My Version of an Olive Garden New Item.

In the area we live in, the newest Olive Garden is either in Grand Junction, Colorado (2 and 1/2 hours drive northeast), or Farmington, New Mexico (2 hours southeast).  I know many people enjoy going to one of these when they're in one of those cities.  The commercials are often on television, and yes, we have gone there once in a while ourselves.

Readers of this food blog, and people who I have cooked for, know I focus mainly on Italian cuisine.  So, when I saw the latest "limited edition menu items" in a recent commercial, I had to admit that I wanted to try them.  Then I thought about the items, and realized they're pretty close to baked ziti, and another type of baked pasta casserole, I have made in the past.  In other words, I can make these new items at home, myself!  While my baked ziti and baked pasta casserole use a homemade tomato based sauce, these new dishes require an Alfredo sauce.

Now, and you know I do this, putting my own spin on a recipe is usually on my mind.  Olive Garden uses a "creamy seafood Alfredo sauce".  Well, I know how to make Alfredo sauce, and it uses loads of Parmesan cheese.  Smoked mozzarella is shredded and used as a topping.  Since this item is not easily found in any local markets, and traveling an hour away to a supermarket is time consuming, regular mozzarella will do.  However, I'm putting it into my sauce with the Parmesan; a rich cheesy sauce will be the result.   Oh, leaving out the nutmeg as black pepper and garlic will be the main seasonings. Even though I have rigatoni in the pantry, I opted to use tortellini. Not sounding even close to Olive Garden's dish?  It gets better, no spinach on hand, so using parsley instead.  Bread crumbs?  No thank you, a nice garlic bread on the side will do.

In essence, this is not a true copycat recipe.  All I did was basically look at the photo of the dish and try to figure out what was in it.  I didn't even look at the description, on the Olive Garden website, until I had completed my version.  Nope, not very close indeed, but we had a great dinner though, and much cheaper than eating out at a restaurant.  Basically, I was inspired to create.

With my dish, I used shrimp, but grilled chicken can be used for those who dislike shrimp.  For the pasta, tubular can be rigatoni, penne or ziti; cheese filled tortellini, or tortelloni, though make a prettier presentation.

Due to the options available to make this one casserole, it will simply be called, "Baked Mozzarella Casserole".

Baked Mozzarella Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag (12 oz.) medium sized shrimp

1 bag (16 oz.) tortellini (frozen or dried)

1 can (15.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, rinse & thoroughly drain all excess liquid

8 Tbsp. butter
8 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 cups hot milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. dried parsley leaves 

Preparation:

Fill a 3 quart pot halfway with water, place on high heat.  While waiting for water to boil, clean shrimp; remove shells and devein.  When water begins to boil, add in tortellini and cook according to package directions.  Fit a metal colander over the pot, place shrimp inside, and steam until a light pinkish coloring.  Place shrimp, drained tortellini and tomatoes into large mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 400F; spray sides and bottom of 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In another 3 quart pot,  heat the butter over medium heat until melted; gradually add the flour, stirring until smooth.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a golden brown color, about 6 to 7 minutes; this is the roux.

Yes!  You can make the sauce, on the stove top, right next to the pot cooking the tortellini and steaming the shrimp.

Add the hot milk to the butter mixture one cup at a time; whisk continuously to avoid burning or clumping. When mixture is completely smooth, add the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, whisk until smooth again; remove from heat; season with salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Pour cheese sauce over contents in large bowl, mix thoroughly and spoon into baking dish and sprinkle with parsley.  Place dish in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes; edges around contents, and on the top will be slightly browned, and cheese bubbling.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Before Baking.

After 15-20 Minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

In case you're wondering, I rinse and drain the tomatoes as I don't want all that red liquid to dilute the cheese sauce, or turn it red.  The shrimp, parsley, and the tomatoes themselves should be the eye catchers throughout the white pasta and cheese sauce.

Now if shrimp isn't a favorite, grill up chicken breasts with a light seasoning of salt, black pepper and paprika; cut into bite sized pieces and add this instead.  Or choose another pasta, but make the cheese sauce as directed, add shrimp or chicken, and bake it up.

This casserole, paired with a salad and garlic bread will make a fantastic dinner for six.  With the winter holidays just around the corner, this will be a wow factor for any guests you are serving.

Happy Holidays!

Mary Cokenour

Presidential Mac and Cheese.

