Shrimp Creole

I first visited New Orleans over twenty years ago, and I fell in love with the place.  I loved the music, the easy-going attitude of the people, but most of all, I loved the food. 

Shrimp Creole happens to be the first dish I tried on my first day in NOLA, and I was mad for it.  I always make sure to get a dish or two of it every time I go back to the Big Easy.  But, strangely enough,  I’d never attempted to make it myself.  I decided to remedy that recently. 

This recipe is a modification of a version from one of the old 1950s Culinary Arts cookbooks that I collect.  (They’re where a lot of the retro art on this blog comes from)  

I snooped around the internet a little as well, then finally just modified to taste.  Be forewarned, this is a pretty spicy version.  Back off on the hot stuff if your palate is a bit more delicate.

Shrimp Creole

2 lbs Fresh Shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Vegetable or Olive Oil

1 Onion, Chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 Stalks Celery, Chopped

1 Large Green Pepper, Chopped

1 28 oz Can Chopped or Ground Tomatoes

1 6 oz Can Tomato Paste

2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s)

2 Cups Shrimp Stock (recipe here)

2/3 Cup White Wine

¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Paprika

2 Tablespoons Tabasco Sauce

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 Teaspoon Dry Thyme

Salt to taste

Green Onions, Chopped

Sauté onions in the butter and oil until they begin to brown.  Add celery, green pepper, garlic and Creole seasoning. Cook a few minutes more. 

Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook a few minutes more.  

Add white wine, cook for two minutes.  Add shrimp stock, cayenne and black peppers, paprika and dry thyme.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes. 

After it has cooked for 30-40 minutes, add the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces and salt to taste. 

Most Shrimp Creole recipes I’ve encountered tell you add your raw shrimp to the Creole at this point and cook until done.  I’ve decided to sauté my shrimp separately, then add them to the dish right before I serve it.  

The reason is, I find it difficult to control the cooking of the shrimp if I just add them to the Creole.  The chance of overcooking them until they are rubbery, or undercooking them, is too great.  So I just sauté the little shrimpies in a separate skillet with a bit of butter and oil until they are pink, then add them to the Creole, stir and serve. 

Add some of the chopped green onions over the top and you’re ready to serve.

Here we've served it over some basic white rice.  A Creole rice would also be appropriate.  

Until Next time,

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Shrimp Stock

Ingredients

2 Oz Shrimp Shells (from 2 lbs shrimp)

1 Onion

2 Stalks Celery

1 Lemon, Sliced

3 Garlic Cloves

3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

2 Bay Leaves

6 Black Peppercorns

If you need chicken or beef stock, you need look no further than your grocer’s shelf.  But try finding a seafood stock there?  I can’t   But the good news is, seafood stocks are quite simple and quick to make at home, particularly this shrimp stock, which is an essential ingredient in dishes like my Shrimp Creole, but it will also sing in a bisque, chowder, stew or even risotto.   

When you buy shrimp, it’s always cheaper to get shell/tail on.  You can peel ‘em yourself and then use the shells for this stock.  If you don’t have a use for it right away, it freezes well. 

 Shrimp Stock

Bring about two quarts of water to a boil, toss all the ingredients into the pot...

...and reduce heat to simmering boil.  Boil for 30 minutes.  Strain the liquid and you’re done.  Viola, shrimp stock.  Couldn’t be simpler. 

Maryland Style Crab Cakes

I’ve had friends in Baltimore for nigh on twenty years now, and when I visit them, I always make sure to enjoy some of that most ubiquitous of Maryland dishes, blue crab.  Way back in the mid Nineties, my friends Les, Chris and Donna treated me to an official Maryland Crab Boil (though they were steamed, actually), and we sat for hours on Chris’s back porch pickin’ crab and drinking lots of Natty Boh Beer.  Those were some good times, hon. 

But, as fun and tasty as that was, I’ve found that the way I best enjoy the meat of these little Chesapeake Bay bugs is pre-picked and formed into a delicious, spicy crab cake.  Not only is it easier, but I think it’s tastier too, as the crab meat is augmented with some herbs and spices to really make it sing.  Then of course, it’s fried.  Fried stuff always tastes better. 

Oh, and did I mention spice?  Well, proper Maryland crab cakes are spiced up with a product called Old Bay Seasoning.  

Old Bay is to Maryland what Tabasco is to Louisiana.  Fact is, they put it on everything up there...eggs, slaws, potato chips, corn on the cob, etc.  And of course, I don’t blame them, because Old Bay is delicious.  I keep a can in my spice rack at all times. 

