Shrimp Etoufee In A Pie!

This was an adaptation of a basic etoufee but served as one dish (not over rice) and in a pie dish. Looked like a pie, served like rice. Easy to make ahead and reheat or to take to someone's house. Spicey enough for New Orleaneans but didn't exclude others. Here's how it went:

Serves 4 generously or 6 with more normal portions. 9 in. diam. pie pan; 2 in. deep

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c uncooked short grain glutinous rice . (Regular or brown rice would work but the glutoun makes it wonderfully saucy and it serves well)


• 2 med onions, chopped


• 1 bell pepper, diced


• 2 stalks celery, diced


• 5 cl.garlic, minced


• 4 T salted butter + some to butter tin


• 1 T salt 1/4 t cayanne pepper


• 2 t dried thyme + some for sprinkling


• 1 lb. small peeled shrimp (I used cooked shrimp because I had it, but uncooked would be better. Small is important.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350.

1. Cook rice in 3 c water. Boil, reduce to simmer for 25 min. Turn off heat and let sit.


2. Melt butter in large skillet (I use 14 in.) over med heat. Add flour a little at a time, constantly stirring/scraping with flat end of a spatula. Continue scraping over med to low heat for 10-15 min, or until roux forms with a cherry wood or almond color. Med brown roux.


3. Add garlic and heat through. Quickly add onions, bell pepper, and celery before roux gets too dark. Add salt, cayanne pepper, and thyme. Stir through and keep it moving over med to high heat until onions are soft--about five minutes.


4. Reduce heat to low and let cook another five minutes, stirring occasionally.


5. Add shrimp (except for about 20 that you reserve for garnish) and combine, heating though on med heat. (If using raw shrimp, push onion mixture to sides of pan, crank heat to high, add a little oil or butter or oil in center, add shrimp and toss it over the heat for one or two minutes until coooked through, then combine.)


6. Over low heat, add all of the rice, about a cup at a time, combining until evenly mixed. Add 1/4 c vegetable stock to deglaze pan if sticking.


7. Butter the pie pan, then transfer rice-etoufee mixture to pan a few spoons at at time, packing it in as much as you can. It will fill and slightly heap the pan.


8. Garnish with a ring of shrimp around the perimiter and a pinwheel in the center. Sprinkle with crushed thyme.


9. Bake in 350 oven for 30 min.

Variations and changes: Could try not putting any stock in to make it dryer. I thought the whole thing might set, but it got softer, not firmer, in the oven. A long slow cook time might make a more "cakey" etoufee pie, but this was so delicious, it might not be a good idea to mess with it.

Manning St. version of Galician Cocido for Carnival 2011

This is what you might call a strenuous adaptation of the Lalin Cocido from Galicia that John Barlow describes in Everything but the Squeal. I was going with all-local, humanely raised meat, so no snout, trotters, or ears for me, but I got some very good cuts of pork from Cherry Grove and some fine fresh chorizo from Fair Foods. The dish is, I think, as much attitude as cooking: quantity counts, and the main idea is to eat a LOT. We did our best. . . .
Here's what it was (with recommended changes noted):

serves 8 generously

Ingredients:
Pork

4 lb. pork shoulder, chopped into chunks
1 lb. ham, chunked
2 very large ham hocks, cut up or cut up after cooked
1 lb. pork neck bones
1 lb. smoked bacon, cut to 4 in. pieces
15 med. potatoes, washed and whole
dry rub:
3/4 c. rough crushed black pepper (would reduce to 1/3 c.)
1/4 c. + 1 T cumin
1/4 c. + 1 T salt
1/4 c. + 1 T smoked paprika, med (would double this)

Chicken
4 lb. whole chicken, hacked up
4 cups dried chick peas
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. white flour
4 white onions, chopped
1 1/2 c. dry white wine
1/4 t Cayenne pepper

Sausage
2 lb. fresh chorizo sausage, cut in large chunks (3-4 in.)
1 lb. fresh Andouille sausage, cut in large chunks (3-4 in.)
4 bunches (approx. 12 cups loose) turnip or other greens, washed and ripped
2 red onions, sliced thin
1/4 T vegetable oil
1 t sherry vinegar

This was, as recommended in Barlow's book, cooked as three dishes, though some cocidos combine it all.

1. Soak chick peas overnight. Next day, cook for an hour or until soft, then drain.
2. Make the dry rub and cut up the pork. Mix together, coat all pieces in the rub, and store overnight.
3. In batches, brown all of the pork over high heat, then combine all of it in a very large pot.
4. Add 6+ cups boiling water. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer, cover and let braise. Check water level after a half hour. Water will come out of the meat and add to the broth. Add more water if needed. Should be brothy. Simmer for 1 1/2 hrs.
   
