Risotto

This a recipe from the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  It was my first attempt at Risotto and I was scared to do it.  I've heard horror stories about gummy risotto or undercooked risotto.  I followed her recipe almost exactly.  I reduced the amount of cheese she added, but other than that it is very much the same.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. Arborio rice
• 8 C. chicken stock
• 1 C. Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese (or a mixture of all three)
• 1 C. heavy cream
• 2 T. chives, chopped
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper

Directions:

1. Add the chicken stock to a medium size pot and place over medium heat until the stock comes to a boil.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil and butter.
3. Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
4. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
5. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat the rice thoroughly. Adding 1 C. at a time, add the 8 C. of chicken stock, stirring frequently.
6. As soon as it appears that the rice has absorbed each helping of broth, add in the next helping. This process will take at least 20 minutes. Rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite.
7. When the rice is done, add in the heavy cream, cheese, chives, salt, and pepper.
8. Heat through and serve hot.

Tips and Tricks:

• This is a slow process.  Don’t try to rush it.  Allow each cup of chicken stock to fully absorb before adding the next cup to the skillet.
• This is the base for risotto, but be creative and add what you like to mix: sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, asparagus, etc.

Fried Rice

This is a recipe I found from a blog called "Iowa Girl Eats".  I changed it up a bit after reading some other recipes for fried rice.  This was a quick fix meal that we really enjoyed.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. leftover prepared rice
• ¼ lb. of salami or ham, sliced and cut into squares
• 2/3 C. frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 shallots or ¼ of an onion, chopped
• ½ C. celery, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 3 t. sesame oil, divided
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 2 T. fish sauce 

Directions:

1. Whisk egg with 1 t. of sesame oil in a small dish then set aside.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add salami or ham and then stir fry until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes.
3. Heat remaining teaspoon oil in the wok and then add frozen mixed vegetables, shallots, celery, and green onions. Stir fry until tender, about 2 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
5. Push vegetables to the side of the wok then add egg and sesame oil mixture into the center and scramble.
6. Add the rice, fish sauce, and soy sauce to wok then toss well to combine.  Cook for 2 minutes until all the ingredients are hot.

Tips and Tricks:

• I don’t use a frozen vegetable mix for this recipe because I don’t like it.  I use 1/3 C. of frozen lima beans and 1/3 C. of frozen corn.
• I know the salami sounds crazy, but I found a recipe which called for a Chinese sausage that was described and sounds a lot like salami.  I tried using what I had, salami, and the fried rice had a GREAT flavor.

Momofuku Bo Ssam

This is a wonderful Korean dish.  I was introduced to it by our friend, Gerald.  He made it for a Saints party and I devoured it.  I couldn’t wait to try making it myself.  It not hard to make, the most difficult part is to find the ingredients for the sauce at the Asian market.

Ingredients:

Pork Butt:

• 8 lb. bone-in Boston Butt Roast
• 1 C. sugar
• ½ C. kosher salt, plus 1 T.
• ½ C. brown sugar

Ginger-Scallion Sauce:

• 2 C. green onions, thinly sliced (green and white parts)
• ½ C. fresh ginger, minced
• ¼ C. grapeseed oil
• ½ T. soy sauce
• 1 t. rice vinegar

Ssam Sauce:

• 2 T. ssamjang (fermented bean and chili paste)
• 1 T. kochujang (chili paste)
• ½ C. rice vinegar
• ½ C. grapeseed oil

Accompaniments:

• 4 C. white rice, cooked
• 2 heads bibb lettuce, washed, drained, and leaves seperated
• Kimchi (not necessary)

Directions:

