CAJUN GUMBO WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE & CHICKEN & SHRIMP

Cajun-style gumbo is a hearty stew created from the melting-pot of Louisiana cooking. The first known recipes were in the early 1800s. In the spring the gumbo would include crawfish, catfish, and other freshwater fish. Late summer was the time to make it with chicken, duck, goose, or other fowl raised at home. In the autumn and winter, it was common to use duck, squirrel, rabbit, and other wild game brought home by the hunter. 

Recipe for Cajun Seasoning below recipe.  I tamed it up to our tastes of today

Lee's Kitchen Tips:

To make Creole Seasoning, add to the Cajun Seasoning, 2 T dried basil and 2 T dried oregano. I only make Cajun Seasoning and add basil and oregano to each Creole dish I make.

½ cup avocado oil or peanut oil, divided

12 oz smoked andouille sausage, halved lengthwise, and sliced into ¼-inch pieces

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T Cajun Seasoning (recipe follows)

1 t smoked paprika

1 T Worcestershire sauce

3 cups chicken stock

2 boneless chicken breasts or 4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1 bottle Abita beer or other amber beer

2 bay leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup sliced okra

1 T filé powder (dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree)

1 lb large to jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 bunch chopped scallions, for garnish 

Louisiana or Crystal hot sauce, for the table

In a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven, fitted with a lid, add the 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook the sausage until light brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside.

To make the roux, add the rest of the oil, whisk in the flour.

Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. 

Let the roux cook until it’s the color of peanut butter.

Move the pot around if you have a hot spot on your stove.  

Burnt roux will make your entire gumbo taste burnt.

Lower heat to medium-low and let roux cook until it’s the color of an old copper penny, about 5 to 7 minutes more.

Stir in the “holy trinity” of onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the Cajun Seasoning, paprika, Worcestershire, chicken stock, beer, bay leaves, and the browned sausage.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Partially cover with a lid and simmer 15 minutes.

Add chicken and simmer another 5 minutes.

Add okra and simmer another 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and stir in the shrimp & filé powder and let sit for 5 to 7 minutes, while you set the table.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with scallions and serve with cooked white rice and French crusty bread or corn bread.

Serves 4 to 6

Cajun Seasoning

3 T sweet or smoked paprika

3 T ground black pepper

2 T sea salt

2 T garlic powder

2 T onion powder

2 T dried thyme

1 T cayenne pepper

Pour above ingredients in a jar fitted with a lid. Shake well and store in a cool dark place for up to one year.

BUTTERY APPLE-ALMOND CAKE

This is such an easy cake to make and so delicious.  I make it often because my husband thinks it's as good as having a dessert in a restaurant.  You can serve it plain, with confectioners' sugar, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Spray oil for pan

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup almond flour

1 t baking powder

¼ t ground ginger

½ t fine sea salt

2 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter

2 t vanilla extract

1 T Calvados (French apple brandy) optional

3 medium Honeycrisp apples, skin left on and cut into ¼ inch slices

Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Spray oil in a 7-inch springform cake pan and set on a pizza pan or baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt.

In a bowl of a mixer beat eggs until frothy, about 1 minute.

With beater on slow, beat in the sugar, butter, vanilla, and if using, the Calvados.

Pour half of the batter in the prepared pan.

arrange half of the apples on top of the batter.

Pour in the rest of the batter, scraping the bowl clean.

Top batter with remaining sliced apples in a design of your choosing.

Place in oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes before running a kitchen knife around edges and unclipping the 

coller.  

Serve immediately or cover and let cool in the refrigerator.

I cover the cake with a bowl, so not to mess up the top of the cake.

Serves 6

CRISPY ORANGE PEEL SHRIMP

In Chinese restaurants this shrimp dish can be called Firecracker Shrimp, Pow Pow Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp and my recipe is called Crispy Orange Peel Shrimp.  This is one of my husband's favorite Asian recipes.  Use any size shrimp you prefer, from extra-large (16-20) large (21-30) or even medium (31-35) per pound.

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

3 T cornstarch

¼ cup avocado or peanut oil

Sauce

Grated zest of 1 large washed orange 

1 t peeled and grated ginger root

2 long slices of orange peel (about 5-6 inches)

¾ cup fresh orange juice (about 3 large oranges)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

2 T low sodium soy sauce

½ t red pepper flakes (optional)

1 t sesame oil

1 t sriracha sauce (optional)

2 t honey

Add shrimp to a bowl and sprinkle on cornstarch.  Gently mix with hands until all shrimp are coated with cornstarch and set aside in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl or 2-cup glass measuring pitcher, mix together the Sauce ingredients and set aside.

2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Sesame seeds, for garnish

In a wok, add the avocado or peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Carefully add shrimp and stir-fry until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon onto a platter.

Discard most of the oil but leave the brown particles in the wok.

Add the sauce to the wok and simmer until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Return shrimp to wok and heat through.

Serve with cooked jasmine rice and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Serves 2 

享受

BREADED & MOIST RANCH PORK CHOPS

This is a delicious comforting meal for two on a cool autumn or winter evening.

I use mostly avocado oil when cooking at high temperatures.  Canola oil can cause inflammation in your body due to the fact it is highly processed omega 6 oil.