Macaroni and cheese has been around longer than 1937 when the Kraft Company put it inside a small blue and yellow box.  Traveling back in time to Italy again, remember, those Romans invented meatloaf, with two versions of the origin.

13^th Century Neapolitan cooks were using a recipe called “de lasanis”, sounds a lot like lasagna and for good reason.  Fermented dough sheets were cut into two inch strips, boiled in water, drained and tossed with grated Parmesan cheese.  Whole sheets were also used as a layer between other layers of cheeses and spices, an early version of lasagna.

However, Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, Mary Randolph, is credited for making the American version of macaroni and cheese.  After visiting Italy, Jefferson brought back a pasta making machine, and a recipe for a pasta dish, using Parmesan cheese.  His daughter changed the recipe and substituted Cheddar, as Parmesan wasn’t readily available in Virginia.  Jefferson was fascinated with Italy’s culture and cuisine, and named his home Monticello (pronounced Mont-eh-chello (like the musical instrument – Cello).  Its translation is “hillock” or “little mountain; in 1888, founding residents of Monticello, Utah (there are 16 Monticello towns in the USA) adopted the name for their town, but its pronunciation is Mon-ti-sel-o.  What can I say, Americans are hooked on phonics!

Why do we love macaroni and cheese so much?  It goes back to basic needs for nurturing and comfort.  The taste, smell, texture allows our brain to remember memories long past of being held, comforted, protected.  Then again, put a load of chilies or hot sauce in macaroni and cheese to kickstart memories of wild times that felt just as good as the comforting ones.

Basic recipe for macaroni and cheese typically uses one cheese, but my recipes usually aren’t typical.  Depending on how creative I feel like being, it could be 2-3-4, even 5 cheeses; made in a pot on the stovetop, or baked in the oven for a slight browning and crisping on top.  No matter how many cheeses used, it always begins with the making of a roux (fat plus flour), adding milk to create béchamel sauce (white sauce), then the mixing in and melting of the cheese(s). 

The recipe I’m going to be giving is for the stovetop, but can always be spread into a baking dish for getting that browned, crispy topping.  I named this version of my mac n' cheese "Heart Attack Mac n' Cheese" for a very good reason; anyone who tried it said, "Eat this mac n' cheese every day, and you'll end up having a heart attack!"  I used a friend as a guinea pig, who shared some with her son; she asked if there was any way she could get more.  I considered that request a great complement in itself, so of course gave her another container full.  By the way, I break a rule on making the roux by not using equal parts fat with flour, but once you taste this, forgiveness is easily given.  One more thing, as I'm making the sauce I'm also cooking up the elbow macaroni; that way it all comes together piping hot and fresh.

Ready for a heart attack?

Heart Attack Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:

16 Tbsp. salted butter

1 cup flour

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. fine sea salt

1 tsp paprika

4 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup crumbled goat cheese

2 cups shredded, extra sharp Cheddar cheese

6 cups cooked large elbow macaroni

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter on medium-high heat (make sure to watch and not let burn or brown); begin whisking in the flour until well incorporated.  Continue whisking for five minutes as the roux begins to turn a golden color.  Add in the black pepper, sea salt, paprika, heavy cream and milk; bring to a boil. 

Immediately add in the Monterey Jack cheese and begin whisking until smooth; add in the goat cheese, whisk until smooth; repeat with the Cheddar cheese, but one cup at a time.

If you took my advice and cooked the macaroni while making the sauce, drain it, but put it back into the pot it was cooked in.  Once you begin adding the cheese sauce, the heat from the pot will keep it from clotting around the drained pasta.

 

Mix it all together gently; you don't want to smash or break apart the macaroni.  Now serve it up and enjoy; and we found out that even eaten cold, it was delectable!  Servings?  Good question and I'm going to estimate 12 to 16.  While I could only eat a half cup before going into "this is so good!!!" shock, Roy was able to eat a whole cup full and still want more.

Mary Cokenour

Converting a Salsa into a Side Dish.

At the end of my post on Mexicali Corn I hinted at a new recipe that this ingredient, and my Confetti Salsa, would create. Now while each item separately is considered a type of side dish, I'm going to throw some noodles into the mix to bind the two together.  Let me introduce you to...

 

Fiesta Noodles

 

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz) narrow egg noodles

4 Tablespoons of salted butter

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 can (10.5 oz) chicken broth 

1 cup whole kernel corn (if using frozen, defrost to room temperature)
 

Preparation:
 

Cook noodles according to package directions.  In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium=high heat; sauté' bell peppers in butter until softened slightly, about 3 minutes.  Whisk in flour until the roux turns golden brown; stir in thyme, parsley, garlic powder and broth, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, add in corn and noodles; let cook for 5 minutes to bring all to an evenly hot temperature.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Macaroni and Cheese That Even Paula Deen Would Envy.

