Tonight’s recipe is another Louisiana classic, etoufee. Completing the triad of well known Cajun cuisine alongside gumbo and jambalaya, this dish showcases the shrimp in a deeply browned roux based sauce paired with rice. Clam juice, garlic, tomatoes, and the ‘holy trinity’ of bell pepper, celery, and onion round out the major players, delivering that famous base flavor. Spices add the pizazz – creole seasoning, three types of pepper, and thyme. Louisiana hot sauce is optional, but delivers a nice kick worth the addition. Crystal or Tabasco, it’s your choice as either works fine. Making the roux is the only time consuming aspect of this dish. It does indeed take patience and quite a bit of stirring, but the reward is well…
Tonight I decided to perform a different type of mash-up. This one is doing a Creole flavored fried rice cooked like an Asian fried rice. As many of you know, gumbo is served over rice, jambalaya is everything cooked together, etc so I thought “Why not do an Asian fried rice with Creole seasonings and such?’. Hot country sausage, the trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery), long grain rice, Tabasco, and Creole seasoning replace chicken, broccoli, soy sauce, etc. The results were, if I say so myself, fabulous. If you enjoy Cajun and Creole cooking, this is a recipe I suggest you try. It’s easy and it’s a whole lot of flavor. Can you hear the zydeco playing already? Save Print Creole…
This dish is something I have made for parties or impromptu ‘pop-up’ dinners with friends, always getting rave reviews and recipe requests. But the challenge was how to make this for myself? Well, after a little testing, I came up with this recipe. It is a great meal for cold fall or winter nights here in the Northwest. I think this recipe makes the right amount of gumbo; rich, flavorful and containing substantial ‘goodies’ (andouille and prawns). It takes a little effort and time, but is well worth it. Once prepared, the gumbo simmers for an hour to meld the flavors before adding the prawns and serving when they are done. I like to pair this dish simply with white or yellow rice…