Farewell Cooking Tour: Shrimp Creole and Cornbread

As the countdown to the big move reached its final week, it was time to kick-off one last series of adventures in H-town. In order to make the last week as memorable as possible, I was gonna need a new kitchen, and my cousin Melissa presented the perfect opportunity. After years of being a neglectful relative, it was time for me to suck it up and drive out to suburbia for one final family catch-up session.  After two decades of gathering over our grandmother's incomparable cooking, the pressure was now on, and I was going to have to win Melissa, Kevin, Ryan, and Olivia over with the Cajun food of our hometown (and teach Olivia what Cajun means).


Shrimp Creole
Modified from Emeril 
Servings: 6-8
Time: 1 hour

The smell of sauteing veggies in Cajun cooking always wins

4 oz butter or 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
3-4 celery stalks, chopped
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste
Tony Chachere's to taste
1 tbsp dried oregano
Black pepper to taste
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco to taste
1 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Green onions, chopped for garnish
2 cups long grain white rice

1. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Saute the onions, peppers, and celery.
3. Season with salt and cayenne.
4. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, tomato paste, and garlic. Season with salt, cayenne, oregano, Tony Chachere's, and black pepper. Let cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add in the chicken broth.
6. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer then let reduce for 20 minutes.
7. Splash in some Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.
8. Thicken the mix with flour. Let cook for 3 minutes while it thickens.
9. Add in the shrimp and cook for 4 to 6 minutes until they turn orange and curl. Re-season to account for the shrimp.
10. Serve over cooked long grain rice and top with green onions.

One big pot of deliciousness

I was immediately taken aback by how nice and sparkly their kitchen was (complete with gas stove and awesome island). I almost felt bad for the mess I was about to make, but I figured the Cajun food coma would be enough to compensate and give me the time I needed to escape the damage. Clearly, I had made a mistake not upping my family game sooner.  The shrimp creole required an absurd amount of chopping, but then there was just a lot of time to hang around the aforementioned glorious kitchen and exchange stories about dance lessons, vacations, cooking adventures, and future plans.

Once dinner was finally ready, we were treated to a great reminder of the good old days back in Louisiana. The Shrimp Creole was really all about the glorious shrimp, as it wasn't overpowered by tomato as is too often the case. All the fantastic peppers and spices came together for a big, bold dish that hit the spot.

Cornbread

Modified from All Recipes

Previously sort of seen Here

Servings: 12

Time: 30 minutes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 can of corn, drained

Olivia- The world's most talented sous chef (and the pickiest eater)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Convince a precocious 9 year old to do most of the work for you under the pretense of "teaching".
3. Mix all the ingredients except for the corn together in a bowl until smooth. 
4. Marvel that said child is far more skilled than you were at that age since no egg shell ended up in the mix.
5. Stir the corn in well.
6. Pour into a lightly greased baking pan.
7. Bake for 18-24 minutes or until the toothpick test comes back clean and the top has nicely browned.

It is also acceptable to forgo the rice and just pour the Shrimp Creole directly on top of the cornbread.

This sweet cornbread has been a go to for me for the past 3 years (Hey, what do you know? That's just when I moved back to Houston!), and it continued to amaze. I mixed things up this time by adding in the actual corn for some texture and added flavor (an idea I stole from Robin), and the decision proved to be a winner. More impressive than the golden cornbread, however, were Olivia's skills in the kitchen. I made about 5 times the mess she did (all those dance classes must have really helped her coordination), and she provided a perfectly smooth batter primed for making awesome cornbread.

The night was definitely a success and well worth the drive. It was great sharing a nice home-cooked meal with family on a Sunday night. It's a shame we can't do it again anytime soon, but I'm so glad we got around to it.

Super Bowl Sunday: Denver and the Double Cheddar Beer Bread

For this year's super bowl, I didn't want to merely make a dish to help everyone be properly gluttonous. I wanted to create two distinct offerings celebrating the two very different teams playing. After much careful thought (and consulting with my oh so wise sister), I determined that the two defining traits of Seattle and Denver were coffee and beer, respectively.