Even though I make a mean Macaroni and Cheese, I'm always trying to improve my own dishes. Most of the time it's to impress my husband, Roy, who is a hard working man and a most excellent husband indeed. To surprise him after a long stint at work, I decided to make one of his all time favorites, Beef Brisket, but what side to go with it was the question. Something that would complement the beef, mix well with the spices of the rub and the barbecue sauce I added onto the meat afterwards, something rich and satisfying; nothing else would do, but homemade macaroni and cheese.

Now I named this version of my mac n' cheese "Heart Attack Mac n' Cheese" for a very good reason; anyone who tried it out said, "Eat this mac n' cheese everyday, and you'll end up having a heart attack!"  Oh they loved it for sure, but once they learned what the ingredients were, out came the statement.  I used a friend as a guinea pig, who shared some with her son; she asked if there was anyway she could get more.  I considered that request a great complement in itself, so of course gave her another container full.  The amount you get from the recipe I'm going to post is enough to share with lots of folks.  By the way, I break a rule on making the Roux by not using equal parts fat with flour, but once you taste this, forgiveness is easily given.  One more thing, as I'm making the sauce I'm also cooking up the elbow macaroni; that way it all comes together piping hot and fresh.

Ready for a heart attack?

Heart Attack Mac n' Cheese

 

Ingredients:

16 Tbsp salted butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fine sea salt
1 tsp paprika
4 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 cups shredded, extra sharp Cheddar cheese
6 cups cooked large elbow macaroni

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter on medium-high heat (make sure to watch and not let burn or brown); begin whisking in the flour until well incorporated.  Continue whisking for five minutes as the roux begins to turn a golden color.  Add in the black pepper, sea salt, paprika, heavy cream and milk; bring to a boil. 





Immediately add in the Monterey Jack cheese and begin whisking until smooth; add in the goat cheese, whisk until smooth; repeat with the Cheddar cheese, but one cup at a time.

If you took my advice and cooked the macaroni while making the sauce, drain it, but put it back into the pot it was cooked in.  Once you begin adding the cheese sauce, the heat from the pot will keep it from clotting around the drained pasta.

 

 

 

Mix it all together gently; you don't want to smash or break apart the macaroni.  Now serve it up and enjoy; and we found out that even eaten cold, it was delectable!  Servings?  Good question and I'm going to estimate 12 to 16; while I could only eat a half cup before going into "this is so good!!!" shock, Roy was able to eat a whole cup full and still want more.


I made fried chicken a couple of days later, and you guessed it, this was a perfect side dish.  Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Expand on the Simple; Garlic Butter Sauce.

In my post on Baked Ravioli, I mentioned how I don't always use the sauce that might come in the box of Buitoni Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli. The sauce is a simple garlic butter sauce that I might use on another pasta dish, as a marinade, as a basting sauce for grilling, even as a sauce over simple vegetables. Having that packet of sauce in the freezer though is not always an option, so I have to consider the possibility of making it up from scratch.

The two main ingredients, of course, are butter and garlic; eight tablespoons of butter melted on low heat in a small saucepan, then three cloves of minced garlic added to the butter and let it cook until softened.  It is what you do with that simple mixture afterwards that makes the difference in your foods.  For a marinade, add two tablespoons of dried Italian herb mixture and two tablespoons of olive oil; put your meat, pork or poultry into a resealable bag and massage in that marinade.  Refrigerate for one to two hours and grill it up; don't forget to make an extra batch of marinade for basting.  

To make a creamy version, after softening the garlic, turn the heat up to medium-high, add five tablespoons of flour and begin whisking; this will be the roux. Once all the flour is incorporated, continue to whisk and cook until a light brown color forms; then whisk in 2 cups of heavy cream, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it thicken.  Add salt, ground black pepper, or other seasonings to taste.

Again, with two simple ingredients, butter and garlic, you can make different combinations of marinade or sauce for your food; lemon juice, ground black pepper and chopped parsley would be excellent for poultry and seafood, for example.  Or change that parsley to dill for the seafood; your possibilities are only limited by your own imagination.

