Cookin With The Cajun Grocer

PICNIC TIME

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:41:36 +0000

Warmer weather means picnic time. You can picnic on the beach, on your patio, in your backyard or at your favorite park.

The meal can be as simple as wine, cheese and bread. Or you can carry along chilled, marinated vegetables stored in a wide-mouth jar, cold meats, assorted rolls, cold soup, wine, mint tea, cold shrimp or even fried chicken, coleslaw and other side dishes. Homemade cookies, chilled watermelon and seasonal fruits are ideal for summer picnics.

Better yet, let us supply you with all sorts of picnic items. For instance, there are Creole Stuffed Breads, all kinds of seafood pies, mini oyster and artichoke pies, and pralines. Easy enough, right?

The marinated vegetables are easy enough to prepare. See our Recipes section.

CORN AND ZUCCHINI SAUTE

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:38:59 +0000

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh corn
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese with hot peppers
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely crushed corn tortilla chips

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook for three minutes, stirring often. Add the zucchini and onions and cook for three to four minutes, or until soft. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Season with salt and black pepper.

To serve, sprinkle the mixture with the tortilla chips. Serve warm.

GRILLED TUNA WITH ANCHOVY BUTTER

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:30:16 +0000

Makes 2 servings
2 (8-ounce) tuna fillets
2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 anchovy fillets (packed in oil and drained)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce

Prepare the grill.

Rub the tuna with two tablespoons of the olive oil, then season them generously with salt and pepper. Put the onion slices in a bowl with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Put the anchovies in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the butter, lemon juice, and soy, and season with salt and pepper. Blend well.

Grill the tuna fish for about two minutes on each side (don’t overcook), and grill the onions for about a minute on each side.

To serve, separate the onion slices into rings and scatter them over the tuna. Smear the anchovy butter over the fish and onions. Serve warm.

Since garden-grown tomatoes are coming into season, I suggest serving them with the tuna. Thickly slice the tomatoes, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.

If you can get fresh corn, here is a delightful summertime recipe.

LOBSTER SALAD

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:17:53 +0000

While I LOVE Louisiana crawfish, they will soon be out of season. Not to fret. A great substitution in my book is lobster. Lobsters in Louisiana? Well, it’s not the whole lobster—just the tail—from Maine where lobsters are plentiful. Sometimes I just want to walk on the wild side and try something different and lobster tails are just the thing with which to make a cool treat for casual summer dining. LOBSTER SALAD

Makes 4 servings
2 (10-ounce) lobster tails (thawed if frozen)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Avocado halves (optional)

Fill a medium-size saucepan with 3 cups water and add the Kosher salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the lobster tails and cook for 8 minutes. Drain and cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the tail meat from the shell and coarsely chop. Combine the celery, green onions, mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice is a bowl. Add the lobster meat and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and chill for 1 hour before using. To serve, spoon the lobster mixture on salad greens or into avocado halves. For another taste treat, try our sashimi grade yellow fin tuna. It’s great for making sushi but I also like it grilled with anchovy butter.

STRAWBERRY COBBLER

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:44:21 +0000

Strawberry cobbler Makes about 6 servings Cobbler batter:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons frozen butter
4 tablespoons frozen shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

5 to 6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled, rinsed and patted dry
¾ cup sugar
½ stick butter
Fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

To make the batter, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a two-quart baking dish. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add four tablespoons of the cold water and process until the dough begins to cling together, about 10 seconds. Add more cold water if necessary. Gather the dough into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes. Lightly flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a large ragged circle and carefully transfer it to the prepared dish to line the bottom and sides, allowing any excess to hang over. Fill the dough with the berries and sprinkle the sugar over them. Dot with the butter and bring the edges of the pastry over the mixture. They do not have to join completely. Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

SEAFOOD AND FRESH VEGETABLES

admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:03:23 +0000

Summer has unofficially arrived and I am so ready for it. After teaching fulltime since January at Nicholls State University in the John Folse Culinary Institute, I (like the students) am looking forward to a few weeks of rest and relaxation. And that to me is chilling out—taking a cruise on Bayou Teche in my party barge in the early evening, grilling something on the patio or enjoying fresh seafood, cooking with local ingredients found at our farmers’ markets, and lounging around the pool with a cold, refreshing beverage in hand.

To take along on the boat, I opt for bite-size crab cakes (check it out on our website) and bring along some Tabasco Spicy Mayonnaise to spread on them. WOW!

PICNIC DESSERTS

admin — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:41:06 +0000

Ice cream desserts are always so refreshing to serve for those upcoming casual suppers by the pool, on the patio, in the backyard or on a picnic.
If you can still find Louisiana strawberries, here are some delicious desserts using those tasty berries.

STRAWBERRIES ROMANOFF

Makes 6 to 8 small servings
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and patted dry
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Combine the sugar, Grand Marnier (or Cointreau) and lemon zest in a large bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the strawberries and stir gently to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 4 or more hours. Spoon into individual cups or bowls and top with whipped cream.

CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:37:16 +0000

CRUNCHY-FRIED CHICKEN

Makes 4 servings
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 fryer, about 2 1/2 pounds, cut into serving pieces
Seasoned flour:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Lard or solid vegetable shortening for deep frying

Mix together the eggs, milk, water, salt, cayenne, black pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Soak the chicken in the mixture for about one hour in the refrigerator.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper in another bowl. Remove the chicken, a couple of pieces at a time, from the egg mixture and shake off any excess. Roll in the seasoned flour and deep fry until golden brown and the chicken pops to the surface. Repeat the process until all of the chicken is cooked.
Drain on paper towels.

MIXED MARINATED VEGETABLES

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:37:10 +0000

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial arrival of summer as far as I’m concerned. While we do want to remember our fallen heroes of all the wars, it has also been a time to have family gatherings. And family gatherings always brings to mind good things like fried chicken(check out Zatarain’s chicken coating mixes), potato salad with homemade mayonnaise, fried fish (check out our fish-fry coating mixes), all things barbecued or thrown on the grill. And don’t forget the rice dressing (we have several different kinds of dressing mixes) and thick slices of homegrown tomatoes sprinkled with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a bit of vinegar. For just such an occasion, you might want to try Poche’s stuffed pork roast—a winner in my book. Bake it in the oven, put it on a spit in a pit or smoke it in your smoker. The flavor is fabulous. Here’s a great dish to serve with that pork roast, especially if you can get locally-grown vegetables in your area. MARINATED MIXED VEGETABLES

Makes about 8 servings
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
3 carrots, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1 large green or red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and blanched in salted boiling water
1 large zucchini, cut into strips
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the garlic, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Whisk to blend, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the vegetables into a large shallow container fitted with a lid. Pour in the marinade and toss to coat evenly. Cover with the lid and marinate, tossing the vegetables two to three times, for at least 24 hours.

BOUDIN

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:29:05 +0000

Boudin or any of the sausages available here make for great appetizers. For a change, you might want to squeeze the boudin mixture out of the casings, form the mixture into balls or patties, dredge them in seasoned bread crumbs, then deep-fry or pan-fry to give them a bit of a crunch, then dab them with a bit of Creole mustard and serve on toasted French bread slices. Cut smoked sausage into bite-size pieces and offer a dipping sauce for an easy pre-meal offering. Try using mayhaw jelly with pork sausage—I love the sweet and salty combination.