New Orleans is home to one of the most unique culinary experiences in the country. Steeped in the rich culture of the American South and seasoned with French influences, the city’s cuisine is as famous as the popular Mardi Gras celebration. What happens in N’Awlins, doesn’t necessarily have to stay in N’Awlins—if you prepare these timeless treasures in your own kitchen.
Let the good times roll with the classic flavors of New Orleans cuisine
Photo by Gina Moore
SHRIMP AND ANDOUILLE JAMBALAYA
SERVES 6–8
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
½ cup diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 cup rice, uncooked
3 cups chicken stock, unsalted
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley
In a medium bowl, season the shrimp with Creole or Cajun seasoning. Set aside. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat butter. Add sausage and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Stir in onions, bell pepper and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and Tabasco.
Stir in rice and slowly add stock. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
Add shrimp, replace lid and cook for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more Creole seasoning, if needed. Serve and garnish with chopped parsley.
Spicy Crawfish Dip
Your Mardi Gras celebration will center around the dining room table when you serve this delicious dip.
Photo by Gina Moore
MAKES ABOUT 2½ CUPS
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 4-ounce stick)
1 cup chopped scallions
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 serrano pepper, minced (optional)
1 16-ounce package frozen crawfish tail meat, thawed and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 4-ounce jar pimentos, drained and diced
2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun spice
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed
Additional sliced scallions, for garnish
In a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and peppers, and cook until peppers are tender, about 5–7 minutes. Add crawfish, garlic, pimentos and seasoning. Stir and cook 10 minutes, until all liquid is cooked out. Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese. Cook and stir until smooth and bubbly. Spoon into a serving dish and garnish with additional chopped scallions. Serve warm with toasted crusty bread.
Classic Red Beans and Rice
Enjoy the signature dish of the Big Easy right in your own home.
Photo by Gina Moore
SERVES 6
1 pound dry kidney or small red beans
2 large ham hocks
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 cups water (or combination of water and chicken stock)
1½ cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (optional)
Cooked rice
Sort through beans to discard any rocks, debris and damaged beans. Place dried beans in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. (See additional quick-soak tip below.) Drain and set aside.
Place beans, ham hocks, garlic, onion and water or stock in a large (8-quart) pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 1½ hours or until beans and ham hocks are tender.
Remove ham hocks from the pot to a dish. Let cool slightly then shred the meat away from the bones. Return the meat back to the pot. Add the celery, bell peppers, Worcestershire and seasoning. Add additional water or stock if needed. Cover and cook for another hour or until the mixture gets thick. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Serve over or with rice.
Mini Cajun Crab Poppers
Serve these bite-sized treats with Chef Belinda’s jalapeno remoulade for a spicy taste of New Orleans.
Photo by Gina Moore
MAKES 16 SMALL CAKES (8 LARGE)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped scallions
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped celery
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pound lump crabmeat, drained
1 cup breadcrumbs, divided
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Olive oil, for frying (or vegetable oil)
Jalapeno remoulade (see recipe)
In a medium-sized skillet or saute pan, over medium heat, melt butter and oil. Cook scallions, bell pepper and celery until soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, add crabmeat, 1/4-cup breadcrumbs, parsley, cream, egg, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne and cooled vegetables. Mix well to blend all ingredients. Using a small scoop or tablespoon, measure out 16 equal portions and form into cakes. Place on a large platter or parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. While waiting, prepare remoulade.
When ready to cook cakes, place remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl; coat cakes on all sides. Brush off excess crumbs. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Working in batches, cook cakes until done, about 3 minutes per side. Add additional oil as needed. Drain on paper towels and keep warm until served. Serve with jalapeño remoulade.
Jalapeno Remoulade
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chili sauce
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
¼ cup capers, coarsely chopped
¼ cup parsley, fresh chopped
2 scallions, chopped (save green tops for garnish)
½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (or serrano if you prefer more heat)
1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Scallion tops, thinly sliced, for garnish
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients—except scallion tops—until well combined. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with sliced scallion tops. Leftover remoulade will keep in refrigerator up to 1 week, stored in an airtight container. Makes about 1½ cups.
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Chef’s tips
Quick-soak method for dried beans. You don’t have to soak dried beans overnight anymore. Sort through beans to discard any rocks, debris and damaged beans. Add beans to a large saucepan and cover with cold water two inches over beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pan and let sit for 1 hour. Drain beans and continue with recipe instructions. You can also strain and reserve the bean water, and add it to the actual cooking water of the beans for additional flavor.
Scoville scale of peppers. The Scoville scale measures the “heat” in chili peppers. When recipes call for chiles, it is important to understand what to expect. Serrano peppers have roughly five times more heat than jalapenos. Jalapenos, seeded and added to recipes, are not as hot as you might think. In fact, sometimes the addition is not noticeable. If heat is a concern to you, start with jalapenos and move up to serranos as you continue to experiment with the recipe. Remember, once you remove the seeds and the membrane (the white ribs inside the peppers) the heat is diminished significantly.
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What’s cooking at SCLiving.coop
Deveining shrimp—Let Chef Belinda show you how professional chefs peel and devein shrimp in this how-to cooking video.