1. Rinse the Boston butt in cold water and dry with paper towels.
2. Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl and then combine the sugar and salt in another bowl. Rub the mixture all over the meat and then cover with plastic wrap.
3. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
4. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300 degrees, remove the pork from the refrigerator and discard the juices.
5. Place the Boston Butt in a roasting pan, fat side up and bake for 6 hours, basting with the pan juices each hour. After 6 hours the roast should begin to collapse easily to the tines of a fork.  (the bone should become visible when this happens)
6. Remove the roast from the oven and allow to rest for up to one hour. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
7. While the roast is resting, make the Ginger-Scallion Sauce by mixing all of the ingredients in a medium size bowl.  Place a spoon in the bowl for serving.
8. Next, make the Ssam Sauce in a medium bowl and whisk together using an immersion blender.
9. Finally, mix the 1 T. of kosher salt with the brown sugar and rub this mixture all over the cooked pork.  Place in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. 
10. Remove the roast from the oven and shred the meat.
11. Serve with the accompaniments.

Tips and Tricks:

• Momofuku Bo Ssam is best when served as a lettuce wrap.  Take a leaf of lettuce and place some rice in the leaf, cover the rice with some pork, spoon some Ginger-Scallion Sauce over the pork, and finally pour some Ssam Sauce over that. Wrap it up and dig in.
• The ingredients for the sauces can be purchased at an Asian market.  I used Sambal Oelik ground chili paste and Wang brand ssamjang sauce.

Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls

We go to St. Patrick’s Day parades on the Saturday and Sunday before St Patrick’s Day each year.  Last year, I made Cabbage Rolls (Lots of Work) with some of the cabbages we caught.  This year I wanted to make something less labor intensive and here it is.  I spent about 40 minutes prepping and then it bakes in the oven for 1 hour.  It is delicious!  Good enough for a dinner party with friends or family.

 Ingredients:

• 1 ½ heads of cabbage
• 1 lb. ground meat
• 1 ½ C. cooked rice
• ¼ C. olive oil
• 1 onion, medium, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ t. thyme
• 1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
• ½ T. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ T. sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 2 C. Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove the core of the cabbage and cut into bite size pieces.   Rinse under cold water and strain.
3. In a Dutch oven, heat half of the olive oil over medium heat and add the cabbage, stir well to cover the leaves with the oil and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until the leaves are wilted.
4. In a skillet, brown the ground meat until brown and then drain.  Reserve.
5. In the same skillet, sauté the onions with half of the olive oil over medium heat until soft.  Add the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomato sauce, Rotel, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, Creole Seasoning and the ground meat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the rice to mixture and stir until incorporated well.
7. Spray a 13’ x 9’ baking dish with cooking spray.
8. Place half of the cabbage in the baking dish cover with half of the meat/rice mixture, and then the other half of the cabbage and then the other half of the meat/rice mixture.
9. Seal the baking dish with foil.
10. Bake for 45 minutes and then remove the foil and cover with the cheese.
11. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered.
12. Allow to set for 10 minutes and then cut into squares to serve.

Tips and Tricks:

• This is great recipe for those St. Patrick’s Day cabbages.
• This tastes great the next day, but it does NOT freeze well, so eat up.

Cashew Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

This is my attempt to make Oriental food at home.  I really liked the flavor of this dish and it was 6 generous servings.  I didn’t add salt or MSG (I think the soy sauce made it salty enough).  I got this recipe from Kevin at “Closet Cooking”.

 Ingredients:

• 8 chicken tenders or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. peanut butter
• ¼ C. soy sauce
• 1 lime, juiced and zest
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. fresh ginger, grated
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. chili sauce
• 2 t. sesame oil
• ¼ C. cilantro, chopped
• ½ C. cashews
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 lb. Sugar Snap Peas

Directions:

1. Cut all fat, skin, or tendons from the chicken and cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the chicken and sauté until cooked through about 5 – 6 minutes.
4. Mix the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, chili sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl.
5. Pour the mixture over the chicken and toss to coat. 
6. Add the cilantro, cashews, green onions and Sugar Snap Peas and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Serve over rice.

Tips and Tricks:

• I used Sambal chili sauce but you can use Chili Garlic Sauce as well.
• The Sugar Snap Peas and cilantro are not necessary ingredients, but they both give the dish a great flavor.

