Grilled Okra for Labor Day

Labor Day has snuck up on me this year!

So I'm thinking...maybe something a little different on the grill this time to go along with the chicken, sausage, and potato salad that we do every year for Labor Day.
Grilled Okra? YES! Here is the simple recipe. (Not in Roux, but taped in the back of my copy of Roux.)

Washed whole pods of okra (with stem) (8 per serving)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Place washed okra in a large bowl (you can slit them halfway to the stem which is optional)
Season them with salt and pepper
Toss gently with olive oil

Place the okra pods on a grilling pan/sheet;  moving them on the hot grill until they are almost crispy!
(You can also skewer them, turning them often.)
Bon Appetit

Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes Cookbook: This Fig Pie was from the recipe in Roux, Simple C...

Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes Cookbook: This Fig Pie was from the recipe in Roux, Simple C...: This Fig Pie was from the recipe in Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes! I used Black Mission Figs from the Farmer's Market. It was absolutely deli...

This Fig Pie was from the recipe in Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes!  I used Black Mission Figs from the Farmer's Market.  It was absolutely delicious!  Bon Appetit!

Remember!

Remember to follow this blog for photos since Roux, Simple Cajun Recipes has only the recipes to make it more compact for traveling with you!

I also have added more recipes to the blog that are not in the cookbook as I continue to try out new recipes.

Bon Appetit!

Louisiana Style BBQ Shrimp

1 pound of 26/30 count shrimp with head on
2 sticks of butter, halved
Worcestershire Sauce
4 heaping teaspoons salt
4 heaping teaspoons black pepper
4 heaping teaspoons creole seasoning
4 tsp garlic, minced
4 lemons

For each serving (makes 4 servings),

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat.

Add  2 tablespoons of  Worcestershire sauce
Juice of one lemon freshly squeezed
1 heaping teaspoon of salt
1 heaping teaspoon of black pepper
1 heaping teaspoon of creole seasoning
1 teaspoon of minced garlic.

Combine by stirring or shaking pan. Add in about a quarter of the shrimp. About 9 at a time to each batch.

Cook a couple minutes on each side. Spoon shrimp and butter sauce onto thin sliced French bread.

( I combine the seasonings into four ramkins.  It makes it easier to add to the butter, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice while you are preparing each serving.)

Bon Appetit!

Chicken and Sausage Fricassee

Although this is not in the cookbook Roux, you can copy and paste it in the back of your cookbook!

This is absolutely delicious.  It is a cross between my grandmother's Mulligan Stew and a Gumbo.

1 chicken, disjointed with skin, seasoned. Set aside in a large bowl.
1 lb of smoke sausage, cut into slices and mixed into the bowl of seasoned chicken; set aside.
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 bag of cleaned baby carrots
4 red or white potatoes peeled and cut
4 cloves of garlic cut up
1 bell pepper cut up
1 white onion cut up
1 can of chicken broth
water
Green onion tops

Make a Basic dark roux with the flour and oil in a black pot.  (page 57 in Roux)

Add garlic, bell pepper and onions. Mix well and simmer about 2 minutes; add sausage and chicken; mix well.  Simmer another two minutes.

Stir in carrots and potatoes.  Add chicken broth. Add water a little at a time until it is the consistency of a stew.  

Simmer 45 minutes, add green onion tops and serve on steamed white rice.

Bon Appetit!!!

Pound Cake with Dried Cranberries and Cream Cheese

So I wanted a little more than just a plain pound cake.  Just finished baking this and my goodness, so yummy!!!

1 box of Duncan Hines Pound cake mix
1/2 stick of butter (softened)
2/3 cup of milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup of cream cheese (softened)
1 cup of Ocean Spray dried cranberries (any juice infused flavor you prefer)

On the low setting of an electric mixer, combine  pound cake, butter, eggs, cream cheese and milk until well mixed; then beat on high setting for 2 1/2 minutes.

Pour and spread into a loaf pan (9x5) that has been coated with butter and sugar so the pound cake will not stick to the pan.  

Bake 50 minutes in a 350 degree oven, be sure to check if the center is baked by placing a toothpick in the middle seeing if it comes out clean. (May have to bake a little longer until toothpick comes out clean, cover the pound cake loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil so the top will not continue to brown). Bon Appetit!!!

Italian Caponato! Buon appetito!

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Caponata 5-6 large eggplants 2 yellow or purple onions 4 ribs celery 2 cups mixed olives with pits 1/4 c balsamic vinegar 5 cups spaghetti sauce Remove tops and bottoms of eggplant and cut into 3/4 inch cubes, lightly fry in deep fryer, drain on a paper towel and set aside. Slice onions and celery and saute in 1/4 c cooking oil until translucent. While the onions are cooking place the olives in a Ziploc bag and crush with a mallet. Remove pits from olives and add to onions and celery. Mix well. Add the spaghetti sauce and balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes;  add the eggplant and cook another 5 minutes. Serve on crusted bread.