This allowed me to make both sweet and savory contributions to the unbelievably delicious spread at Danielle's fancy grown up house. For Seattle, I would make White Mocha Caramel Frappuccino cupcakes, and for Denver, I'd rely on Coors, the only thing more synonymous with the Mile High City than snow, to make a super savory and hearty Cheddar Beer Bread.

Double Cheddar Beer Bread
Adapted from Food.com
Servings: 1 Loaf
Time: 70 minutes

Cheddar: It's Grate!

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 12 oz can beer (I used Coors Original in honor of Denver)
2 cups assorted Cheddar (I used Irish and Aged English), grated
1/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and beer together in a large bowl.
3. Stir in you cheeses.
4. Pour in to a greased (use a little of the melted butter) 9"x5" loaf pan.
5. Top with additional cheese and the melted butter.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until nicely golden brown. 

And then your apartment will smell like cheddar and beer, and you will know what true happiness is.

I don't even know how to describe how amazing this bread was. Seriously, stop what you are doing and go make it now. The hardest part was grating the cheese (and apparently you can buy it pre-grated! Oh, what a world we live in!). With 5 mere minutes of prep, you can have amazing bread baking in your oven and delighting your olfactory senses.

By the time I realized I needed a pic of the inside of the bread, this was all that was left.

The bread tastes exactly like its name implies. A heavy hitting of cheddar compliments a fantastic beer backdrop (for reals, this is the best use of Coors since me using it to learn how to talk to girls in college) in one phenomenal bread experience. Just make sure you measure the flour properly (fluff it with the spoon before putting it into a measuring cup without compacting) or sift it so that you end up with the right bready consistency (or at least so the reviews led me to believe, but why wouldn't you be properly measuring flour already?). The only way that this could possibly be made better is by combining it with the filling from Kevin's amazing Stuffed Mushrooms (which I did so many times that I later felt shame). This truly was the best performance by anything relating to Denver in the Super Bowl.

I'm sorry to have let my dad down by not using his beloved silver bullets, but how was I supposed to pass up the fancy commemorative bottles?

Stay tuned for the winning Seattle Seahawks inspired dessert- White Mocha Caramel Frappuccino Cupcakes.

Dinner with Mac & Sacha: Bruschetta

Basil, tomato, cheese and carby goodness have long dazzled the world in pizzas and pasta. Fortunately, some genius (who was surely viewed as a mad man in his time) decided these things should be put into convenient bite-sized treats known as bruschetta (No matter how hard I try, handheld pasta continues to remain a poor choice.). We thought this crunchy Italian treat was the perfect way to start kick off our grown-up feast and balance the delicate fish. Our chopping skills would be put to the ultimate test. Could we come together to create the world's most delicious appetizer, or would we succumb to man's oldest and greatest enemy- serrated bread knives (hint: a little bit of both)?

Bruschetta

Adapted from All Recipes

Servings: However much makes you feel less gross about eating an entire baguette by yourself

Time: 20 minutes (plus additional for medical attention)

Chopping courtesy of Maconda

1 French Baguette (I used sourdough)

6 roma tomatoes

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, previously packed in oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped with stems removed

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Shredded Mozzarella

What a nice, unassuming knife (that's how they ninja get you)

1. Preheat the oven to the broiler setting.
2. Mix the roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Let the flavors blend for 10 minutes.
3. Cut the baguette into 1/2 to 3/4-inch slices. 
4. Discover that new knives are surprisingly sharp.
5. Rely on Sacha's EMT skills and Maconda's chopping skills to finish the meal.
6. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.
7. Broil each side until slightly browned (~1-2 minutes per side).
8. Scoop the tomato mix onto each slice and top with cheese.
9. Broil until the cheese is melted.
10. Realize that saving room for dinner is a sucker's game.

Shockingly, we actually had a debate about the proper amount of cheese. Frenchman Sacha correctly chose the right amount of melty goodness.

We quickly came to the realization that we could've just made these for dinner and gladly eaten them until bread and cheese lost all meaning. By toasting both sides, we ensured the bruschetta wouldn't fall into a soggy trap, allowing the powerful ingredients to come through beautifully. The juicy double tomato punch melded nicely with the crisp baguette and gooey melted cheese, while the balsamic vinegar and basil gave this the extra kick that kept us coming back for more.