Cabbage Rolls

We caught a lot of cabbage at the St. Patrick's Day parade this year.  I have wanted to make Cabbage Rolls using Dirty Rice for the stuffing, so this was my opportunity.  I used the cabbage I had, but a recipe of Emeril's calls for the Savoy cabbage, the leaves are bigger and easier to roll.

  Ingredients:

• 1 head of Savoy cabbage, 16 nice leaves for rolling
• 4 C. Dirty Rice
• 1 T. butter
• 1 C. onions, chopped
• 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper
• 1 C. cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Remove the core of the cabbage and place the whole head in a large pot of boiling water
3. Remove after 3 minutes and place in a large bowl filled with ice and water
4. In a medium sauce pan, sauté the onions in the butter over medium heat until tender
5. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, allow to simmer for 1 hour
6. Cut the heat , add the cream and stir well, reserve
7. In an 13’ x 9’ baking dish, ladle 1 C. of the tomato/cream sauce in the bottom of the pan
8. Roll ¼ C. of dirty rice in each leaf of cabbage and place the rolls seam side down in the sauce, cram all the rolls together side-by-side in the pan
9. Ladle the remaining tomato/cream sauce over the rolls
10. Seal the baking dish with foil
11. Bake for 1 hour
12. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

• Follow my link to get the Dirty Rice recipe.  You only need 4 C. for the cabbage rolls, so just make ½ of the full recipe. I make the Dirty Rice the day before and refrigerate it, so it dries out.
• I use a bag of frozen chopped onions for this recipe.  A 10 oz. bag is 2 C. of onions.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

When it gets cold, this is the dish I want to fill my belly. My Mom told me I couldn't make a good chicken and sausage gumbo, without the bones, but the key is a good chicken stock.  I make my own. 

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• 1 bunch of green onions finely chopped
• ½ C. of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 lbs of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 1 (32oz.) bag of frozen okra
• 2 cans of Rotel
• 12 C. chicken stock
• 4 C. of water
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. of salt
• ½ T. of black pepper
• 1 T. of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 C flour
• 1 C vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dust with flour
2. In cast iron pot, brown chicken in ½ cup of veggie oil
3. Remove Chicken and let rest
4. Add other ½ cup of oil, and make roux with oil and flour over medium high heat until the color of dark peanut butter
5. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until limp
6. Add garlic for 1 minute
7. Add okra and cook for 30 min
8. Add Rotel then transfer to a gumbo pot
9. Add chicken stock, water, sausage, salt, pepper, Creole Seasoning, and cayenne
10. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 ½ hours
11. While gumbo is cooking cut chicken into 1inch chunks
12. Add Worcestershire sauce and chicken
13. Cook for ½ hour
14. Add green onions and parsley and cook for 10 minutes
15. Serve with rice

Tips and Tricks:

• If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make a roux in a heavy bottomed pot instead. The trick is to stir constantly. You can NOT multi-task during this step. This is where the base of flavor for your gumbo comes. Be careful to cook the roux at least 10 minutes, because you are browning the chicken first, the roux starts darker than normal.
• I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage in my gumbos. It has a soft casing that absorbs some of the gumbo. Yum!
• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine. 
• This gumbo always tastes better the next day, so make some room in your refrigerator. The flavors get to “marry” (as 9^th ward Gloria says) as they sit over night.

Santa Fe Chicken

This is so easy!  I got this recipe from a blog called "Recipe girl".  I needed it a little more spicy, so I added the jalapenos. THIS recipe girl is adding this one to her list.

Ingredients:

·        1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

·        1 (12oz.) bag frozen sweet corn

·        1 ½ C. bottled chunky salsa

·        ¼ C. sliced, pickled jalapeños, 

·        6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs, each thigh cut into 4 pieces

·        1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, cut into chunks

·        1 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Combine the black beans, corn, salsa, jalapeños, and chicken in a crock pot
2. Cook on high for 3 hours
3. Add the cream cheese and allow to melt
4. Stir all ingredients together and serve over Mexican rice
5. Sprinkle each serving with ¼ C. of cheese

 Tips and Tricks:

• I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese.
• I buy the frozen packs of boneless/skinless chicken thighs at Sam’s.  There are 5 in a pack and that is what I use.