2 bone-in pork loin, center cut pork chops, about ¾ inch thick

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 medium egg

1 T milk

1 T mayonnaise

¼ cup dried breadcrumbs, unseasoned

1 (oz) packet Ranch Dressing Mix or my recipe follows below without additives

½ t fine black pepper

2 T avocado or extra-light olive oil 

2 T unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, add the flour.

In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and mayonnaise.

In a third shallow bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and ranch dressing mix.

Dip the pork chops, one at a time, in the flour mixture, covering both sides.

Now dip the pork chops, one at a time, in the egg mixture, covering both sides.

Finally dip the pork chops, one at a time, in the breadcrumb mixture.

Place them on a plate, while melting 1 tablespoon of oil and butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and place pork chops back on the plate.

Add the rest of the oil and butter and flip pork chops over and return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Pork should register 145 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

Remove pork chops to a clean plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Pork Chop Gravy

3 T unsalted butter

3 T all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cup chicken broth or stock

2 T whole milk or half-and-half

½ t sea salt

½ t fine ground black pepper

In the same skillet, over medium heat, add butter and flour.

Whisk until almost smooth.

Add chicken broth and bring to a low boil while whisking.

Whisk in milk or half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

Return pork chops to skillet and heat for 1 or 2 more minutes over low heat.

Serve with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a green vegetable.

Serves 2

CRAB, CORN, & BACON CHOWDER

There is nothing like the sweet taste of Chesapeake Blue Crabs and they are so versatile in many recipes.  Autumn is here and it's that time to make soups, pot roasts, stews, and chowders.  I used lumb crab meat.

3 slices bacon, diced

2 T unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup instant mashed potato flakes or ½ all-purpose flour 

1 qt warm chicken broth or stock

3 Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes

2 cups frozen corn

1 cup half-and-half 

1 lb clean lump or jumbo lump crab meat 

2 t Old Bay Seasoning

½ t sea salt

½ t fine black pepper

Brown bacon 2 ½ to 3 quart saucepan until crisp.

Remove bacon to a paper towel and set aside.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.

Add butter and slowly cook the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeño pepper 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the flour and cook another 2 minutes.

Slowly stir in the chicken broth or stock and potatoes.

Cook another 5 minutes.

Add the corn and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the half-and-half, crab, Old Bay, salt, and pepper.

Simmer 2 to 3 minutes.

Ladle into warm soup bowls and garnish with bacon bits and parsley.

Serves 4

OLD VIRGINIA BRUNSWICK STEW

Brunswick Stew is a southern stew with a tomato base, containing chicken, chicken stock, beans, corn, okra, potatoes, onions, and spices.  The original recipe was made with one or all of the following, squirrel, rabbit, opossum, or whatever game they could get for the night.

3 lbs, bone-in chicken pieces, remove skin; I use chicken breasts & drumsticks

1-quart chicken stock or broth
3 cups water

Stew

4 slices applewood smoked bacon, diced

2 T unsalted butter

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, diced

2 (14.5-oz) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes

2 cups frozen lima beans

2 cups frozen corn

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 ½ cups sliced okra 

2 T Worcestershire sauce
½ t liquid smoke (optional)

2 sprigs thyme or 1 t dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 t Old Bay seasoning

1 t sea salt

½ t ground black pepper

Hot sauce, optional

In a large cast-iron stew pot or Dutch oven,
Add the chicken, chicken stock, and water.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl to cool. 

Pour the broth into a large pitcher or measuring cup. 
You should have about 5 cups of rich broth

In the same pot, fry the diced bacon until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon to  a plate and set aside. Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.

Add butter to the pot with the bacon fat and let melt.

Add the chopped onion to the pot and sauté for 10 minutes.

Pour the reserved chicken broth into the pot with the sautéed onions.

Add the canned tomatoes, lima beans, corn, potatoes, okra, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, thyme, bay leaves, and Old Bay into the pot.

Slowly simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, pull the chicken off the bones into bite-size pieces and add to the pot. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Simmer another 5 minutes, add the cooked bacon bits and serve with cornbread muffins and hot sauce, if desired.

Serves 6

PECAN/SESAME CRUSTED SALMON WITH ORANGE-BUTTER SAUCE

We lived in the Pacific NW for 26 years and loved Sockeye salmon which was plentiful there.  When we lived on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, you could buy one side of the salmon and the other side was free.

Here in Virginia, we buy salmon that's from Scotland and it is very flavorful.

This is one of our favorite ways to make salmon

Pecan Crust

½ cup pecan halves, finely chopped

1 T honey

2 t low sodium soy sauce

2 t toasted sesame seeds

½ t lemon-pepper seasoning

½ t paprika

Place pecan mixture in a shallow bowl and mix with a fork and set aside.

2 (5 to 6-oz) Atlantic salmon fillets

1 T oil

Orange-Butter Sauce

1 T unsalted butter

2 t brown sugar

2 t reduced sodium soy sauce

¼ t freshly grated ginger

½ cup fresh orange juice

1 t cornstarch

Dry tops of salmon and press pecan/sesame mixture on top of each fillet with hands. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil on top of pecan crust and bake 12 to 15 minutes until salmon is done, about 140 degrees F.  Do not over bake.  

Salmon temperature will rise another 5 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, orange juice, and cornstarch.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve salmon over a bed of long grain and wild rice, drizzle with orange butter sauce and serve asparagus on the side.

Serves 2