Cajun Burgers

Cajun Burgers

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1 egg
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
4 slices Cheddar

PREPARATION:

Preheat grill for high heat. Mix ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, green onions, mustard, and 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning in large bowl. Form mixture into 4 patties. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning into barbecue sauce. Lightly oil grill and cook patties for 5 minute per side, or to desired doneness. At the end of cooking place cheese on patties and serve over burgers topped with seasoned barbecue sauce.

Creole Seasoning

Creole Seasoning

2 tablespoons ground cayenne
2 tablespoons black pepper
4 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Store in a tightly sealed container.

Makes approximately 1/2 cup.

Cajun Gravy

Cajun Gravy

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 chicken gizzard
2 tablespoons minced green bell pepper
1/4 cup ground beef
1/4 cup ground pork
2 cups water
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
Dash dried parsley flakes

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saut? hicken gizzard in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes until cooked. Remove gizzard from the pan and let cool. Finely mince the gizzard after it has cooled.

Combine ground beef and ground pork. Mix with your hands until well mixed.

Add bell pepper to the saucepan and saut? it for 1 minute. Add ground beef and pork to the pan and cook brown. Mash meat into tiny pieces as it browns.

Add water and beef broth to the saucepan, then immediately whisk in cornstarch and flour.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gravy until thick - about 30 to 35 minutes.

Simple Sauces: CREOLE SHRIMP COCKTAIL SAUCE

CREOLE SHRIMP COCKTAIL SAUCE

juice of half a lemon
1 c. tomato juice
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. pepper sauce
1/2 c. celery, finely chopped
2 T. horseradish, grated

Combine all ingredients and serve over shrimp in cocktail glasses.
Serve with crisp crackers and lettuce salad if desired

Brennan's Classic Shrimp Remoulade Recipe

Brennan's Classic Shrimp Remoulade Recipe

This recipe is from Brennan's of Houston in Your Kitchen cookbook.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 cup creole mustard, such as Zatarain
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1 fresh egg (or pasteurized equivalent)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 lbs boiled shrimp
1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced cucumbers
1/2 cup very thinly sliced radishes
2 cups frisee or curly endive lettuce
1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing

Preparation:

Put ketchup, horseradish, Creole and prepared mustards, vinegar, lemon juice, onion, celery, parsley, garlic, paprika, pepper, salt, Tabasco and egg into blender container or food processor.
Cover and mix at high speed until well blended.

Remove cover and gradually add oil in a slow steady stream.

Sauce will thicken to a pourable, creamy consistency.

Store in covered container in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Serving suggestion: toss boiled shrimp in remoulade sauce.

Spoon onto a bed of thinly sliced cucumbers, radishes and frisee which were drizzled with a simple vinaigrette dressing.

Cooking Cajun: Classic Chicken Gumbo Recipe

Classic Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients:

2 tb Vegetable shortening
2 tb Flour, all-purpose
2 Onions,f inely chopped
1 Green bell pepper, fine chop
5 cups Warm chicken broth
8 Tomatoes, peeled/chopped
1/2 lb Okra, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1/2 cup Uncooked rice
2 Ribs celery, chopped
1 ts Salt
1/2 ts Pepper
1/4 ts Thyme
1 Bay leaf
1 Broiler-fryer chicken, cooked

Preparation

1. In large Dutch oven, melt shortening over low heat; add flour and cook, stirring, until brown, about 10 minutes (do not hurry; if flour burns, roux is ruined).

2. Add onions and bell pepper; cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Slowly add warm broth; stir until broth reaches a boil.

4. Add tomatoes, okra, rice, celery, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf; bring to a boil.

5. Add chicken; when mixture boils again, reduce heat to low, cover and cook about 20 minutes.

6. Stir and cook, covered, 20 minutes longer.

Cooking Cajun: Chicken with Rice

Cooking Cajun: Chicken with Rice

Makes 4 servings

1 roaster chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces

Salt and cayenne to taste

All-purpose flour

¼ cup vegetable oil

3 large onions, thinly sliced

2 large bell peppers, coarsely chopped

1 cup water

1 cup whole kernel corn (optional)

1 cup young peas (optional)

½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Season the chicken generously with salt and cayenne. Lightly dust the chicken with the flour. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning the chicken pieces, until they are evenly browned. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned particles.

Add the onions and bell peppers. Stir for about 15 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned particles. The onions should be soft and golden. Add the water and stir to mix well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

If you wish to add the corn, peas and/or mushrooms, add them now and cook for about 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Add the parsley and serve immediately over rice.

