then spoon the etouffee over the thigh and rice.

Serves 6

Smoked Chicken and Andouille Etouffee

Shrimp In Tasso/Andouille Cream Sauce over Pasta

Posted: June 9, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Cajun, Kitchen, Recipe | 3 Comments

I am spending this rainy Saturday morning in my hotel room at the Isle Casino in Biloxi, MS.  From my window I can see a shrimp boat selling shrimp to customers dockside.  That’s about as fresh as you can get.  I hope one is there tomorrow when I check out.  The sight made me think of one my favorite shrimp recipes.

Ingredients

  • I package of pasta – angle hair, bowtie or thin spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 pound of tasso diced
  • 1 pound Andouille sliced.
  • 2 tablespoons Cajun Seasoning (Tony’s) or my creole seasoning
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or half n half)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup diced roasted tomatoes
  • 1  roasted red pepper julienned and chopped 1 – 2 “ long
  • 1 1/2 cup shrimp stock (sub clam juice)
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup white wine

Directions

Set a large pot of water including one cup of shrimp stock to a boil and add the salt. Place the pasta in the pot and stir (to keep from sticking together) until the water returns to a boil. Cook until tender, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

While the pasta cooks, heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of creole seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and add the shrimp to the pan. Sear the shrimp just enough to brown on both sides, about 2 minutes, you want them almost done.  Remove from the pan and set aside. I do this with most of my shrimp dishes.  The shrimp flavor remains in the glaze from the sear, but you avoid overcooking the shrimp.

Add the tasso and andouille cook until browned.

Add the onions to the pan and sauté until the onions become clear and lightly caramelized. Add the garlic to the pan Slowly add the wine to deglaze the pot. Add the cream, remaining seasoning, salt and pepper to the pan and bring to a slight boil. Add the tomatoes and red pepper.  Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half.

Return the shrimp to the pan, and add pasta and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add cheese, parsley and basil and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

The Day Mustang Sally Won My Soul

Posted: June 7, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Rambling | 2 Comments

It was Sunday, October 30, 2011, the day most of my friends and family will say my life took a crazy turn. They say I became a groupie. I spent that weekend helping my brother-in-law who was promoting the Red Stick Bike Rally. For weeks I had heard about a great band from Nashville that he booked for the closing act.  He said they were known for their talent and ability to pull the crowd to the stage. He was right!

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band has always been one those songs that makes me reach over and turn up the volume.

“…Fire on the mountain, run boys run, the devil’s in the house of the rising sun. Chicken in the bread pan picken’ at dough. Granny does your dig bite? No child no!…Devil just come on back if you ever want to try again cause I told you once, you son of a gun, I’m the best there’s ever been…”

Wow! The version I heard that Sunday was spectacular. I’d just seen the best fiddle player and lead guitarist I’d ever seen and it wasn’t The Charlie Daniel’s Band. It was Sarah Wilfong and Jake Taylor of the Mustang Sally Band. We all know the devil was looking for a soul to steal in that song, but this band just won mine. The crazy blonde lead singer with her awesome voice had already caught my attention. This band just seemed to pull me in the more I watched.  From the beginning I saw talent and the music was great, but they had something else – PIZAZZ! The crazy blonde (Tobi Lee) was spontaneously joking with and calling out the crowd with the abetting of the keyboard player (Rachel Soloman) and rhythm guitarist (Brenda Zitzman). I could barely see the drummer (Lisa Romeo), but she kept a steady beat while the crazy trio stopped singing to cut up. I wonder how many calories she burns during a set? Last, but not least, the bass player (Mandy Holbert) kept the band in rhythm with her distinctive and commanding posture.

Shortly after the rally I found the Mustang Sally Band’s web page and Facebook Page.  I saw a mention on the Facebook Page thanking the fans who saw the show at the Red Stick Rally.  I commented on that post and to my surprise, Tobi Lee thanked me back.   At the risk of being accused of stalking, I began following the band members on Twitter.  To my surprise, I was not only welcomed by them, but I found a great group of fan club members. I was really blown away last January when my wife and I traveled to Vicksburg, Ms to see a show.  One of the fans contacted us to let us know she would be saving us a table near the stage. That fan, who I will only refer to as the gal in the black hat, has become a great friend of ours.  As a further surprise and just to show you how much this band appreciates their fans, the members knew me when I met them after the show.  (This band makes a special effort to make themselves available for autographs and small talk after every show.) I still think they think I might be a stalker.

Since last October, I have seen the Mustang Sally Band 6 times.  This weekend we will see two more shows at the Isle Casino in Biloxi.  If you are looking for something to do, come join us for lots of fun and good music.  To say the least, they are very entertaining and crowd pleasing.  Tobi Lee has been quoted (accurately) as “about as calm as a twister in a trailer park”. Tobi’s voice along with the band’s music is as good as it gets, they will sweep you away. If you can’t make the show, check them out on YouTube, MustangSallyBand.com or go to Itunes and buy their album.

Here is a great example of the band involving the crowd.  As you can see Tobi Lee loves to include kids and even assists fans in making videos.

This one of their songs – Troublemaker

Below: Tobi Lee working the crowd at the Red Stick Rally.  I unknowingly caught my (not yet met) friend  and MSB big time fan in the black cap.

My Vegetable Garden is Starting to Get Happy!

Posted: June 5, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Garden, Rambling | Leave a comment

This year I planted the vegetable garden two weeks before Easter.  Three weeks ago I side dressed the plants with ammonium nitrate and it is starting to get happy. Yep, that is the same stuff Timothy McVeigh used to blowup a building. It is pure nitrogen with a number rating of 34-0-0. It really gives the plants a boost, as they go into fruit production. It also put the weeds into a growth spurt. Last week I left town without having time to weed the garden. I fully expected to come home to a jungle. To my great fortune, my wife spent one of her off days weeding the garden. It looked fantastic when I got home.

I am growing cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, bush beans, bell peppers, watermelon, and cantaloupe this year. For the second year in a row, the zucchini has performed dismal. This is unfortunate since my wife and I love to eat it. I doubt I will plant them next year. This was my first year to plant bush beans, watermelons and cantaloupe. The beans have produced several meals already. Right now the watermelons and cantaloupe have lots of blooms and are starting to spread everywhere. Thankfully, I gave them plenty of room. 

The last two years have produced rather small bell peppers. This year I consulted with a local vegetable garden expert  about getting more size to my bell peppers. After some discussion of possible reasons, he suggested I try adding more fertilizer when I first plant the peppers. That did the trick. I am now picking grocery store quality bell peppers. 

My wife loves to eat cucumber and tomato salad. Last year the garden produced a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes. The problem was by the time the tomatoes were ripe enough to pick, the cukes had played out and withered away. This year I adjusted my planting time by planting the cukes a few weeks later than the tomatoes. I am happy to report both are producing at the same time this year. 

Below is a picture taken this week of our happy vegetable garden.