 

Garlic Chicken and Pasta

 

 Ingredients:

 

8 Tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided in half

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 cups steamed broccoli

1 cup red bell pepper strips

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 cups cooked rigatoni

salt and pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

 

In a small saucepan, low heat, melt the butter; add the garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes and stir occasionally to keep from sticking or burning.  Remove from heat.

 

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat; saute chicken until fully cooked; remove from skillet.  Add remaining oil to skillet and saute vegetables until edges just begin to brown.  Add chicken back into skillet, add the garlic butter sauce, parsley and pasta; mix thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Makes 4 servings.

 

Two ingredients to make a simple sauce, but what you add to it afterwards opens up an expanded world of flavor.  Enjoy!

 

Mary Cokenour

 



An Awesome Mexican Adventure.

Recently I purchased two cookbooks from the Monticello Welcome Center; "Authentic Southwestern Cooking" by Lynn Nusom and "Southwest Slow Cooking" by Tammy Biber and Theresa Howell.  Going through both, I found several recipes I wanted to try out, and enjoyed reading some of the stories and informational tidbits in both books.  I was watching Travel Channel's "Mexican Food Paradise"; then Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" had an episode which featured New Mexico places; so you can see a pattern was starting to develop in what I was to cook next. 

Speaking with my hubby, he suggested I make a Mexican style casserole, but put rotini pasta in it.  I thought about it, but didn't like the pasta idea; pasta is Italian, I already made two Italian pasta dishes last week.  So, do I use one of the recipes out of the cookbooks, or look up recipes from the shows I had watched?  I did better than either choice, I combined both ideas plus my recipes for Chicken Enchiladas and Fiesta Salsa. To say that I came up with something absolutely amazing is to say too little. The taste and texture blew my mind; I wanted to just lay down on the floor and experience what I had just eaten with orgasmic pleasure. It is not often that I feel this way about a particular meal; but this was certainly a most excellent adventure!

Once again I'll be posting a load of photos, so I hope you'll enjoy the visual show as well as trying out this recipe.

 

 

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

8 chicken tenderloins
¼ cup lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp New Mexico chile powder (medium)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained (medium)
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups green chile sauce (medium)
8 Tbsp salted butter
8 Tbsp flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 (8 oz) package shredded Mexican cheese mix

Preparation:





Trim the chicken tenderloins of any fat or excess ligament; place in a sealable plastic bag with the lime juice, cilantro, cumin and chile powder. Move chicken around in bag to make sure all is coated with the marinade; place in refrigerator for one hour. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat; sear chicken two minutes on each side and drain on paper towels. Chicken will still be raw inside, but will finish cooking during the baking process.

To Make the Enchiladas

In a large bowl, mix together the black beans, corn and tomatoes with green chiles.

 Place 4 tablespoons in the center of a tortilla; spread out far enough to be a half inch around the chicken.

Place a chicken tenderloin in the center of the “salsa”; fold the tortilla over both ends of the chicken, but leave 3 inches apart.

Take one side of the tortilla and fold over to make an “envelope”; slowly roll towards the open side, tucking in sides if necessary, to seal the “packet”.

Don't worry if each "packet" is not perfectly symmetrical or look exactly like each other.  Once the layers of sauce are on, no one will see the imperfections. If someone does, then feel proud that these are homemade; not bought at the supermarket's frozen food section and machine made.

 

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 4 quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Place each packet, seam side down, inside the dish. Spread the green chile sauce over the packets and bake for 20 minutes.

To Make the Cheese Sauce

Melt the butter, medium-high heat, in a medium sauce pan; whisk in the flour as soon as tiny bubbles begin to form in the melted butter. Continue to whisk as the mixture begins to turn a pale brownish color; add the heavy cream, milk and black pepper and let mixture come to a low boil. Whisk in half the shredded cheese until melted; do same for second half of cheese and continue to whisk until smooth.




After 20 minutes, take enchiladas out of oven and spread cheese sauce completely over all. Return dish to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.
 

Remove from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes to allow cheese sauce to firm up around the enchiladas.  Let me tell you that the cheese poofs up into this wonderful fluffy layer of cheesy cloud.  The texture is so soft and smooth, not the typical chewy layer when cheese is just dumped on an enchilada and allowed to melt.

Cutting open the enchilada, you see the vibrant colors of the beans, corn and tomatoes; the chicken is tender and juicy; the flavors of the lime and cilantro pop; and the cheese sauce layer...a celestial cloud.  Enjoy!

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Beer plus Cheese equals Soup.

