This past week's contest over at Food52 was "your Best One Pot Meal" so I made a pastalaya which is like jambalaya but uses pasta in place of the rice. It was spicy, filling and tasty!
See my recipe here:
http://food52.com/recipes/25919-one-pot-pastalaya
Spicy and filling, this soup makes a satisfying meal fit for a tailgate or just game watching!
Makes about 5 quarts
2 Tbl vegetable oil
1 pound andouille or another spicy smoked sausage
5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 medium stalks celery, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 14 to 15 ounce can plum tomatoes
8 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked white rice
3/4 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
Cayenne pepper to taste
Cut the sausage into a 3/4 inch dice. Remove any excess fat from the chicken thighs and then dice them about the same size as the sausage.
Heat the oil in a 6 quart soup pot (or larger) and add the diced sausage. Once the sausage starts to render some fat, add the diced chicken and saute until the chicken loses some of its "rawness".
Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, paprika, basil, oregano and thyme and continue to saute until the vegetables soften.
With clean hands, crush the tomatoes and add them to the pot. Give it a stir and bring to a simmer.
Add the chicken broth and bring the soup up to a boil and then down to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the cooked rice and then taste the soup. This is where you'll decide if you want to add a little cayenne pepper. My sausage was very spicy so I added less than 1/4 teaspoon. It's up to you.
Bring the soup back up to a simmer, add the shrimp, put a lid on the pot and turn the heat off. The shrimp will cook within a couple of minutes. if you're making the soup early in the day, add the shrimp after re heating.
I still can't put new photos on this blog so in the meantime I'm posting photos you've all ready seen and sending you links to recipes. Here's the link to the tart and spicy chicken kebabs we had this week. The BBQ sauce is a white one, Alabama style, made with mayo and vinegar as opposed to tomato.
Pretty darn good! See it here:
http://food52.com/recipes/21937-bama-kebabs
Sweet Thai chili sauce and a little sambal oelek (very spicy chili sauce) turn bland turkey into a loaf to remember! The chili sauces are available in the Asian section of most grocery stores or your favorite Asian mart.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
2 slices bacon
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup diced celery (small dice)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 pounds ground turkey (85/15)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbl sweet Thai chili sauce
1 Tbl sambal oelek
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup minced parsley
In a saute pan, cook the bacon until crisp. remove and crumble. Leaving the drippings in the pan, saute the onion, celery and garlic until softened and fragrant.
In a large mixing bowl combine the turkey, bacon, sauteed vegetables, egg panko crumbs, 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce, sambal oelek, soy, salt, pepper and parsley.
Shape the mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or place in an oiled 9x5 inch loaf pan. I use one with that wonderful insert for easy removal.
Brush the top of the loaf with the remaining 2 Tbl of sweet chili sauce and bake in a pre heated 350F oven for 60 to 80 minutes or until the internal temp of the loaf reaches 160F.
NOTE: Serve with more sweet chili sauce if you like.
These are chicken nuggets for grownups although I do know many kids who like spicy food. The chicken is marinated in maple syrup and cayenne and then breaded, fried and baked. Dip them in the spicy sauce and they pack a nice punch.
NOTE: If you or the kids don't want them spicy, omit all cayenne pepper and dip them in maple syrup...they're still great!
For the sauce:
1 cup homemade or good quality purchased mayo
1 Tbl sambal oelek (spicy ground chili paste)
4 Tbl dark amber maple syrup
Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate until serving time.
For the nuggets:
4 - 6 to 8 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp salt, divided
2 tsp cayenne pepper, divided
1/2 cup dark amber maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Vegetable oil (enough to fill a large frying pan about an inch for pan frying)
Place the chicken cubes in a bowl and stir in 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cayenne and the 1/2 cup maple syrup. Cover and refrigerate for about 45 minutes to an hour.
After marinating, place the chicken cubes in a colander to drain the liquid and then place them back in the bowl and stir in the beaten egg to coat.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 1/2 tsp cayenne. Dredge the chicken cubes in the seasoned flout and set on a wire rack.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and then pan fry the cubes for just a few minutes to brown all sides. Transfer the cubes to a rimmed baking sheet. (Fry the cubes in batches - don't over crowd)
Bake the cubes in a pre heated 425F oven for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
Here's an easy appetizer based on those jalapeno wonton poppers served with a dipping sauce you see all over the internet...I just put the sauce in the appetizer.
4 ounces softened cream cheese
2 Tbl sweet chili sauce
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 large jalapeno pepper, very finely diced
20 to 25 wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil for pan frying
In a bowl thoroughly combine the cream cheese, chili sauce, sugar and jalapeno.
Take a wonton wrapper and with a pointed end facing you, place a teaspoon of the filling about a third of the way up.
Using clean fingers moisten the edges of the wrapper with a little water.
Fold that bottom corner of the wonton up over the filling and then fold the 2 side corners to the center. Your wrapper should look like a little envelope.