New EMT Sacha's triage care strategy: use obscene amounts of tape.

Stay tuned for our exciting finale featuring roasted cauliflower and Robin's feedback from employing the tape and paper towel method into her doctoring.

It's important to remember to crop out all the juice from your sauce for pretty pictures.

Indian Bonanza 2: Electric Vindaloo (Bhendi and Garlic Naan)

Apparently I took pics from every angle except focusing on the bhendi or naan.

I love Indian food. It always takes me back to nights of watching ridiculous documentaries (see Crazy Love) with my sister and ordering in from Bollywood Cafe.  It was one of these gloriously delicious nights that I learned about the Indian fabulous okra known as bhendi. As a southerner, I am always transported to home (and my grandma's gumbo) when I eat okra, so being able to combine it with one of my favorite types of cuisine made it infinitely more special. I'm also a massive fan of carbs (they're banned by many diets for a reason), so naan also holds a special place in my stomach's heart. Now on to the exciting conclusion of the Indian Bonanza!

Bhendi (or Bhindi)
Modified From Foods of India
Servings: 4-6
Time: 40 minutes

16 oz frozen okra
1 onion, diced
1 tomato, chopped
Olive oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Juice of a whole lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Sriracha sauce to spice

Okra: the magic vegetable

1. Sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent (I'm pretty sure about half of my posts start like this, so I'm just gonna start adding it to desserts too).
2. Add the cayenne, tomato, salt and pepper and cook for two more minutes.
3. Stir in the okra and cook until defrosted (unless you're using fresh okra in which case give it a couple of minutes.
4. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10-20 minutes until the okra becomes tender.
5. Top with sriracha sauce to heat it up and serve.

When you need to get your greens in, okra is always the way to go. This okra is a wonderful supporting player to any Indian meal (seriously just mix it in with the korma from my last post), but also has great flavor on its own. A couple of quick notes to make it even better: frozen okra can get a little slimy, so add a little vinegar to fix this; also once it's plated, add a pinch of garam masala spice to give it a more authentic and exciting flavor.

Garlic Naan

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Servings: 8-12 pieces

Time: 2-3 hours

1/4 oz packet active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tbsp yogurt

1 tbsp milk

1 egg beaten

2 tsp salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

4- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

Side note: I was shocked to discover no recipes for electric vindaloo (but there is a band). Look for it soon.

1. I cheated and made this with a breadmaker (which made it crazy simple), but if you lack the convenience of one you can do it on your own quite easily (but in a little longer time) with the following steps.
2. Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let sit for 10 mintues.
3. Stir in the sugar, milk, yogurt, egg, flour and salt to form the dough
4. Knead for 6 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
5. Place in an oiled bowl covered with a damp paper towel or saran wrap (but not damp saran wrap) and let rise until it has doubled in size (about an hour).
6. Punch the dough down and knead in about 2 tbsp of garlic.
7. Pinch off into small balls of dough (as many as pieces of naan you want) and set on a tray covered with a damp towel to rise until doubled in volume (about half an hour).
8. Roll out each ball to be about 1/2 an inch to an inch thick.
9. Cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until nicely browned.
10. Brush a mixture of the melted butter and garlic over the uncooked side then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

What can I really say about this naan other than it's amazing garlicy flatish bread. On its own, it's worthy of your time, but dipping it in delicious Indian food truly makes it worthy of a spot in the pantheon of your taste buds. Make sure to get it ready just as the meal begins because there's nothing like warm naan to help jumpstart the exciting food coma you have coming. For an interesting dessert take on naan, substitute sweetened coconut flakes for the garlic (if you're feeling adventurous)..

I'm glad I decided to start mixing in vegetarian dishes because my Indian bonanza was a massive hit. As I move forward with the blog (and try to combat the weight gain that inevitably comes with working), I'll try to sprinkle in vegetarian meals along the way. If I forget, keep me honest and yell at me in the comments.