Please pay 'tench for at least a millisecond, it could be interesting and you might get a chuckle or two, and that's not all bad in this hectic, cyberspace cyclonic world in which we live. Now, that said. . .
When you're a Cajun by executive proclamation, not by blood, an explanation is in order, and here it is. . .Being know for making excellent beef jerky, moving from East Texas to Louisiana, and having a friend(?) with a sense of humor(?) who owned a printing press resulted in labels that read: Straight from Castor, Louisiana... Cajun Clark's Handmade Beef Jerky...Made from all natural ingredients in Clark's own kitchen, just for your enjoyment. This product is not for sale under any circumstances.
Yep, you got it. da ol' mon Caj used the labels, gave away some beef jerky, and as they say, the rest is history. And now that you know more than you ever wanted to about how River Rat bestowed this honorary moniker, it's past time to get to the Cajun Recipes.
Whoa! Thanks go to several fine folks who contributed their recipes for this section. There's Patti, Sandy, and what's-her-name. Now let's do it, there has to be something interesting for supper.
Here's what da ol mon Caj received from "what's-her-name," Austin, Texas.Shrimp & Crab Stew
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oil
1 can tomato sauce
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 cans crab meat
Peeled shrimp
Tabasco sauce
Worcestershire sauce
2 bay Leaves
Salt
Pepper
Make roux with flour and oil. Does not have to be as dark as you would make it for gumbo. Add enough water to thin to add tomato sauce, Ro-Tel tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt, pepper. Let simmer and add more water if necessary. Mixture should be thick as a stew is and to serve over rice. Add crab meat and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are done.
Cajun Baked Catfish Vegetable cooking spray 1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon red pepper (or less if you want less spicy)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons melted diet margarine, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons water, stirred well
2 ounces lemon juice (or juice of one lemon)
SPRAY large baking sheet with cooking spray. ARRANGE fillets, placing skin side down. COMBINE all dry seasonings, mix well. POUR melted margarine over fish. With small spoon, carefully sprinkle seasonings on fish. Lightly sprinkle with lemon juice. BAKE in 350°F oven for 30 minutes, baste in at 20 minutes and immediately before serving.
Shrimp Dip
2 pounds boiled shrimp coarsely ground
1--8 ounce package soft cream cheese
Juice of one lemon
10 green onions, minced
mayonnaise
hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper to taste
SOFTEN cream cheese with lemon juice. ADD shrimp and green onions to cream cheese mixture. ADD enough mayonnaise to give a consistency for dipping chips. SEASON with hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. MAKE 8 hours before serving.
Crawfish Etouffeé
1 stick oleo
1 pound crawfish tails
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 can chicken broth
Onion tops
MELT oleo. ADD crawfish and cook 2-3 minutes. REMOVE crawfish with slotted spoon. ADD vegetables and seasonings. SAUTE' 10 minutes. REMOVE bay leaf after 5 minutes. RETURN crawfish to pot. ADD broth and cook on low for 30 minutes. ADD green onions and cook 10 minutes. Thicken with cornstarch if desired. Serve over rice.
The next recipes come from Patti, Lafayette, Louisiana -- a true Southern Belle. You'll note she really goes for Tony's Seasoning, but you can make your own. See Cajun Seasoning in the Grab Bag section.
Patti's Seafood Gumbo
4 pounds peeled shrimp
2 quarts oysters in their juice
1 pound white crab meat
1 pound crab claws
2 tablespoons Tony's seasoning, or to your taste
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large white onion, chipped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup green onion tops
parsley, to taste
In large magnalite soup pot heat oil. Add flour and make a dark brown roux. Add white onion and garlic. Sauté' 'til tender. Stir constantly on low heat. (Season your shrimp in bowl on the side.) Add shrimp--stir in well. Add water (10 cups or so). Simmer this for 30 minutes. Add oysters and crabmeat. Simmer another 30 minutes. Add parsley (to taste) and green onions along with this. If too thick, add more water. Cook more. Serve over rice--add "filet" when you serve in bowl.
Patti's Seafood Stuffed Bell Peppers
2 cups egg plant, cooked
1 pound either shrimp or crawfish (peeled)
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup bread crumbs (Italian style)
5 or 6 bell peppers
1 cup onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
1/2 cup green onion tops
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Season with Tony's for your taste
1/4 cup oil for eggplant to smother
1/4 cup oil to cook vegetables
Boil peppers for 15 minutes--drain and cool. Place in baking pan ready for stuffing; put a little oil in bottom of baking pan. In another pot smother egg plant that's been peeled and diced in oil until cooked--season with Tony's--set aside. Next add 1/4 cup oil and sauté' all veggies 'til tender and smothered down good. Then add crawfish and cook down about 15 minutes or so. Last, add rice to eggplant, veggies and crawfish. Stir 'til mixed together. Stuff bell peppers. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350°F about 40 minutes or so--CHECK OFTEN!
Cajun Dressing
1 eggplant, about 1 pound, peeled and diced
2 cups water
3 teaspoons salt, or Tony's Seasoning or Cajun Seasoning in the Grab Bag
1/2 cup each of: celery, onions and green peppers
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup crawfish tails
1/4 cup each of: bread crumbs and parsley
1/4 teaspoon each of: garlic powder and black pepper
1/4 teaspoon each of: cayenne red pepper and paprika
Combine eggplant, water and 1 teaspoon salt in sauce pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Drain. Cook celery, onions and green peppers in butter until tender. Stir in eggplant, rice, bead crumbs, parsley and Tony's. Turn into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with a little paprika. Bake in pre-heated oven at 375ºF for 25 to 35 minutes.
And from Sandy who lives at the beginning of da ol' mon Caj's dead-end road we have...The choice is yours!
But here's what you'll need:
2 fryers or hens
2 boxes frozen cut okra or 4 cups fresh sliced okra, chopped
2 large bell peppers, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1--15.25 or 16 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1--10 ounce can Ro-Tel tomatoes
5 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
Boil and debone chicken; retain broth. Put vegetable oil and lour in skillet; mix and cook on low temperature until dark brown. Stir constantly, you're making a roux. Add chopped vegetables; cook until tender. Add mixture to large soup kettle. Add tomatoes, strained broth from chicken, and a little water. Simmer 1 to 2 hours. Add chicken meat and herbs/spices. Cook approximately 10 minutes. YOU MAY add seafood at this time; like shrimp, oysters, crab, etc. Serve over rice in a soup bowl.
Note: If file' is available you may want to add it over gumbo after gumbo has been put over rice in bowl.