Comfort Food From Louisiana

03 May 2009

Recipe: Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning Blend

From Denny: Slap Ya Mama seasoning - it's so good it makes you want to slap ya Mama - comes from Lafayette, Louisiana and is about equal parts salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Use sparingly. Great stuff and well loved by folks in Lafayette! Image by CooLFreaK via Flickr

From Denny: While there are many variations on this theme, this is a good basic version from which to start your own experimentation!

Use for any blackened fish or chicken recipe, sprinkle some in your boiled or sauteed greens, place it into your fried catfish flour seasoning, put it on pork chops before they go on the grill or a little on your steak after searing it on the stove and then placing into the oven to finish. The uses for this versatile seasoning are virtually limitless.

From CBS' Chow.com:

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons paprika

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

2 tablespoons ground white pepper

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine paprika, salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, and cayenne.

02 May 2009

Recipe: Shrimp Biscayne

Another version of Sauteed Shrimp Image by Pabo76 via Flickr

From Denny: This recipe comes from the area of Grand Isle just off the Gulf Coast of Mexico at land's end of the state of Louisiana. It's where everyone goes deep sea fishing and keeps a small camp to enjoy their weekends of fishing.

It's also the place that gets wiped out repeatedly by big storm hurricanes like Hurricane Katrina four years ago and now Hurricane Gustav this past year. Insurance companies are not crazy about insuring anything that close to the water any more, at least not without an outrageous premium like say a $50,000 deductible for an 8 x 10 foot tool shed. For over a century there has been a thriving small community in Grand Isle but times are looking tough for them now.

Seafood recipes abound in this fishing community. Enjoy this one that was published in our favorite regional magazine, Country Roads.

Shrimp Biscayne

Yield: Serves 1

5 21-25 count shrimp, tail on, peeled and deveined

11/2 oz. olive oil, 80/20 blend of pomace and extra virgin

7 slices jalapeño, pickled

8 pieces garlic, slivered

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp. house seasoning (Cajun seasoning, lemon and pepper, your choice)

In a small sauté pan add the oil, add seasoned shrimp, cook on one side and turn over and then add the garlic, finish with jalapeños and zest.

01 May 2009

Appetizer: Thibodeaux Shrimp

Another version of bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer Image by mhaithaca via Flickr

From Denny: OK, this is quite typical of what you can find in Louisiana restaurants for a shrimp dish! Yum! It's horseradish-stuffed and bacon-wrapped oven-baked black Tiger shrimp served with Cajun tangy mustard barbeque sauce.

The name Thibodeaux is pronounced as Tibb-oh-doe, not as difficult as it looks. Very common name in south Louisiana too! People even affectionately name their dogs and cats Tibodeaux. There are also Cajun Thibodeaux jokes, thought the majority are Boudreaux jokes.

From: Front Page News Restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, where this is their most popular appetizer, published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, no photo.

Hands on time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup yellow mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch

16 large shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled down to first segment, deveined and cut halfway through

1/4 cup prepared horseradish

8 bacon slices, cut in half

1 teaspoon chopped green onion, garnish (optional)

1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley, garnish (optional)

Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar, corn syrup, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water and add to mixture, stirring well to combine.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill shrimp with horseradish, wrap a half slice of bacon around the shrimp to hold the filling and secure with a toothpick. Bake 25 minutes.
Pour sauce on a plate. Place shrimp around the sauce and garnish with green onions and chopped parsley.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 183 calories (percent of calories from fat, 22), 14 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams fat, 92 milligrams cholesterol, 359 milligrams sodium.