So, a couple of weeks ago the Superbowl (pretty much the biggest yearly sporting event here in the States) took place. My Baltimore friends were quite excited, as their team, the Ravens, were playing in the affair.  I too enjoy the Superbowl, even though my beloved Dallas Cowboys haven’t been in it for quite some time now.  Anyway, when we watch the Big Game, the wife and I like to whip up some grub to enjoy as we watch.  I thought, ‘Hey, Baltimore’s in the game, why not make some crab cakes?”

Well, I’d never made them before, so I inquired of my friends for their recipes.  They obliged, and the wife and I went with a somewhat hybrid version of what they sent.  The crab cakes came out great, so I decided to get ‘em up on the blog as quick as I could.  I hope y’ins enjoy ‘em, hon.

Maryland Style Crab Cakes

12 oz Lump Crab Meat, Blue Crab if available
10 Ritz Crackers, crumbled very fine
1 Egg
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Dash Cracked Black Pepper
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Crush the Ritz crackers very fine.  Pulsing in your food processor works great.  Mix with the egg, lemon juice, mayo, parsley, Old Bay, Worcestershire and black pepper.  Stir until all is incorporated. 

Now for the crab.  If you can get hold of fresh blue crab meat, this is your best yet, but if you live in Texas or similar, like me, you may have to settle for canned.  If so, get the best quality canned crab you can afford.  It’ll make a difference.  We made our crab cakes during the Superbowl with canned, and they were great, so don’t sweat it too much. 

Pour your crab meat into a separate bowl from what you’ve already mixed and pick through the meat to make sure there is no cartilage or bits of shell.  Once this is done, slowly add the crab meat to the spice/mayo mixture, stirring until all is incorporated.  Don’t over stir the mixture, do only enough to combine.  Too much mixing and you’ll break up the nice lumps of crab meat into shreds. 

Shape the mixture into five or six small patties...

 Coat with the Panko bread crumbs

...then refrigerate them for at least an hour. 

Heat a skillet with vegetable oil about ½ inch deep in it to 375F.  Use a fork to lower the cakes into the oil, and fry them on each side until they are golden brown.  

Serve immediately by themselves, or with some tartar or remoulade sauce. 

Until next time,

No need to get crabby, have some crab cakes!

Sauce Remoulade

Remoulade is a tasty sauce invented by those saucy French that tastes great on fish, shrimp and other seafood dishes.  It found a foothold here in the States via New Orleans cuisine, but we thought we’d try it with the Maryland Style Crab Cakes we made recently, and it was a match made in heaven.  Here’s a quick and easy recipe to make your own Remoulade sauce. 

Sauce Remoulade 

3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons Dill Pickle Relish
1 Tablespoon Sweet Paprika
2 Teaspoons Prepared Horseradish
1 Teaspoon Creole Seasoning (Tony Chachere’s or similar)
1 Teaspoon Capers, plus a few reserved for garnishing
1/2 Teaspoon Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce
1 large Garlic Clove, minced

Stir all the ingredients together until well incorporated.  

No need to use a food processor here, Remoulade should have some chunks of pickle from the relish and the whole capers in it.  Let the sauce sit for a few hours in the fridge so the flavors can meld.  Serve cold with seafood dishes, chips, raw veggies, etc. 

Here's to a saucy evening! 

Chris

Navy Beans

My father served in the United States Navy, and...he loved navy beans.  Coincidence?  I think not.  When I was a kid and Mom would serve up a mess of her navy beans, Dad always seemed a little happier than he might have been otherwise.  As he ate his navy beans, he’d have a look on his face as if he were standing on the bow of his ship, staring off into exotic ports beyond the wine dark sea.  Yes, those beans were that good. 

(Dad in the Navy during World War II)

I never learned Mom’s exact recipe for her navy beans, but I’d imagine it was quite simple.  Little bacon grease, salt, pepper...and that was probably about it.  So in concocting this recipe, I tried to keep it simple as well and not get all crazy Nouveau Cuisine on it.  But I couldn’t resist putting a few tweaks on it to make it my own.  So, I compromised, and only added a little here and there to get a flavor I was satisfied with, but not depart too far from Mom’s original version.  I also didn’t want to add anything that would mar the beautiful white color of the beans, so that was a criterion as well. 