Cheesy Broccoli, Rice and Chicken Casserole

I like the broccoli rice casserole at Piccadilly. (Yes, I eat at Piccadilly)  This is SOOOO much better than the one at Piccadilly.  The fresh broccoli makes it great!  It  is a wonderful potluck contribution.  It is a "Deep South Dish" recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 small heads of broccoli, cut so that only the florets remain (4 C.)
• 2 T. butter
• ½ C. chopped onion
• ¼ C. chopped celery
• 1 C. mayonnaise
• ½ C. sour cream
• 1 can of cream of celery soup
• ½ lb. of Velveeta, cut into small cubes
• 1 t. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 t. garlic powder
• ½ t. black pepper
• 2 C. cooked rice
• 2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 C. cooked, cubed chicken breast

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Boil water in a large pot and add the broccoli florets to the boiling water for 5 minutes
3. Strain the broccoli, allow to cool, then chop
4. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, sauté the onions and celery in the butter
5. Add the next 7 ingredients and heat until the Velveeta is melted
6. Add the rice, 1 C. of Cheddar, and chicken
7. Stir well, then transfer to a casserole dish with a lid, that has been sprayed with cooking spray
8. Bake for 20 minutes, covered, then remove from the oven add 1 C. of Cheddar and bake for an additional 10 minutes
9. Serve hot!

 Tips and Tricks:

• I use light sour cream.
• I buy a rotisserie chicken and cut the breast meat into small cubes.  The breast creates about 2 C. of cubed chicken.
• The chicken is not a necessary ingredient to this recipe.  It makes a great one dish meal, but you can skip it and just have a Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole.
• Sam’s sells a 3 lb. bag of broccoli florets in the produce section.  This recipe calls for 4 C.

Dirty Rice

This is Donald's aunt's recipe.  Aunt Jeannette is from Cottonport, LA (not far from where my dad is from) and she makes Dirty Rice when we have family gatherings.  It is easy to make and it is delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ bell pepper, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 lbs. of Savoie or Richard’s Dressing Mix
• 1 can of French onion soup
• 2 cans of chicken broth
• 2 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 4 T. Crystal hot sauce
• ½ C. chopped fresh parsley
• 6 C. cooked rice

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium-high heat and sauté onions, bell peppers, and celery until limp
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
3. Brown the ground pork, then add the dressing mix and cook for 10 minutes
4. Add chicken broth, French onion soup, Tony’s and hot sauce cook for 1 hour
5. Add parsley and rice and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes
6. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

• Cooking the rice the day before helps.  It dries out a bit and that’s how you want it.  If you do cook it the day you make the dirty rice be sure it is cooled before you use it.
• When you add the rice to the liquid mixture, it looks like it will never dry out enough to eat, but just be patient.  It usually takes 20 minutes, but sometimes you need to let it simmer longer.
• Sometimes I use the Creole Seasoning in the produce section at the grocery.  It has onions, bell peppers, celery, parsley, and garlic all in one container.  I use a large container, or about 3 C.
• You can freeze any leftovers for use at a later date. 

