Recipe: Incredible Cajun Greens

mustard greens Image by rachel is coconut&limevia Flickr

From Denny: OK, WOW! Now this is a dressed up greens recipe that men will happily eat in large quantities! There won't be any whining about eating vegetables at the table when you serve this outstanding recipe. Why? It has lots of meat in it in the form of smoked sausage as well as pork butt along with incredible seasonings.

Why eat greens? Are you kidding? Besides the fact they just taste good (Tabasco pepper white vinegar dabbled on it to tamp down the intensity), greens are stuffed full of the mineral calcium! If you can't drink milk or don't like it this is another way to get easily digestible calcium, fiber and B vitamins for your nervous system and liver. Give this recipe a try at your house!

R. L. Greens by R. L. Holmes

From: R.L.'s Greens - from R.L.'s Off the Square Cajun restaurant, 1113 Floyd St., Covington, Georgia, published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. R. L. Holmes is from Alexandria, Louisiana, almost northern Louisiana, far from New Orleans. The man can cook!

Hands on time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Serves: 16


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 pound pork butt, diced

Salt and pepper

1 pound smoked sausage, diced

1 pound bacon, diced

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced carrots

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 head cabbage, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 bunch collard greens, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 bunch mustard greens, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 bunch turnip greens, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 quart chicken stock

1 ham hock

1/4 cup Tabasco sauce

3/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup meat seasoning (such as Chef Paul Prudhomme's Pork and Veal Magic Seasoning Blend)

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or baking dish with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the diced pork butt, season with salt and pepper, and roast 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown. Add the sausage and cook an additional 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until meat is browned and sizzling.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside; drain off most of the grease but reserve about 1 tablespoon, leaving it in the skillet. Add the onions. Cook slowly over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown but not burned, about 30 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic and saute an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

In a large stockpot, heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the cabbage, stir lightly and then cover the pot and cook about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent scorching. Add the collard, mustard and turnip greens and the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then add the pork butt and sausage, bacon, onion and carrot mixture, the ham hock, Tabasco sauce, vinegar, meat seasoning and brown sugar. Cover and cook about 45 minutes, until greens are tender and flavors are well-incorporated. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Notes:

The quantities in this recipe are reduced from the much larger batch that Holmes makes at his restaurant, so the proportions are just a bit off. If you want to reproduce his version exactly, increase the pork butt, smoked sausage and bacon to 1 1/4 pounds each. Holmes also makes his own meat seasoning, which can be purchased at the restaurant.

For simplicity's sake, this recipe uses store-bought chicken stock and a ham hock. The greens are well-seasoned with hot sauce and vinegar, so Martin always advises restaurant patrons to try them before they start dumping on the condiments.


Nutrition:

Per serving: 367 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 21 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 28 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 70 milligrams cholesterol, 1,338 milligrams sodium.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Soup with Matchstick Fries and Frizzled Leeks

From Denny: We love our sweet potatoes here in Louisiana! From Canada.com comes yet another way to enjoy our beloved sweet potato in a gourmet soup. There is a recipe converter link listed after the posting area on this blog in case you are not familiar with the Canadian version of measurements.

Sweet Potato Soup with Matchstick Fries and Frizzled Leeks

This recipe comes from Chuck's Day Off show.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

The Sweet Potato Soup

3 large sweet potatoes, cut in chunks

3 leeks, roughly chopped

Pinch of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Nub of butter

6 cups (1.5 L) chicken stock

1 big knuckle of fresh ginger (about 1 tablespoon / 15 mL) peeled and grated)

2 cups water (500 mL)

Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes.

Wash leeks well and drain, remove any damaged outside peel, remove the hairy white tips from the end, and cut leeks into one-inch slices (leave one three-inch section aside to be fried later for the garnish).

Soften leeks in a large pot with a nub of butter, the salt and pepper. Do not brown.

Add six cups of stock or water

Add sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil until cooked through - just softer than fork tender. Using an immersion blender, purée the ingredients until they are thoroughly blended.

Add the grated ginger, and test for consistency. If too thick, add a bit more water. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Place in a bowl and garnish with a mound of hot crispy matchstick potatoes and frizzled leeks.


Matchstick Fries and Frizzled Leeks

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (or another medium-starch potato)

Canola oil for frying

A sprinkle of salt, pepper

3-inch (8-cm) piece of leek, julienned

A dusting of potato starch

Peel and cut potatoes into matchstick slices.