Awoke this morning to find a dusting of snow upon the ground; nothing unusual for winter time in Monticello.  It was cold outside, the type of cold that bites right through you; the wind whipping the light, fluffy snow around.  My dogs enjoy playing in the snow, but even they didn't want to stay outside too long.

 

Yes indeed, it's cold out there and that calls for something to warm you to your very core...soup.  Rooting (no pun intended) around the pantry, the red skinned potatoes called to me; heck, they practically begged me to use them.  I wanted that type of soup that slides down your throat and stays with you as it warms you up.  I wanted a smooth chowder that I could remember with each little burp; with soft potatoes that would mash in your mouth with just the slightest pressure.  I wanted Beer Cheddar Soup with Potatoes.

 

Now for those of you who, for whatever reason, do not like the idea of alcohol in your food; no worries, the alcohol cooks out while leaving a hardy flavor.
 

  

Beer Cheddar Soup with Potatoes

Ingredients:

8 cups dark lager
4 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp white pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 lbs potatoes; peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and rinsed thoroughly
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided in half
1 cup diced onion
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1 cup half n’ half

Preparation:

In a large stockpot, over medium heat, bring the beer, stock, white pepper and cayenne to a low boil. Add the potatoes and continue to cook until tender.

Prepare cheese sauce in large saucepan; saute' onions in butter until softened; stir in flour and continue to cook until mixture turns a light brown. Whisk in half n’ half; add in 2 cups Cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.

Add remaining shredded cheese into stockpot; stir until melted. Whisk in cheese sauce, turn off heat and serve.

*Garnishes: crumbled crisp bacon, sliced green onions, toasted croutons.

Makes 10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

American Recipe Sings Italian Opera.

Tetrazzini is strictly Italian, that is if you're the opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini who had a recipe created for her back in the early 1900's.  While Tetrazzini enjoyed a lavish career from 1890 to 1920; her life ended in poor health and poverty.  Now two sources claim to be the creators of this recipe named after the famous opera star, the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA and the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York, NY.  Just another version of the West coast versus the East coast; but whoever invented it, I bet, didn't foresee the casserole becoming such a hit with the home cook. 

Basically, Tetrazzini is a casserole made with some type of cooked poultry, canned tuna or raw shrimp which is mixed with diced vegetables, cooked spaghetti and baked together in a luscious, buttery cream sauce.  It's one of those recipes that can incorporate all the food groups in one sitting; if you add diced tomatoes, well there's your fruit group right there.  One thing I know for certain, there will be no leftovers for this casserole.

Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp dry sherry
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained
½ cup roasted red bell pepper, diced
3 cups turkey breast, cooked and cut into ½ inch cubes **
3/4 cup dry, unseasoned bread crumbs
3 Tbsp melted butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick spray.

Make a roux by melting 3 Tbsp butter, on high heat in a large saucepan; whisk in flour until smooth. It is important to keep whisking, or roux will burn; and the process will have to be started over. Continue whisking while adding chicken broth; sauce will thicken. Whisk in cream, sherry, cheese and black pepper; remove from heat when mixture is smooth.

In a small nonstick skillet, on high heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter; sauté mushrooms and onions until softened; about three minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, roasted peppers, turkey, sautéed vegetables and sauce; spread evenly into the baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle evenly over the mixture in the baking dish. Bake, uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

Makes 8 servings.

**Options: Use the equivalent of cooked chicken, canned tuna or shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined)

Mary Cokenour

Kiss My Grits!!!

Remember the show "Alice" and that feisty waitress named Flo whose catch phrase was "Kiss my grits!". No, too bad, it was a pretty good show; and it made folks who had not experienced grits to wonder, "what the heck is she talking about?" In Southern USA, grits are a staple and they are made from a coarse cornmeal.

While perusing one of my many cookbooks, I came upon a recipe called "Grillades and Grits" and wondered myself, "what the heck?" A Louisana dish to help stretch cheap cuts of meat by slicing them thinly, broiling the slices and serving with a rich, spicy gravy over grits. Instead of broiling the meat, I browned them in the skillet, so the juices from the meat could be incorporated into the roux. Also, instead of plain grits containing only butter, I upped the taste by adding sharp cheddar cheese.

Separately, both dishes are enjoyable, but combine them together and Ooooo, doggy, them's good eats! Rich, spicy, melt in the mouth and oh so comforting; just the way we like it round here. So let me introduce you to Louisana Grillades and Grits.

