Recipe: Louisian Cooking

 Well here is round 1 of my attempt to bring home a little of what we had in New Orleans.  I feel like it will be a little hard because lots of the spices they use are not store bought and many others are local and seasonal.  But, I am getting more brave to try things as my kids are giving me encouragement and are very kind when things don't work out.  Speaking of not working out, the soup on the bottom was not one that the kids wanted again.  But as I said, they were so incredibly kind and built me up even while they told me this.  I on the other hand liked the soup but told them I was actually glad they didn't like it as it was a very expensive soup and it had lots of fat and calories.  So I am totally fine with not making it again. 


These little meat pies are called, "Arnaud's Meat Pies"  Everyone liked these, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 lb hot pork breakfast sausage, or ½ lb pound sausage and ½ lb ground beef
1 medium onion, finely diced
½ medium red bell pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small Louisiana yam, (or sweet potato) peeled and coarsely grated
1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
¼ teaspoon Cayenne
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 sheets puff pastry, 9×9 inches, from the grocery freezer section
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash

Preparation

Place a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the meat, crumbling it into small pieces as it cooks. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan and add the onions, bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft. Add the grated yam and cook 10 to 15 minutes. Add the basil, pepper and Worcestershire and stir well. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 4-inch plate as a guide, trace and cut out 4 circles of pastry from each of the 3 sheets. Transfer the 12 pastry circles to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling and press with fingers or the tines of a fork to seal securely. Brush each pie lightly with egg wash.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve on a doily-lined platter, if desired.

The soup is called, "New Orleans Shrimp and Artichoke soup"

     64 oz Artichokes, drained

2 Cups Chicken Stock

5 Green Onions, Ends trimmed, slice thin green and white parts, reserve a TBS for garnish

1 TBS Fresh cut Thyme leaves

1/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Butter

4 Cups Heavy Cream

1 Pound Medium Sized Shrimp (reserve a few for garnish)

2 TBS Cajun Spice Mix

1 Pinch Paprika for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Combine Artichoke, chicken stock, green onions, Cajun spices, thyme leaves
2. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 12 minutes.
3. Combine butter and flour in a large saute pan over medium heat and stir for 5 minutes to make a roux. It is very important to stir constantly while the roux is cooking.
4. Stir in heavy cream to roux and whisk til mixed
5. Add the roux/cream mix to the simmering pot...
6. Continue simmering for 10 more minutes
7. Add shrimp and simmer for 3 minutes only (shrimp cooks FAST)
8. During the three minutes, in a small saute pan over medium high heat, melt 2 TBS butter and combine with 1 TBS of Cajun spices. Saute the remaining few shrimp (to be used as a garnish) in the butter/spice mix.
9. Serve with Green Onions and parsley for garnish...
10. Add a little extra heat (Cayenne Pepper) if desired.
11. Garnish with the spiced shrimp and a bit of paprika
12. Serve HOT and ENJOY!

I will try some more recipes from Louisiana another day!