Rinse them under cold water in a strainer to remove excess starch. Let drain well. Pat dry. In a deep fryer set at 350 degrees F (180C), fry for three to five minutes submerged in canola oil until a nice, deep golden brown. Drain on a paper towel or absorbent cloth. Hit them with a sprinkle of salt and pepper right away.

Cut strips of leek into julienne slices similar to potato. In a small bowl, place two tablespoons of starch and lightly dust the leek pieces in it to help prevent burning. Fry the three-inch strips of leek in same oil until they are just golden - about one minute, to make "frizzled leeks."

Add to your bowl of matchstick fries. Mix them together. Garnish in a little mound on top of the soup.

***

Chuck's Day Off airs on the Food Network on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. For more information on Chuck Hughes's TV show and for more recipes, go to: www.foodtv.ca/chucksdayoff

For previous columns and recipes, go to www.montrealgazette.com/life and click on Food & Wine

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

Recipe: Chicken and Pistachio Mocha Mole Sauce

From Denny: Chicken Mole sounds divine, especially this exotic recipe I found over at Chocoholic.com! This is a faster convenience version of the traditional complex slow-cooked mole. Wonderful for spring and summer entertaining.

From: Robert Phillips

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

CHICKEN

4 5-to-6 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon coffee liquor (Kahlua), separated

SAUCE

1 Tablespoon coffee liquor (Kalhua)

1 cup pistachios, plus extra for garnish

1 poblano chile

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish

1 Tablespoon finely-chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 teaspoon garlic

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper

3 cups stock

2 Tablespoon cream

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts. Marinate the chicken in 1 cup of coffee liquor for several hours or overnight.

Shell the pistachios, roast them lightly in a skillet, and then coarsely chop them.

Carefully roast, peel, and chop the poblano.
Preheat a grill or broiler.

In a saucepan combine all of the sauce ingredients ingredients, except the cream and cornstarch, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Cool slightly. Then carefully pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and puree. Strain through a sieve into a clean saucepan. Mix cream and cornstarch together first, then whisk into the sauce. Heat until slightly thickened.

Adjust seasonings to taste.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and wipe off excess marinade. Grill or broil the chicken, turning once, until well-browned, about 8 minutes in all. To serve, top each chicken breast with enough sauce to cover and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios and cilantro leaves.

New Orleans Restaurant Review: Boucherie

Image by marcp_dmoz via Flickr

From Country Roads Magazine: "In a city where good times often equate to good food, the joy of finding a terrific restaurant where you can wine and dine really well on extraordinary food and libations, at extremely reasonable prices, can produce a near-reverential response.

Boucherie, the new eatery that occupies the former Iris restaurant site just off Carrollton Avenue near New Orleans’ Riverbend, fulfills that need for those who want to enjoy the excitement of dining out on exceptional cuisine in a carefree, lighthearted environment. The kicker is that none of the food items cost more than $15…not even the specials."

For the full review, go here.

Recipes from Boucherie: These guys sure don't lack for imagination in their food offerings!

Oyster and Sweet Potato Soup with Grilled Fennel

From: Boucherie

18 oysters, shucked, reserving liquid
2 Tbsp butter
1 Vidalia onion
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 head garlic
2 sweet potatoes
1 Idaho potato
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 qt veggie stock
1 bulb fennel
1 tsp fennel seed

Sweat onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in butter, add peeled and chopped potatoes. Add liquid, thyme, and bay leaves and slowly cook until potatoes are tender. Quickly purée in blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and thyme. Blanche fennel bulbs in water with fennel seeds until tender. Grill until almost charred. Bring soup up to a boil and drop in oysters.

Serve immediately.

***

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Stir-Fried Rapini

From: Boucherie

(Serves 15- 20)

1 whole pork belly
2 cups fish sauce
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1 head garlic
1 bunch scallions
½ cup ginger
2 Tbsp grated palm sugar
Water to cover
3 bunches cleaned rapini
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
2 Tbps soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice

Combine first eight ingredients and slowly bring belly up to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, or until tender. Lay in a casserole dish and cover with cooking liquid. Press with weights, and cool overnight. Slice into 3 ounce portions and sear the skin until crispy. Stir fry rapini with ginger and garlic, add soy and lime juice.