   
5. Start the chicken by making a roux in a large heavy pot: head the oil, then slowly add the flour, scraping constantly over med. heat until it turns a med. brown and has a nice nutty smell.
6. Add the chopped white onions, combine and saute on med. heat for around five minutes or until all onions are soft. It will get a little stiff at first, then loosen up. Add the cayenne pepper and some salt (maybe 1 t).
7. Make a well in the middle of the onions, turn up the heat to high, and add the chicken, browning and then removing, a few pieces at a time.
8. With all the chicken out, add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
9. Return all chicken pieces to the pot and add boiling water, about a cup at a time, until you've added about 4-6 cups. It shoudl make a thick broth full of onions.
10. Set to simmer and leave it be, stirring every 20 min. or so. Simmer for 1 hour, and then test for donness by cutting a thick piece in half.
    
    
11. Heat oil to high temperature in a deep heavy pot. Add sausage pieces, and cook until just cooked through. Test by cutting.
12. Add the red onions, and just heat through--about a minute. You don't want them to remain a little crunchy. Remove sausage and onions from the pot.
13. Add the greens to the high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and let wilt--about 3 min.
14. Add 1-2 c. water, deglaze the pot, and cover. Steam for 4-5 min. Then remove from heat and drain.
    
    
15. After pork has braised for an hour and a half, add the whole potatoes for the last half hour or until they are soft through. When done, remove the pieces of meat and potatoes with tongs onto a platter. Dowse with the broth and serve with a pitcher of broth on the side.
16. After the chicken has simmered for an hour, remove the pieces, then add in the cooked, drained chick peas. Re-heat the chicken before serving on top of a bed of the chick peas in sause.
17. Salt the greens, serve onto a platter, drizzle with 1 t sherry vinigar, then top with heated sausage and onions. (You will have more sausage than you need for the platter.)

Enjoy!

Lamb Ragout Ravioli Supreme

This is a most extraordinary taste experience because of the intensity of the lamb and the wonderful reduction of flavors that happens when the tough shoulder cut is slow cooked for hours. We used Meadow Book lamb that was boneless. Bone-in will work, but the cooking will take longer.

serves 6-8

Ingredients

Ragout:

2.5 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, cubed to abt. 1 in.

1 L onion, chopped

1 head garlic, rough cut

1/2 c. red wine (I used a Merlot.)

4 sprigs fresh rosemary prepared in 2 sachets

2 T olive oil

salt

Pasta
3 c. white flour

4 eggs

2-4 T heavy cream

Garnish

2T salted butter

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

3T finely chopped fresh mint

Directions
Ragout:

1. Heat oil in heavy pot to hot. Add lamb cubes and brown for 5-10 min. Remove from pot.


2. Add onion and garlic to oil. Cook onions until soft, reduce and cook for 10-15 min.


3. Return lamb to pot. Add wine and 1 rosemary sachet. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer.


4. Let braise for at least 3 hours. Add liquid as needed to keep it from sticking. The idea is to have only a small amount of liquid but to keep it cooking on low.


5. After an hour and again in another half hour, shred the cubes of meat by using two forks to rip each piece in two.


6. About halfway through, take out the first rosemary sachet and put in the second one.


7. At then end, adjust with salt.

Pasta:
Make in two batches

1. Take 1 1/2 c. flour and heap in a pile on work surface.


2. Make a well in the middle.


3. Crack and add one egg to the middle of the well.


4. Use a fork to very slowly incorporate egg into flour.


5. Make another well, add the second egg, and do the same thing.


6. Add abt. 2 T heavy cream to flour.


7. Knead with your hands for a long time--7-10 min.--until the dough is elastic and bouncy in all directions.


8. Cover with plastic.


9. Repeat above for the second half.


10. Wrap both dough balls in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Assembling the Ravioli

1. Put on a large pot of salted water to boil.


2. Take one dough ball and roll out to thickness of about 1/16-1/8 in. To do this, roll, lightly flour dough surface, then flip at least 8-10 times.


3. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut a strip of dough about 2 1/2 in.


4. Place 1T of lamb ragout every 3 or so inches down the strip.


5. Cut another 2 /12 in. strip slightly longer. Place it on top, pressing down between the mounds of ragout to seal the dough.


6. Cut into square individual raviolis.


7. Crimp edges with a fork dipped in water.


8. Place on a plate sprinkled with corn meal and layer with corn meal between each layer to prevent sticking.


9. Immerse ravioli in boiling water. Let boil for at least 1:45. Test for tenderness

Service

1. Barely melt 2T butter.


2. Place ravioli in one large layer or two if needed on a large platter.


3. Drizzle melted butter over, then sprinkle on Parmesan followed by mint.

Basics: Red Pasta Sauce

This is a basics recipe. It's a great simple sauce that's good on plain boiled pasta or easily combined with other things.

Ingredients:

olive oil, 3T
onion, 1 L, halved and thinly sliced (about 5 c. loosely packed)
garlic, 4 cloves, minced
1 T each of dried:
basil
oregano
thyme
crushed tomatoes, 24 oz. can
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil to hot. Add the onions and 1/2 t salt. Cook until soft and translucent. Turn heat to low.
2. Add garlic, and all dried herbs. Heat through then let cook on low for 3-4 min. to sweeten the onions.
3. Turn heat to high and add crushed tomatoes. Bring to bubbling, then turn heat down to simmer.
4. Let simmer for at least 10 min. and up to a half hour, adding water if it gets so thick that it's bubbling out of the pan a lot.