Starting at the bottom, roll the wonton all the way up to form a mini egg roll.
Repeat for the remaining wrappers.
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and then fry a few of the little bites at a time for about 30 seconds on each side.
Serve warm
We eat a lot of chili in the winter...in a bowl as is, with macaroni added and sometimes served over spaghetti like a 5 way. For this one I lightened it up by omitting the meat and using roasted cherry tomatoes instead of the winter time canned.
1 1/2 pounds assorted cherry tomatoes
1 medium poblano pepper, seeded and cut into 8 relatively square pieces
1 medium onion, cut into pieces about the same size as the poblano
4 Tbl olive oil, divided ( 1 & 3 )
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
3 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbl ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp salt
2 cups cooked or one 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 to 12 ounces dry spaghetti
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling on the pasta
Shredded jack or cheddar cheese for garnish (or both)
Sliced green onion for garnish
Sour cream for garnish
Roll the cherry tomatoes in 1 Tbl of the olive oil and roast in a pre-heated 400F oven for about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Broil the onion and poblano (skin side up) for about 5 minutes or until the pepper pieces begin to blister a bit. Let cool.
Place all but one cup of the smallest tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor along with all of the onion and 2 pieces of the poblano. Process until not quite smooth but a little rustic.
Finely dice the remaining poblano pieces and in a large saute pan, saute the poblano, jalapeno and minced garlic in the remaining 3 Tbl olive oil until the garlic becomes fragrant
Stir in the chili powder and cumin and add the tomato mixture and salt. Simmer for about 8 minutes.
Add the beans and the reserved cup of roasted tomatoes. bring up to the heat after cooking the spaghetti per package directions. Save a little pasta water if you want to loosen the sauce a bit.
Place 1/4 of the pasta on a plate or in a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, ladle some chili over and garnish with the cheese, green onion and sour cream.
Boudin is a sausage that tastes a bit like dirty rice but with more meat. Very popular in Louisiana, this sausage can be made and turned into a tempting appetizer without sausage casings. This recipe makes 25 to 30 morsels and can be frozen before breading and frying for a great make ahead.
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder cut into 2 inch cubes (don't lose the fat)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Tbl salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice, divided
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup sliced green onion
3 step breading station set up with flour, egg beaten with a little water and seasoned bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for pan frying
In a 4 quart pot, place the pork, onion, green pepper, salt, black pepper, garlic and cayenne. Cover with water to reach about 2 inches over the mixture.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender.
Remove the mixture from the pot, reserving the broth, and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add some of the broth, the parsley, green onion and 3/4 cup of the cooked rice and process until pretty smooth ( a pate consistency). Add more broth if needed...I used about 3/4 cup.
Remove the mixture to a bowl, stir in the reserved 3/4 cup rice. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight if you wish.
When ready to cook, form the meat mixture into smooth little balls a little bigger than a walnut but smaller than a golf ball. At this point you can freeze any that you don't want to cook...just partially thaw before breading.
With your breading station set up, dust the balls with flour, then into the egg mixture and finally the seasoned crumbs.
Pan fry for about 2 or 3 minutes on each side and drain on paper toweling before serving.
We served ours with a a dipping sauce of 1/2 cup mayo, 1 Tbl Dijon mustard, 1 Tbl creole seasoning and 1 Tbl hot sauce.
No...not popped corn, but crawdaddies, mudbugs, crayfish, crawfish, breaded in a spicy flour and corn meal mix and eaten out of hand like popcorn. If you can't get crawfish tail meat, feel free to use small gulf shrimp or rock shrimp.
1 pound cooked crawfish tail meat, thawed if frozen, rinsed and drained
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbl hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
1 cup flour
1/4 cup yellow corn meal
1 Tbl cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Enough peanut or vegetable oil to fill a large frying pan about an inch
Stir the buttermilk and hot sauce together and add the crawfish meat. Let marinate for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, make the breading by whisking the flour, corn meal, salt, pepper and cayenne together and then place in a small paper or plastic bag.
After the 20 minutes, drain the crawfish meat well.
Heat the oil in the frying pan until almost smoking. Add about a third of the crawfish to the flour filled bag and coat well. Fry the crawfish in the oil for no more that 2 minutes or until golden. Remove with a spider or large slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling. Repeat with the rest of the crawfish.
We love fish and rice together for dinners and last week when I found two beautiful pompano at Whole Foods I knew we had to grill and have spicy rice. I paired the rice with fresh corn for a sweet crunch. The recipe has creole seasoning in it. You can use a store bought one or find my recipe for it here:
http://inpatskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/red-beans-and-rice.html
4 slices bacon, diced
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup seeded diced tomato
1 cup raw rice
1 Tbl creole seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups fresh corn kernels
3 Tbl finely diced green pepper for garnish (optional)
Fry the diced bacon until crisp, saving the fat to saute the vegetables.