Grillades and Grits

For the Grillades:
Ingredients:

2 lbs rump roast, 2 inch slices x ¼ inch thick
3 Tbsp canola oil
5 Tbsp flour
1 cup each diced onion and green bell pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (mild, medium or hot)
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp minced parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp minced thyme leaves

Preparation:

In a large skillet, high heat, brown the meat in the oil, about 2 minutes per side. Remove meat; add flour to liquid in skillet, quickly stirring to form a brown paste, Add the onion, bell pepper and tomatoes; stir and let simmer for 2 minutes.

Add in remaining ingredients, mix; reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 2 hours; stirring occasionally. If gravy is too thick, add a tablespoon of broth until desired thickness achieved. If gravy is too thin, add a tablespoon of flour until desired thickness achieved.

Makes 6 servings.

Tip: Partially freeze roast, cut in half lengthwise to attain two separate pieces that can be easily sliced into the 2” x ¼” thick pieces.

For the Grits:
Ingredients:

2 ½ cups water
½ cup quick cook grits
2 Tbsp butter
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
dash each garlic and onion powders
optional: salt, add to taste

Preparation:

In small saucepan, high heat, bring water to boil; slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to low and let cook for 10-12 minutes or until thickened; stir occasionally.

Stir in butter, cheese and seasonings; continue to cook until butter and cheese melt, about 2-3 minutes. Add salt to taste if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Creole Cuisine; nope, it's not Irish.

Today is Saint Patrick's Day, a day the Irish celebrate for the patron saint of Ireland. In New York, 5th Avenue is shut down for the yearly parade; it's celebrated in many other places throughout the United States. My family is not of Irish descent, so have never celebrated this "holiday". "Green eggs and ham" is a Dr. Seuss story; I don't drink beer, so don't care what color it's dyed. As far as I'm concerned, it's just another day in my life. If someone is irked that I'm not celebrating, all I have to ask is, "Why does what I do matter so much to you?"

So, I'm going down the road less traveled once again, and giving you something completely different.

Creole Cuisine

Creole Cuisine originated in Louisiana, primarily in the New Orleans area; it is a melting pot of various cuisines: French, Portuguese, Spanish, Canadian (the Acadians, known for “Cajun” cuisine), Caribbean, Italian, Greek, Southern USA Native American, West Indies and African. These cultures were able to come together due to the various slave trade routes; the enslaved people brought, not just their culture to the United States, but their cuisines.

The basic ingredient for almost all Creole dishes is a roux. A roux, French for “brown sauce,” is a base used for gravies and sauces in Creole cuisine. A roux is used to make three of the most popular Creole dishes: red beans and rice, jambalaya and gumbo.

Roux

 When making a roux, using a saucepan or a skillet is dependent upon what recipe is being made, and how much is needed. It begins with equal parts of a fat (oil, butter, lard, etc) and flour; the fat is heated on medium heat. The flour is stirred in until well incorporated and the mixture is smooth. The color of the roux is dependent upon the flavor desired for the recipe, so can be lightly browned to dark brown; this can take 15-30 minutes. The mixture must be continually stirred and watched; if any black flakes appear, it has burned and must be started over. Once the desired color is achieved, additional ingredients can then be added such as broth (stock), milk, cream, herbs, seasonings, etc.

Creole Seasoning Mix
While salt is usually part of this mix; it’s up to the person making it to decide how much to put in. If you like it salty, start with 2 Tbsp and add more if desired; or add less, or leave it out altogether; the cook is the boss.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano and dried basil
1 Tbsp each of dried thyme, black and white peppercorns, dried cayenne pepper and celery seed
5 Tbsp paprika

Preparation:

Using a blender, food processor, mortar and pestle or coffee grinder (labelled for herbs and spices only); grind all the ingredients together till well blended. Store in an air tight container. Makes 1 cup.

Shrimp Creole
This dish is often served over rice, but can be served over grits, polenta or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup each of diced green bell peppers, onions and celery
1 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp flour
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp hot sauce (add more if more heat desired)
1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning Mix (add more if more spice desired)
2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preparation:

In a large skillet, on medium heat, heat oil; add in peppers, onions, celery and garlic; sauté for 10 minutes. Add in flour and stir till well incorporated.

Add in tomatoes and hot sauce; reduce heat to low and cover; cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in seasoning mix and shrimp; cook an additional 5 minutes (shrimp will turn pink and be opaque inside).

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour
March 17, 2011