People have been eating good without spending lots of money for
many,
many years.
Here's some examples:
#1 Red Beans and Rice – Dave & Susan's Recipe
Ingredients
1 pound red kidney beans,
dry
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper,
chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
As much garlic as you like,
minced
6-7 cups of water
1 large smoked ham hock or 3/4 lb. tasso (smoked & seasoned ham),
diced. The hock or tasso is optional
1 to 1-1/2 pounds good smoked sausage or andouille, sliced ¼"
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried crushed thyme
leaves
1 or 2 bay leaves
As many dashes Crystal hot sauce or Tabasco as you like,
to taste - A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
*Creole seasoning* to taste; OR, red pepper and black
pepper to taste - Salt to taste
The Process (requires a good crock pot)
Soak the beans overnight. (This helps reduce the, um, gas factor.)
The next day, drain, wash, and put fresh water in the crock pot &
add
the beans. (Make sure the beans are always covered by water). Turn
crock
pot onto high
Sauté the Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) until the
onions
turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add this mixture to the crock pot. along with the the ham
hock and sausage.
Leave the crock pot covered all day until the whole mixture gets
creamy.
Serve in bowls with rice dollops and a little parsley sprinkled over
and fresh French or Italian bread and butter.
This meal will feed 4-6 people for about $10.
---
***Creole seasoning – Not a mystery- Emeril's "Essence" Creole
Seasoning
2 1/2 tblsp paprika 2 tblsp
salt
2 tblsp garlic powder 1 tblsp black pepper
1 tblsp onion powder 1 tblsp cayenne pepper 1 tblsp dried
oregano
1 tblsp dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly – keep tightly closed.
-----
#2 CRAWFISH or SHRIMP ETOUFFE - David & Susan Witt
Pretty good crawfish can be had in N.E. Ohio – We get ours from any
good fish market, which will sell cooked then frozen Chinese crawfish
for
about $4 a pound - unpeeled. Frozen peeled crawfish is also available –
All crawfish sold here is already cooked!!
Ingredients
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter 2 cups chopped
onions
1 cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped bell
peppers
1 pound peeled and cooked crawfish tails (substitute raw shrimp,
deveined)
2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon
flour
1 cup water 1 teasppon salt
¼
teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons chopped parsley 3 tablespoons chopped
green onions Cooked Rice
Process
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the
onions,
celery, and bell peppers and sauté until soft and golden. 10 to
12 minutes. Add the shrimp and bay leaves and cook until the shrimp
start
to turn. Add crawfish and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to medium.
Stirring
occasionally, cook another 5 minutes.
Dissolve the flour in the water. Add to the crawfish
mixture
and season with salt and cayenne – or Creole Seasoning. Stir
until
the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add the parsley and green onions
and cook for about 2 minutes.
Remove the Bay Leaves and serve with a dollop of rice, nice French
bread.
Keep the Louisiana Hot Sauce
handy.
Serves 4 (or 1 hungry Cajun as the saying goes).
This recipe feeds 2-4 people – depending on the amount of rice and
bread consumed.
Cost is about $10----**Crawfish Yvonne is a variation on this
recipe that includes extra spices and peppers, a peanut-colored roux
instead
of the flour/water, and Tabasco sauce.
----
#3 CHICKEN AND SMOKED SAUSAGE GUMBO - Recipe by Emeril Lagasse
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup
flour 1 1/2 cups chopped onions 1
cup
chopped celery 1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 pound smoked sausage, such as Andouille or Kiebasa, cut crosswise
into 1/2-inch slices
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon
cayenne
3 bay leaves 6 cups water
1 pound boneless chicken meat, cut into 1-inch
chunks
1 teaspoon Rustic Rub, recipe follows
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions 1 tablespoon filé
powder (or use okra).
Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron or enameled
cast-iron
Dutch oven, over medium heat.
Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown
roux, the color of chocolate. Add
the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to
5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the sausage,
salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the water. Stir until the roux mixture
and water are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to
medium-low.
Cook, uncovered, stirring
occasionally, for 1 hour. Season the chicken with the rub and add to
the pot. Simmer for 2 hours. Skim off
any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir
in the parsley, green onions, and filé powder.
Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls with rice and good french
bread.
Serves 4 to 6 people for about $10
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