Everything Jambalaya

Everything, but the kitchen sink.  Yeah, that's about it.  Bacon, pork sausage, smoked sausage, chicken, and shrimp are all in there.  This makes a big gumbo pot full, so invite the family and friends over.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• ½ lb. of bacon
• 1 lb. of fresh pork sausage, squeezed out of the casing
• 3 lbs. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lb. of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes (3 ½ C.)
• 6 C. shrimp stock or chicken stock
• ½ C. of Louisiana or Crystal Hot Sauce
• 1 T. of salt
• ½  C. flour
• 5 C. parboiled rice

Directions:

1. Cut bacon into thin small strips
2. In cast iron pot, fry the bacon until crisp and remove
3. Add the pork sausage in crumbles and cook about 5 minutes and remove
4. Make a roux with the bacon and sausage drippings and flour over medium high heat until the color of dark peanut butter
5. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until soft, about 10 minutes
6. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
7. Add Rotel and crushed tomatoes then transfer to a gumbo pot
8. Add chicken or shrimp stock, smoked sausage, bacon, pork sausage, salt, and hot sauce
9. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes
10. While cooking cut chicken into 1 inch chunks
11. Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes
12. Add rice and cook for 15 minutes on low heat
13. Add shrimp and make sure they are all covered by the rice
14. Cook for an additional 15 minutes
15. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

·     You can make shrimp or chicken stock.  It is easy!  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.

·      If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make a roux in a heavy bottomed pot instead.  The trick is to stir constantly.  You can NOT multi-task during this step.  This is where the base of flavor for your jambalaya comes.  Be diligent, it takes about 15 minutes to make a roux the color you need.

·        I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage. 

·        ½ C. of hot sauce might have you scared.  Don’t be!  The sausage, chicken, shrimp, and rice all absorb the hot sauce and give this jambalaya a great flavor.  It is spicy, but not tongue numbing.

·        This freezes well.

Mrs. Trepagnier's Rice Casserole

I bet you can't guess who I got this recipe from.  This is my friend Marianna's mother-in-law's recipe.  It is easy to make and the French onion soup makes the rice so flavorful.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of French onion soup
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 stick of butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 can of sliced water chestnuts, cut into smaller pieces
• 1 jar of sliced mushrooms with juice
• 1 ½ C. uncooked rice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl
3. Spray a glass baking dish that has a lid with cooking spray
4. Pour ingredients into baking dish
5. Bake for 45 minutes with lid on
6. Take lid off and bake for 15 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

• Sometimes I use about a half of a carton of fresh mushrooms and add an extra can of beef broth.
• I put the sliced water chestnuts in an egg slicer to cut them into smaller pieces.
• If you double this recipe, you almost double the time it bakes. 

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This is a combination of my Mom and Dad's Jambalaya recipe with my friend Gary's quick tips to make it a little easier. It's got all the "Cajun" staples (a roux, the trinity, plus garlic and pepper) It's spicy and makes enough to feed a crowd.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 lbs of smoked sausage cut into semi circles
• 1 can of Rotel
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes
• 6 C. chicken stock
• ½ C. of Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1 T. of salt
• 1 C flour
• 1 C vegetable oil
• 5 C. parboiled rice

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dust with flour
2. In cast iron pot, brown chicken in ½ cup of veggie oil, about 4 minutes per side
3. Remove chicken and let rest
4. Add other ½ cup of oil, and make roux with oil and flour over medium high heat until the color of dark peanut butter
5. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook until soft, about 10 minutes
6. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
7. Add Rotel and crushed tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes and then transfer to a gumbo pot
8. Add chicken stock, sausage, salt, pepper, and hot sauce
9. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes
10. While cooking cut chicken into 1 inch chunks
11. Add chicken and cook for 15 minutes
12. Add rice and cook for 15 minutes on low heat (cookbook has 5 minutes, that's a typo)
13. Serve hot!

Tips and Tricks:

•         Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better. Follow my link to find out how I make mine.  
•         If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make a roux in a heavy bottomed pot instead.  The trick is to stir constantly.  You can NOT multi-task during this step.  This is where the base of flavor for your gumbo comes.  Be diligent, it takes about 20 minutes to make a roux the color you need.
•         I use Bryan Cajun Smoke Sausage. 
•         The ½ C. of hot sauce might have you scared.  Don’t be!  The sausage, chicken, and rice all absorb the hot sauce and give this jambalaya a great flavor.  It is spicy, but not tongue numbing.
•         This freezes well.