!~*The Cajun Bayou*~!

 !~*Recipes*~!

1. Boil or order three to five pounds (per person) of fresh boiled crawfish. You can purchase prepared seasoned mixes for boiling the crawfish with directions, if available in your area.
2. (Optional) Put on a special bib to protect clothing. (This allows a little more freedom with the crawfish.)
Note: Here to Louisiana we trow dem whole potatoes, onions, and corn on da cob along with da crawfish into da boiling pot when boiling da crawfish. We place a newspapers and garbage bags on a big table to sop up da waters dat drains from dem, or we have whut is called a crawfish table (a plank of plyboard wif two holes in it dat is placed ova 2 garbage cans) and once da crawfish is boiled, we just dump corns, potatoes, onions & crawfish on da  table, and everybody just serves demselfs yea! If ya tinkin dats not sum good eatin den ya gotta be flop ya lip onto one dem der Boiled Crawfish to know how good dey are for sure sha`.
3. Take a deep breath to enjoy the fullness of the aroma.
4. Grab the nearest crawfish off the pile.
5. Hold the crawfish with your left hand and gently twist off the tail.
6. Take the head and suck the hot, spicy juices out of it.
7. Squeeze your thumb and forefinger at the sides of the top of the tail, causing the shell to break or break off the first knuckle of the tail.
8. Hold the meat with your left undex finger an thumb, Squees the tail tiwh the right index finger and thumb. 
9. Remove the meat from the tail and eat. (Repeat Steps 4-9 as often as you like).

This is not your traditional South Louisiana Jambalaya
Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound cubed ham
1 pound sliced smoked sausage
1 cup diced onions
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced bell peppers
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (15.8-ounce) can black-eyed peas
1 cup uncooked white long grain rice
1 cup water
Creole seasoning to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Method of Preperation:
In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ham, sausage, onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Stirring often, cook 5–10 minutes or until ham and sausage are browned. This browning process gives the finished dish its golden-brown color. Add cabbage, tomatoes, black-eyed peas, rice and water. Stir until well combined.  Season with Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 35–40 minutes or until rice is tender.

5 lb Alligator meat
Cajun seasoning
1/4 c Olive Oil -- +1 tsp.
1 1/4 lb Smoked andouille sausage -- diced
1 cn Tomato Sauce -- 10oz.
1/3 c Margarine
1/3 c Dark Roux
1/4 c Chicken Base
4 c Spanish Onion -- chopped
1 c Bell Pepper -- chopped
1 c Celery -- diced
1 ts Cayenne Pepper
2 tb Jalapeno Pepper -- diced
1 ts Sugar
2 tb Garlic -- chopped
3 c Fresh mushrooms -- sliced
2 qt Water
1/2 c Green Onion Bottoms -- chopped
1/2 c Parsley -- chopped
3 c Rice -- cooked
Mixture of cornstarch and water for thickening -- optional

Rub both sides of alligator meat with Cajun seasoning and cut into 1 inch by 1 inch pieces. If possible, allow to marinate overnight. Brown alligator in olive oil over high heat. Remove from pot. Sauté andouille in same oil for 5 minutes and remove from pot. Pour tomato sauce into pot with remaining oil. Stir sauce over high heat until it is very brown, burned. Keep stirring until a thick ball of paste forms. Add margarine, roux, chicken base, onions, bell pepper, celery, cayenne pepper, jalapeno peppers and sugar. Sauté until onions are clear. Return alligator and andouille to pot. Add garlic, mushrooms and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat. Cook for 1 hour, adding water as needed. Once alligator is tender, add green onions and parsley. Cornstarch mixture may be added to thicken gravy. Serve over hot cooked rice. Chicken, squirrel, rabbit, turtle or duck may be substituted for the alligator. Regular smoked sausage may be substituted for the andouille.

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups diced onions
1 separate onion for shrimp stock
1 cup finely chopped celery
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 lb. country smoked sausage
4 cans cut okra, drained
1 can rotel tomatoes with chilies
2 tbsp. apple cider  cups vinegar
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups shrimp stock
3/4 oz. dried shrimp (VERY IMPORTANT!!!)
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. basil
1 tbs. Kitchen Bouquet
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
3 lb. peeled shrimp (mediums)
6 cups cooked long-grain rice
Method of Preparation: 
As we say here, "First you make the roux."  (For those who are new to Cajun cooking, the roux is a thickener with a nutty flavor made from equal parts flour and oil.)  Using a cast iron skillet (or other thick bottomed pot) Mix oil and flour together.  Over medium heat stir this mixture slowly and deliberately until it turns a light coffee brown.  It takes about a half an hour to get the right color.
When the roux is done add the seasoning vegetables and stir thoroughly.  Place mixture on the side.
Next in a deep skillet, cook sausage slices over medium heat till about 40% done.  The goal here is to reduce some of the fat content out of the sausage.  Once mostly cooked, drain the excess oil, and drop in the drained okra and the tomatoes.  Add vinegar, and cook over high heat until okra is soft (approx. 10 minutes)

