I did some time in New Orleans at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon St. So I have plenty of recipes. Are you looking for cajun food only or any of the cajun and creole foods found in that part of the country? To start off, here is the basic guidelines for making jambalya a cajun rice dish similar to Spainish paella:
take onion, jalapeno, red and green bell peppers and sweat them in a dutch oven. Add to this slices of cajun andouille and chicken wings and sweat to render the sausage. Next add plain uncooked white rice tomatoes (diced) and tomato juice. Sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning,and lots of cayenne. Cover and but into a 350 oven. When rice is almost done, stir in raw, peeled shrimp and return to oven to let the rice finish cooking. Pile into bowls and offer Tabasco along with the Jambalya.
This is a very basic recipe for jambalya, but it makes a great rendition of it.
Also, here is the guidelines for another standard, Gumbo:
First, make a brown roux. This roux should be as dark as you can make it without burning it. Go slow and I find using veg. oil instead of butter will let you get a darker color. In another pot, render cajun andouille in oil, add minced garlic, onion, bell peppers, and a little celery. Sweat these and then add a combination of chicken stock, and shrimp, lobster, or crayfish stock. Season with Old Bay,cayenne, fresh thyme, and chive. Allow to simmer for awhile then whisk in the dark roux. At this point you can add a number of things such as, shrimp, crab claws or bodies, chicken, ham, pork. Everyone in New Orleans seems to add their own special combination. At this point it is time to decide if you will use okra as a garnish and a thickener or if you will you use gumbo file (a powder made from sassafras). Traditional gumbos have one or the other, not both. I prefer the okra, which gives the gumbo a gummy consistency. I also really like adding cracked crabs, shell and all to my gumbo for a very rustic feel. I was once told that gumbo should remind you of the bayous, with a very earthy and seafood quaility all in one bowl.
If you would like more ideas about traditional cajun foods and some modern ones email me at petercmartin@msn.com. And I can share a bunch more with you. |