Red Beans & Rice

Despite the fact that I have been blogging for more than a decade, and cooking nearly all of my life, I have yet to experience some of the simplest of foods. Case in point, prior to making them just the other day, I had never eaten red beans and rice. I kept thinking to myself…beans and rice? What can be so yummy about beans and rice? Well, I’ll tell you, they are delicious! I did all of my chopping ahead of time, so it was absolutely no trouble to put this together. The house smelled wonderful while they were simmering on the stove, and once I took my first delicious, smoky, spicy bite, I could hardly put the spoon down.

 Red Beans & Rice

Adapted from Damn Delicious

 1 c. long grain basmati rice

1 T. olive oil

1 (12.8-oz.) pkg. smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

2 T. tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ t. Cajun seasoning

3 (15-oz.) cans red beans, drained and rinsed

3 c. chicken stock

1 t. Crystal hot sauce

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves

 Cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.

 Heat oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate

 Add shallots, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

 Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and Cajun seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.

 Stir in red beans, chicken stock, hot sauce, bay leaf, and sausage. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover; continue to simmer until reduced, an additional 15 minutes.

 Using an avocado masher (an invaluable tool, in my opinion), mash beans until slightly thickened, if desired; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

 Serve topped with rice and garnished with parsley, and a bottle of hot sauce on the side.

Cajun Potato Soup

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I can honestly say, when it comes to Mardi Gras, I really don’t do that much celebrating. I do, however, really enjoy the food. As a consequence, year after year, I try new recipes for Cajun and Creole dishes. With the frigid temperatures that we’ve been having, nothing sounds better than a hot sandwich or steaming bowl of soup. This Cajun Potato Soup warms you inside and out, thanks to the spices and andouille sausage. It goes together rather quickly; I got the oil and butter melting as I was chopping the vegetables, and then just threw them into the pan as they were cooking. In no time, I had a delicious, comforting bowl of soup.

 

 Cajun Potato Soup

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

2 T. butter 

2 T. olive oil 

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots, diced 

2 ribs celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ lbs. andouille sausage, sliced into rounds 

1 1.5-oz bag Melissa’s Baby Red Potatoes, quartered

3 c. chicken broth 

2 c. whole milk 

2 c. heavy cream 

2 t. Italian seasoning

1 t. Creole seasoning

1 lg. Handful fresh spinach, chopped 

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

 In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt butter and oil together. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage slices; cook, stirring occasionally another 5 minutes. Add potatoes; cook and stir 15 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 to 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about one minute more. Remove from heat. Top with Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

New Orleans-Style Gumbo

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Whether we realize it or not, a lot of what we do is dictated by others. Case in point, the late Mr. O-P did not care for Creole or Cajun dishes, ergo I never made them. Now that he is, sadly, gone, it does free me up to experiment with this cuisine. Considering the season, and considering my love for this type of food, I decided to make my first ever pot of gumbo. Before I embarked upon this journey, I read a lot about it, studied a lot of recipes, and used all of that knowledge to come up with this version. Personally, I thought it was wonderful, but the real taste test was taking it to a neighbor who loves this type of food and used to live in New Orleans. In a word, she said it was “fabulous,” and thus I can share it with you.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to rice. Some people add it to the gumbo, some people serve it on the side, and others consider such an addition blasphemous. You can do what you like. I found that adding rice makes for a very hearty meal with the need for little else. But, if you want the true taste of the gumbo, serve and enjoy it as it is. Either way, this recipe is a winner.

New Orleans-Style Gumbo

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

4 oz. bacon drippings

4 oz. all-purpose flour

1 c. coarsely chopped celery

4 large Melissa’s shallots, rough chopped

1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced

3 qts. beef stock

1 T. granulated sugar

½ - 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

½  teaspoon Cajun seasoning

4 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 14.5-oz. can petite stewed tomatoes

1 6-oz. can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons file powder

2 tablespoons bacon drippings

2 10-oz. packages frozen cut okra, thawed

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 pound lump crabmeat

3 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons file powder

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Make a roux by placing the bacon drippings and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven. Whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 80 minutes, whisking every 20 minutes.

Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the finished roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer on top of the stove over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

In a stockpot bring the beef stock to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in the roux mixture. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; stir in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.

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If you prefer Jambalaya to Gumbo, try this easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya for a taste of New Orleans.

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Slow Cooker Jambalaya

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It's "Sip Some Soup Sunday," and while I know jambalaya is not soup, I served it as both a main dish, and a side soup, and it was delicious both ways. How perfect is having a recipe that you can serve in two different ways, and it only gets better every time? 

This is yet another stupidly easy crockpot dish. (I know you think I use my crockpot way too much. I probably do, but the food that I have been cranking out in this house day after day has been amazingly good). It's different from a lot of recipes for jambalaya because the rice is not cooked in the pot along with the rest of the ingredients. Really, when I have jambalaya, no matter what recipe I use, I like to serve the rice alongside so that people can take as much or as little as they like. But, because the rice is not stirred into the dish, this jambalaya seems to be extra juicy. So, what I did, when I decided to serve it with rice as the main dish, I scooped it out of the pot with a slotted spoon and placed it alongside the rice and then spooned a little juice over it. What was left over I put into the fridge. The next day I ladled both the juice and meats, shrimp, and vegetables into a soup cup and I had it with a side salad and crusty roll. It was so good as soup that I was tempted to just forget using rice at all, and refer to it as New Orleans Jambalaya Soup. Needless to say, I love the versatility of this dish, and I also love that it only gets better the longer it stays in the fridge.

So, you can sip some soup today, or you can have a flavorful main dish, this recipe is two in one!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs - cut into 1 inch cubes

1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced

1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. homemade chicken stock

2 t. dried oregano

2 t. dried parsley

2 t. Cajun seasoning

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/2 t. dried thyme

1 lb. frozen cooked shrimp without tails

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.

Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Stir in the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Celebrate Your Story, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday,  Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, Coffee and Conversation, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else