Next in six to eight quart pot, begin to combine ingredients.  First pour in shrimp and chicken stock.  IMPORTANT:  BRING TO A BOIL.  Next add roux mixture and okra/sausage mixture.  STIR, STIR, STIR, until mixture is smooth.   Cook for 15 minutes and then add all remaining ingredients except shrimp and rice.   Simmer for half an hour, stirring occasionally.

At this point, taste the gumbo and add more salt and pepper to taste.  Also, if the gumbo is too thick or thin, you can adjust by cooking longer (for thin mixtures) or adding water for thick mixtures.  The longer you cook during this time at a low heat the better.  This time allows the mixture to blend.  Thirty minutes is the minimum, but you may want to do for up to an hour.
Homemade Shrimp Stock:
In a six  quart stock pot, place shells and heads from shrimp, along with onions, black pepper/salt to taste, and carrots.  Boil mixture for 30 minutes.

Finally, 15 minutes before serving add shrimp and simmer.
Serve over cooked rice.

Yields: 4 Servings

1 lb Butter
1/2 c  Lemon juice
2 teaspoons Fresh basil, chopped
2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Fresh oregano, chopped
5 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bay leaf, crumbled
1/2 cup  Black pepper, finely ground
Salt to taste
4 pound Large raw shrimp in shells

Yields: 4 Servings

The shrimp should be of a size to number 30-35 per pound. Melt the
butter in a large deep-sided frying pan or iron skillet over low
heat. When melted, raise the heat, and add the remaining ingredients
except the shrimp.  Cook, stirring often, until browned to a rich
mahogany color, about 10 minutes.  Add the shrimp, stirring and
turning to coat well with the seasoned butter. Cook until the shrimp
have turned a rich deep pink, about 10 minutes.  Serve the shrimp in
their shells, peeling them at the table. From Nathalie Dupree's "New Southern Cooking"

1  tablespoon vegetable oil
3-4  chicken breasts, skinned and boned
2  large onions, finely chopped
1/4  cup finely chopped celery
1/4  cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2  cloves garlic, minced
3  tablespoons all-purpose flour
1  can low-salt tomato sauce
2  medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped(1 cup)
1/8  teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/8  teaspoon ground red (cayenne) pepper
1/8  teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4  cup chopped green onions
3  tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2  cups cooked rice
Method of Preparation:
Over medium heat in a heavy skillet, heat the oil. Add the chicken and
brown on both sides.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Add the onions,
celery, green pepper and garlic and sauté for 15 minutes, stirring often. 
Stir in the flour and cook for about 10 minutes, or until brown, stirring constantly.
Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, basil, red and black peppers.  Reduce the
heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken, cover and continue cooking for 30 minutes, or until the
chicken is tender.  Add the green onions and parsley and cook for an
additional minute.

Serve over rice. 

2 c. white sugar
1 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 c. evaporated milk
3/4 c. White Karo Syrup
1 pinch of soda
2 c. pecans
1 tsp vanilla

Method of Preperation:
Mix all ingredients, except pecans and vanilla.  Stir over low until sugar dissolves.  Add nuts and cook to soft ball stage.  Let cool for a few minutes.   Add vanilla and beat.  Drop by tablespoon on wax paper

3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c. pecans
2 tbsp. butter
1 c. milk
2 tbsp corn syrup (white)
1 tsp. vanilla

Method of Preparation:
Mix sugar, milk, and syrup in boiler.  Cook until forms hard ball in water and remove from fire.  Add butter and vanilla.  Let Cool.  Beat until creamy.  Add nuts and drop into cakes on greased platter.

Medium-Hot Fire
4 large bananas, unpeeled
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 cup dark or light rum

Method of Preparation:
Prick the bananas at random with a toothpick or fork. Place them on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes. The skins will turn black. Remove from the grill, peel and cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Combine the apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and rum in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Keep warm.
Serve the bananas with vanilla ice cream, slices of pound cake and the sauce.
Serves 4