Cooking Cajun: Chicken Maque Choux

Chicken Maque Choux

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons butter

2 fryers, each about 3¤½ pounds, cut into serving pieces

4½ cups fresh corn kernels scraped off the cob

1 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons heavy cream

4 medium-size yellow onions, chopped

1 medium-size bell pepper, chopped

3 fresh ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste

½ teaspoon dried basil leaves

Hot sauce to taste

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Brown the chicken pieces, turning them frequently to cook evenly. Reduce the heat to low and add the corn, broth and cream. Stir to mix well.

Add the onions, bell pepper and tomatoes. Season with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Add the basil. Cook over low heat, partially covered, stirring often, until the chicken is tender, 40 minutes to one hour.

Serve over hot rice.

New Orleans Spicy Vinaigrette

Spicy vinaigrette

Makes 2 cups

¼ cup EACH minced red onions, red bell pepper and green bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon EACH dried basil, oregano and thyme leaves
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons mild honey


In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, whisking until well blended. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If the oil congeals, return vinaigrette to room temperature and whisk vigorously immediately before using.

Cooking Cajun: Jambalaya Recipe

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 cups chicken stock or water flavored with chicken bouillon
1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbs. minced garlic
salt and ground black pepper
4 cups long grain rice
1 ½ lbs. sausage cut in ¼-inch slices
2 tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet (browning agent)
4 cups chopped onions
2 tbsp. seasoning salt
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped green onions
2 cups chopped green bell pepper

Preparation:

Season chicken with salt and pepper; brown in hot oil in 8 quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 5-to-7 minutes. Remove chicken and sausage from pan; set aside.

Add onions, celery, green peppers and garlic; cook, stirring 7-10 minutes or until vegetables begin to wilt. Stir in chicken stock, reserved chicken and sausage, seasoning salt and Kitchen Bouquet. Bring to a boil. Add rice and return to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 10 minutes; remove cover and quickly turn rice from top to bottom completely. Replace cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in green onions.

For brown jambalaya, add 1 heaping tbsp. brown sugar to hot oil and caramelize, or make a roux, or use Kitchen Bouquet.

For red jambalaya, add approximately 1/4 cup paprika or use 1/2 stock and 1/2 tomato juice or V-8 for your liquid.

For seafood jambalaya, add cooked seafood when rice is cooked.

If using an electric stove, reduce cooking time by 3-4 minutes.

Four Tips

Use 1 cup of rice for every 2 cups of vegetables (onion, celery, bell pepper)
Use 1 ¼ cups of liquid for every 1 cup of uncooked rice
1 cup of uncooked rice will make 3 cups of cooked rice, season accordingly
Cook jambalaya for a total of 25 to 30 minutes, stirring well after 10 minutes.

Andouille and Beef Burgers Recipe

Andouille and Beef burgers with spicy mayo

Ingredients:

Spicy mayonnaise

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Burgers

1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into scant 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck or ground beef

Caramelized onions

1 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for brushing grill rack
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
6 large hamburger buns, split
8 ounces crumbled blue cheese
12 pickled okra pods, halved lengthwise
3 cups watercress tops

Preparation:

For mayonnaise: Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and chill. Do ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

For burgers: Toss first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add beef; blend gently. Shape mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties. Transfer patties to small baking sheet. Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

For onions: Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Toss onions and next 3 ingredients in large skillet. Place skillet on grill; cook until onions are golden, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Remove from grill; season with salt and pepper.

Brush grill rack with olive oil. Grill buns, cut side down, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer buns to work surface.

Grill burgers until brown on bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn over; sprinkle with cheese. Grill until burgers are cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium. Place some onions, then burger, on each bun bottom. Top each with okra and watercress. Spread mayonnaise on cut side of bun tops; place on burgers. Serve with remaining mayonnaise.

Cajun Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice

Ingredients:

6 cups Chicken stock or canned broth
1 pound chicken gizzards
1 pound chicken livers
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
½ tsp cayenne, or to taste
3 T olive oil or bacon drippings
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Large green sweet bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 pound lean ground pork
1 pound bulk Italian sausage, hot or mild
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 green onions, chopped
¼ cup chopped parsely

Preparation:

Heat the chicken stock in a 12-quart pot and add the gizzards and livers, along with the salt, worcestershire, and cayenne. Cover and lightly boil for 30 minutes.

In the Meantime, chop all of the vegetables. Heat a large frying pan and add the oil and saute the yellow onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery until tender. Remove from the pan.

Add the ground pork and sausage to the frying pan and saute until lightly browned. Drain the meat in a colander and discard the fat.

Remove the livers and gizzards from the chicken stock, reserving the stock. Cool them for a moment and coarsely grind in your meat grinder. Add the gizzards and livers, along with the browned meats, to the vegetables. Place all in the stock pot and add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using 4 cups of the reserved chicken stock, cook the rice. Add the cooked rice to the completed vegetables and meat and gently stir in the green onions and parsley.