So, without further ado, here we go:

Navy Beans

5-6 strips hickory smoked bacon

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ teaspoons cumin

1 ½ teaspoons white pepper

48 oz chicken broth (6 cups)

1 pound navy beans, soaked overnight and drained

The night before, soak the beans in enough water to cover them by a couple of inches.  Beans will absorb some of the water.  The next day, just before you’re ready to cook, drain the beans and discard the water.  Reserve beans.

Simmer five or six strips of bacon until crispy.  Reserve the bacon.  In the bacon grease, sauté one chopped onion until it’s beginning to get translucent but not brown.  

Add garlic and cook for two minutes.  Add cumin and white pepper.  Cook another minute.  Add beans and then add chicken broth.  

(I decided to use chicken broth instead of water to boost the bean’s savory character.  Simmering the beans with ham hocks would be more traditional, but I’ve had trouble getting good hocks around here these days.  The ones I’ve purchased at the grocery store are often slightly rancid, which ruins the dish.  So I’ve sworn off of them until I find a better source)

 Bring beans to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 hours, or until beans are tender. 

Serve with a little of the reserved crispy bacon crumbled on top. 

Until next time,

Anchors Aweigh, my friends!

Chris

The Eat'n Man ponders life, the universe, and navy beans on the deck of the USS Missouri.

Smoked Chicken Pot Pie

It has been unseasonably cold this winter, so I figured it was time for a warm and comforting recipe on the ole food blog this month.  And in this capacity, you can’t do much better than a good, hearty chicken pot pie. 

This dish brings back memories of youth for me, as the steam rising from the fresh-cracked pastry shell of a pot pie hot from the oven always delighted me on a cold winter day when I was a kid.  Of course, the pies in those days were usually of the frozen Swanson variety, but they did the job back then.  

Of course, we love cooking, right?  And homemade is almost always better, right?  In this case, it is right, for the fresh veggies and cream (and homemade pastry dough) in this dish will win the Pepsi Challenge with those frozen pies any day.

Also, this recipe amps up the flavor a few notches by using smoked chicken in the pies.  Yes, adding a tangy smoked flavor to these already creamy, buttery, savory pies really takes the flavor to a higher plane of existence.  They might just be...the best chicken pot pies you’ve ever tasted.  They are for me.

  

Pastry Dough

2.5 Cups Flour
2 Sticks Butter
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Sugar
A Few Ounces Ice Water

Don’t skimp on the dough by using store-bought frozen dough.  Making your own is quick and easy and sooooo much more flavorful. 

Mix flour, salt and sugar in food processor.  Cut in butter in cubes...

...and process until fine granules form.  Slowly add ice water in drops until dough forms.  

Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour, longer of you wish.   

When you’re ready to make the pie shells, divide dough into thirds.  Roll out one third for two pastry bases, the next third for two more, and one third for all four pastry tops. 

When you roll out the bases dough, roll it into a rough rectangle, then cut in half with a knife or pizza cutter.  Take these and press each into small, straight-sided soup bowls or large ramekins.  Let excess dough drape over the edge, then cut or tear off excess dough, making sure to leave enough for the top to connect to.  

You should refrigerate the dough-filled ramekins until your pot pie filling is done.  Also, you can wait to roll out your tops until after you’ve filled the bases.  Keep top dough refrigerated until you roll it out. 

Filling

2 Smoked Chicken Breasts, cubed
2 Potatoes, chopped
3 Carrots, chopped
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Salt, Pepper and Celery salt to taste
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 Medium Spanish Onion, finely diced
3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
4 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
2 cups Heavy Cream, heated
2-3 cups Chicken Broth

Preheat oven to 400F

Chop the potatoes and carrots into half inch pieces...

...then parboil them for a few minutes. 

Sauté diced onions in butter over medium heat until they turn clear and just start to look golden. Sift in flour, salt and pepper and celery salt, let this cook for a couple minutes.

Add garlic and continue to cook for one minute.  Add the chicken stock and heavy cream.  

Stir in frozen peas, then the parboiled carrots and potatoes. 

While this is cooking, cube your smoked chicken... 

...and then stir it in.  Let mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

Retrieve your ramekins with the pastry dough bases inside, then ladle your chicken mixture into them.  Make sure you get several pieces of chicken into each ramekin.  

Add another circle of dough on top.  Seal with fork. 

Carefully tear off excess dough. 

(Note, if you wish, you can leave the extra dough draped down the sides.  The pie will bake fine, and you'll have extra crust to munch)

Cut slits in surface of pie so steam can escape while the pies are baking.  

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Until next time, 

Here's hoping for a chicken in every pot.

Chris