Serve over cooked pasta. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and/or chopped Kalamata olives and/or chopped fresh basil.

Basics: Hamburger with Beef Bacon & Onions

This is a basics recipe for beginning cooks. It deals with basic foods and has more directions.

This recipe is a twist on the basic hamburger so that it has "supercharged" flavor. The key is the beef bacon. I've only ever seen it at Reineer Farms stand when they sell on Rittenhouse Square on Saturdays. Beef bacon is a fatty cut of beef that's been cured. It doesn't produce as much fat as pork bacon, but the fat is extremely flavorful. If you can't get it, I think you could substitute about half as much pork bacon. You'll never want another hamburger!
Serves: 4

Equipment:
large, sharp knife
cutting board
measuring spoons
10-14 in. diameter skillet
spatula

Ingredients:
ground beef, 1 lb.
beef bacon, 4 oz. (substitute pork bacon, 2 oz.)
onion, 1 medium
olive oil, 2 Tablespoons

Directions:

1. Slice the onion in half through the stem end. Cut off the stem end and tip of each half--about 1/4 in. slice. Discard. With a paring knife or your fingers, peel off the outer skin of the onion. Place the onion flat side down on the board. With a large sharp knife, cut thin slices, starting at the stem or tip and working down. It should come off in half-circle thin pieces.
2. In a large skillet (I like 14" diameter, but 12 or 10 will do), turn the heat on high and add 2 T olive oil to the pan. Wait about a minute for it to heat up. Add the onions. They should sizzle.
3. Slowly stir the onions with a spatula for about three minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft. Lower the heat to its lowest setting. Let onions cook (caramelize) for about five minutes, stirring every minute or so.
4. Meanwhile, dice your bacon into pieces about 1/4 in. on a side. The easiest way is to first cut in into 2 in. pieces. Stack the pieces and then cut them the long way into strips about 1/4 in. wide, probably about three or four strips. Line up the strips and cut across all of them at once, 1/4 in. at a time. Each cut will give you 1/4 in. squares. (It really doesn't matter if they're not exactly 1/4 in. or all the same size.)
5. After the onions are caramelized, push them out the the edges of the pan, leaving the center open. Put the bacon pieces in the center and turn the heat to medium. Let them sit there for a minute, then stir them. Keep stirring them occasionally (every minute or so) until the fat part of the pieces is translucent (probably 4 minutes.) Now stir them together with the onions and cook for another minute.
6. While the bacon is cooking, make your beef patties. Divide your pound of ground beef into 4 sections. Roll each section into a ball. Flatten the ball in your hand so that the center is about 1/2 in. thick. For the edges to be roundish.
7. When your bacon and onions are cooked, push them out to the sides of the pan (or remove them to a bowl if there isn't space). Make a clearing in the center big enough for the patties. Put the heat on high and add the patties.
8. After 2 min. on one side, flip the patties and turn the heat to medium. Cook for another 3 minutes. You can cut into one to see if it's done. It can be pink in the middle, but NOT translucent and wet looking (that's raw). If you like them well done, flip again and cook another 3 min.
9. When your burgers are done, add the onion & bacon if you took it out. Serve each burger on a plate and top with a generous dollop of onion and bacon. Add ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste. (May take less salt than you think because the bacon has a lot of salt in it.)

Enjoy!

Chicken-Apple Sausage with Bow Tie Pasta and Balsamic-Apple Reduction

This recipe is basically a meat and pasta mix, but the critical part that made it worth repeating is the reduced Balsamic vinegar with minced dried apple. That's a great binder and flavor combination with the sausaage. Made this a few weeks ago, but think I remember it.
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Chicken Apple Sausage Links, 24 oz. sliced as thinly as possible. (I used a local frozen product from Fair Foods. Was eight pieces and very moist.)

olive oil, 2 T
onion, 1 L, thinly sliced
dried bow tie pasta, 1 lb.
Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c.
dried apple, 2T minced
peanuts, roasted and unsalted, 1/3 c.
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/4 c.
basil, fresh, 4-5 leaves minced.
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Set a pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Cook it until al dente and drain.


2. While pasta is cooking, slice and saute onions in a skillet. Let onions caramelize.


3. Put Balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Turn to simmer. Add 1 T of minced apple and reserve rest for garnish. Simmer vinegar until reduced by half so only 2 T remain.


4. Meanwhile, add sausage to onions and heat on medium to high until sausage cooked through. Add another T of oil if seems dry.


5. Add the reduced vinegar and mix in. Reduce heat.


6. One cooking spoon at a time, add cooked pasta and mix in. When all of the pasta is mixed in, add salt and pepper to taste (probably at least 1/2 t of salt).


7. Serve in bowls and garnish with two pinches each of minced apple, minced basil, and grated Parmesan.