Taste for salt and pepper and serve.

serves 8-10

Zatarain's® Creole Mustard Dip Recipe

Zatarain's® Creole Mustard Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 cup Zatarain's® Creole Mustard
1 teaspoon Zatarain's® Creole Seasoning


Directions:

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Cover.

Refrigerate 2 hours or until ready to serve. Stir before serving.

Cooking Cajun: Crawfish Cornbread Salad

Cajun Crawfish Cornbread Salad

Real Cajun Food at its finest.

Cajun cuisine originates from the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA.

It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation is simple.

One 8 oz pkg cornbread muffin mix
One 1 oz envelope ranch-style salad dressing mix
One 8 oz container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Two 16 oz cans pinto beans, drained
Two 15-1/4 oz cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups ( 8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
12 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
2 lb crawfish, cooked (shrimp can be substituted)

Prepare cornbread mix according to package directions. Cool. Stir together salad dressing mix, sour cream and mayonnaise. Set aside. Combine tomatoes and next three ingredients. Gently toss. Crumble 1/2 cornbread into a three quart trifle bowl or large salad bowl. Top with 1/2 each of beans, tomato mixture, cheese, bacon, corn, crawfish and dressing mixture. Repeat layers. Cover and chill three hours.

Cooking Cajun: Tomato and Okra Gumbo

Cooking Cajun: Tomato and Okra Gumbo


Ingredients

2 pounds okra (baby okra), fresh or frozen
1 16-ounce can of tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
3 slices bacon

Instructions

Cut okra into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a medium Dutch oven with the tomatoes, salt, butter and bacon. Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes.

Cooking Cajun: Shrimp Arnaud

Shrimp Arnaud

Ingredients:

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

4 tablespoons creole or other spicy mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped celery

3 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

Instructions:
Boil shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes or until just done. Rinse in cold water and refrigerate for 1 hour. Mix olive oil, vinegar, paprika, salt, pepper, mustard, celery, onion and parsley and chill. “Enthrone” shrimp on lettuce and top with sauce.

Cooking Cajun: Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup All-purpose flour
1/3 Cup Cooking oil
3 Cups Water
12 Ounces Cooked sausage links -- Sliced
2 Cups Cooked chicken -- Chopped
2 Cups Okra -- Sliced Or
10 Oz Frozen Whole Okra -- 1/2" Slices
1 Cup Onion -- Chopped
1/2 Cup Green pepper -- Chopped
1/2 Cup Celery -- Chopped
4 Garlic Cloves -- Minced
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Ground red pepper
Hot cooked rice

Method:

ROUX-in a heavy 2-quart saucepan stir together flour and oil till smooth.
Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium.
Cook and stir constantly about 15 minutes more or till a dark, reddish brown roux forms.
Cool.

In a crockery cooker place water. Stir in roux.

Add sausage, chicken, okra, onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper.
Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 10-12 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Skim off fat. Serve over rice.

Cooking Cajun: Zatarain's® Creole Mustard Potato Salad

Zatarain's® Creole Mustard Potato Salad

This flavorful potato salad will be the star at your next backyard barbecue, picnic or potluck.

Makes 12 (2/3-cup) servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Refrigerate: 2 hours

Ingredients

3 pounds red potatoes
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Zatarain's® Creole Mustard
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon Zatarain's® Creole Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (optional)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

Directions

1. Add potatoes to lightly salted water to cover in large saucepot. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain, then quarter potatoes.

2. Mix mayonnaise, Creole Mustard, sour cream, Creole Seasoning and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add warm potatoes; toss to coat well. Add tomatoes, bacon and green onion; toss lightly. Cover.

3. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.

Cooking Cajun: Chicken Okra Gumbo

Chicken Okra Gumbo

1 cut up chicken
Two-10 oz jars oysters
One-14 oz smoked or turkey sausage (cut in slices)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 lb okra (cut in slices)
1 med tomato (cut in small pieces)
2 tbs cooking oil
2 tbs roux
14 cups water
Seasoned salt
Black pepper
Red pepper

Season chicken on both sides. Heat cooking oil in an iron pot. Brown chicken on both sides.

Remove chicken from pot as it browns. Fry okra, bell pepper and onion until okra is tender. (Do not use an iron pot to fry okra). Stir often to keep it from sticking. Add tomato. Cook until tomato is soft. Combine all ingredients except oysters in a 5 quart aluminum pot. Season to taste. Simmer for 1 hour. Add oysters. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

Roux:

1 cup all purpose flour

Heat flour in an iron skillet. Stir constantly over low heat, browning until it is dark brown.

Cooking Cajun: Black Bean Salsa

Black Bean Salsa

1 can 15 oz. black beans, drained
1-1/2 cups canned corn, drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1 to 2 jalapenos, diced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Allow to sit in refrigerator a few hours before serving. Makes a wonderful dish for chips or topping for enchiladas or burritos