***

Drunken Red Wine Sausage

From: Boucherie

(makes 20 sausages) to be served with Creamy White Beans, or on Bread

5 lbs diced pork butt
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup strong red wine (cabernet or shiraz)
10 feet hog casing

Season pork and bring to near freezing, while freezing grinder parts. Finely grind pork and mix in chilled red wine until emulsified. Refrigerate and set up sausage stuffing attachment. Pipe into casing, twisting sausages between each link. Let sit in fridge for at least 1 hour uncovered to allow pellicle to form. Slowly smoke to 150 degrees internal temperature. Grill over high heat and serve immediately.

***

Bacon Brownies

From: Boucherie

(Makes 10-12)

3 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 Tbsp bacon fat
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup finely chopped bacon (preferably cured and smoked)

Melt bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate with bacon fat over a bain-marie. Cool to lukewarm. Cream sugar and eggs together and slowly add melted chocolate. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and bacon pieces. Line pan and bake at 350 degrees until brownies are set.

Recipe: Seasoned Rump Roast

Image by mrlerone via Flickr

From Denny: Sometimes simple and rustic is best!

From: Cochon Butcher

Ingredients:

4 lbs rump roast

2 cups crimini mushrooms, chopped in ½ inch pieces

1 cup carrots, chopped in ½ inch pieces

1 cup onion, chopped in ½ inch pieces

1 cup par cooked potatoes, chopped in ½ inch pieces

2 cups red wine

1 cup stock (or water)


Directions: Place roast in a roasting pan or rack and cook at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes to form a nice brown crust. Add the chopped vegetables and the wine and reduce heat to 300 degrees. Cook for about one hour and 15 minutes for medium rare. Remove meat from pan and place the roasting pan over a medium high burner. Add stock and cook vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes to slightly intensify broth. Serve to accompany the roast.

Recipe: Oyster Pan Roast

Image by MarxFoods.com via Flickr

Photo of another version of baked oysters with mushrooms

Oyster Pan Roast

From: The Palace Cafe

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pieces French bread, 2-3 inch slices cut on a bias

1 Tbsp Butter, softened

4 Tbsp Breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 qt Heavy cream

1 Tbsp Fresh rosemary, minced

1 Tbsp Shallots, minced

20 P & J Oysters

1 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped for garnish

4 sprigs Fresh rosemary

Salt and white pepper to taste


Directions:

To make croutons, butter both sides of each piece of French bread and season with salt and pepper. Toast in a 350° oven until crisp.

Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and reserve. Reduce cream by ½ over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepot. Stir in rosemary and shallots and reduce sauce until it thickens a bit. Strain to remove shallots and rosemary. Ladle cream into an oven-safe skillet and bring to a boil.

Add oysters and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Be careful not to over-salt the dish! Remember, the oysters are somewhat salty. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the ends of the oysters start to curl, then remove from heat. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese over oysters. Broil in a 350° oven until breadcrumbs are toasted and golden brown.

To serve, place a French bread crouton in the center of each serving plate. Spoon oysters and sauce around crouton. Spear rosemary sprig through crouton and sprinkle dish with parsley.


At the Palace Café this signature dish is served in individual 4 oz. French pans. For this pan roast presentation without all of the pans, serve Oyster Pan Roast family style from a cast iron skillet.

Recipe: Seafood Gumbo from a Louisiana Chef

Image by Southern Foodways Alliance via Flickr

Seafood Gumbo

From: Chef Forest Dillemuth


Ingredients:

1 lb Louisiana crawfish tails

1 rabbit (store-bought will work)

1 duck breast (trim any fat and again, store-bought will work)

1 lb Andouille sausage

1/2 lb boneless buffalo stew meat

1 lb shrimp

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp oregano

1 chopped purple onion

2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 yellow)

2 gallons water

2 Tbsp of roux mix

1 tsp filé powder

2 cups white rice

1 Tbsp olive oil


Directions:

Bring two gallons of water to boil. Add 1 clove of chopped garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano and salt to water. Once boiling place whole rabbit and boil slowly (until meat is soft and tender). Once rabbit is boiled pull from pot, let cool, remove all meat from bone and set aside. Also pull out 4 cups of water from the stock and set aside.

In new pot add olive oil and heat. Once heated add remaining garlic, onion and bell pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender. Now add sausage, duck, buffalo, shrimp and crawfish and sauté until cooked. Then add 2 tablespoons of roux mix and 1 teaspoon of filé into pot and sauté at high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add remaining stock from rabbit and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

To cook the rice take the 4 cups of stock you set aside and place into small pot. Bring to boil and add 2 cups of rice. Stir and then reduce to low heat. Cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.