Saute the onion, green pepper and garlic in the bacon fat and the olive oil until the onion softens. Stir in the rice making sure it's coated with the fat.
Add the diced tomato, creole seasoning and cooked bacon and give all a big stir.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil and then bring down to a low simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is done and the liquid is mostly incorporated.
Stir in the fresh corn kernels and garnish with the finely diced bell pepper if desired.
I'm so disappointed...so far I've only picked one small zucchini from the garden and I'm seeing only blossoms - no fruit. At least I made this tasty rice dish with that small veggie...
3 Tbl butter
3 Tbl diced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbl of your favorite taco seasoning
1 small zucchini, diced
3/4 cup raw rice
About 2 cups water
In a sauce pan, saute the onion, garlic and zucchini until the onion starts to soften. Add the taco seasoning and rice and stir everything together. Add the water, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer covered for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done.
The Red Eye - tomato juice, vodka and beer. I've jazzed this one up to make it extra spicy, so if you can't handle the heat, cut back on the hot sauce.
For the cubes:
1 12 ounce can V8 Juice
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl Cholula hot sauce
Mix all ingredients and pour the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze.
For 2 glasses:
1 double shot vodka
6 ounces beer
6 ounces V8 juice
7 of the cubes
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl Cholula ( or less)
Fresh lime juice ( optional)
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until slushy. Pour into 2 glasses. If you like lime stir in about a tsp per glass. If you like, pour your drink right over a few cubes.
Great for summer on the deck....and easy as pie!
1 cup mayo
1 Tbl Sambal Oelek ( spicy fresh chili paste)
2 Tbl fresh lime juice
4 Tbl honey
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 to 2 pounds peeled, deveined cooked shrimp, tails on
Salt for seasoning
Place all ingredients except shrimp in a mini food processor and process until smooth. Taste and add salt and more Sambal Oelek if desired.
Place sauce in serving bowl and surround with beautiful shrimp!
Here's a fun appetizer idea ( or even lunch ) taking the flavors of buffalo wings to shrimp with a little crunch.
12 peeled and deveined (26 - 30 count or larger) shrimp, tails left intact.
12 wonton wrappers
1/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce ( I used Cholula )
3 ounces softened cream cheese
2 Tbl crumbled blue cheese
1 Tbl finely minced chives
peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Marinate the shrimp in the hot sauce for about 20 minutes.
Thoroughly combine the cream cheese, blue cheese and chives in a bowl.
Take a wonton and with your finger wet all 4 edges with water.
Spread about 1/2 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of the wonton.
Take a shrimp, pat it dry with a paper towel and place it in the center of the wonton, leaving the tail hanging over the edge.
Fold the top side of the wonton over the top of the shrimp, pressing firmly along the whole top. Fold the sides over the shrimp, wrapping tight, being especially careful to seal the tail end. Repeat for remaining shrimp.
Heat enough oil in a large frying pan for shallow frying Fry the shrimp quickly on both sides until nicely browned. Transfer to paper towels to drain a bit.
Place the wontons in a baking pan and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10 minutes. Cool a few minutes before serving with hot sauce blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.
We pulled the last frozen turkey out this week and so one meal was soup. This time I wanted the flavor of pot pie. I also added fresh horseradish for the kick and passed more at the table. If you're not in to horseradish you can certainly make the soup without it.
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
1 medium onion, diced
3 small carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
a pinch of ground thyme
2 tsp black pepper
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped parsley
5 Tbl finely grated fresh horseradish plus more for serving
more pepper and salt to taste
1 sheet of puff pastry from a 17.3 ounce package, cut into 9 squares and baked at 400F for about 20 minutes
In a soup pot, melt the butter and oil and saute the onion, celery and carrot until the onion softens a bit.
Add the thyme, black pepper and flour and cook while stirring for a couple of minutes until the mixture forms a tight roux.
Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly, until the roux mixture is incorporated. Add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the corn, peas and chicken or turkey and bring back to the boil.
Turn off the heat and stir in the cream, horseradish and parsley. Re-season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve each bowl with a puff pastry square floating on top.
When friends Dave and Lynn lived here in Troy, we would get together every month or two for wonderful dinners at each others homes. At one of them, Lynn made these wonderful cocktail meatballs. Now, I'm not sure if this is her exact recipe, but it's close. I make them every year at Christmas and they're a real hit with the family. Make them ahead of time and freeze the sauce and meatballs separately.
For the meatballs:
3 lbs. bulk pork hot sausage
Shape the meat into 1 -1 1/2 inch meatballs and bake at 350F for 20 -25 minutes.
Sauce:
2 cups ketchup
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Combine and heat all ingredients together until boiling.
To serve: Gently heat (or reheat thawed sauce and meat) the meatballs combined with the sauce until hot.
