Funeral Gumbo

I went to an Episcopal funeral recently and it lasted two hours, which is much longer than most but that did include the internment in the churchyard. The deceased was an interesting man, quite an eccentric. One of his daughters gave an interesting portrayal of life with her father. Of interest, our own priest from Andalusia, Peggy Scott, was in attendance and assisted with the Eucharist.

Now I have talked about funeral food before but at this specific funeral I realized how important these Episcopal women take their dishes. Maybe this is true of the Baptists and Methodists! My good friend Martha had prepared her special “funeral squash casserole.” She told me she had gone to the grocery store the day before to prepare this and knew the ingredients by heart as she had done it so many times. She arrived with the casserole in a warming bag to make sure it would be just perfect. Well, when she went to check on her casserole after the service it was not on the table in the parish hall. “Where is my squash casserole?” she asked. The person in charge said the family had asked for fried chicken, ham and pick up food. This made Martha go steaming through the parish hall. She said she wanted her casserole and she was going home. So let this be a warning to anyone in charge of funeral food; never refuse a gift of food for the dead. The person in charge looked at those of us in the kitchen, “I guess I shouldn’t have said that.” I took deviled eggs: no problem getting rid of them! And there were other casseroles on the table too.

This was a Louisiana funeral and they served gumbo. Not exactly a pick up food---it needs a bowl and a spoon.  Also on the dessert table was King Cake. It is the season for both and you know you are at a Louisiana funeral when you see these foods. I am still trying to make the best gumbo. I have been doing some research on how to make a roux and did an experiment with microwave roux. It was not bad. I used this roux for a new gumbo recipe and it was really good also.  If you are in a hurry this microwave roux takes 7 minutes compared to 45 for the other over the stove. I thought it tasted about the same. I love seafood gumbo the best but this recipe does have sausage included also.

This would be a great recipe for this cold weather. It makes a lot and you can freeze for several months.

 

From ‘Louisiana Cookin’ January/February 2014.

Microwave Roux

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour in a 4-cup glass measuring cup; combine oil and flour, and whisk until smooth. Microwave, uncovered, on high about 5 minutes. Carefully remove from microwave, and carefully stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. A blond roux should have formed after about 5 minutes.  Continue cooking in 1 to 2--minute increments, or until desired color forms, stirring between each.

Oyster and Seafood Gumbo

Makes 8 to 10 servings

½ pound Andouille sausage, sliced

½ pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup dark brown roux, recipe above (I prefer the taste of a dark roux.)

1 (10-ounce) package red pearl onions, peeled and halved (I used a red onion peeled and chopped.)

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 quarts seafood stock

3 bay leaves

2 dried chili peppers

1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 dozen oysters, in liquid

Cooked white rice

Garnish: Fresh parsley and crushed red pepper

In a large Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium heat until browned; remove from pan, and set aside. Add bacon, and cook until browned. Remove and set aside; discard drippings.

In the same pan, add roux, and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once simmering, add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, Cajun seasonings, salt, pepper, stock, bay leaves, and dried peppers. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes. Add reserved sausage and bacon; cook 10 minutes more.

Add shrimp, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add oysters and cook, uncovered 5 minutes. Serve over cooked white rice. Cajuns always add rice to their gumbos. Garnish with parsley and crushed red pepper, if desired.

 

Bobby Burns 2014

This year I am doing a Bobby Burns dinner in honor of the great poet of Scotland. His birthday is on the 25^th of January, and this is a Saturday night this year so I only though it appropriate to have a party on this evening. I did this party two years ago and it was much fun, but I am changing my menu this year. I have several different single malt scotches to choose from since we were in Scotland last August. I also bought some more haggis. Now some people would like to skip this course!

The first supper was held in memoriam at Ayrshire at the end of the 18^th century on 21 July, the anniversary of Burns’ death.  It was first held on his birthday in 1802 and the poet is now celebrated on or near his birthday by Scots and others celebrating their heritage and the poet all over the world.

The menu is something like this: a first course of Cullen Skink (the name is enough to turn one off) but it is a cream based soup with smoked haddock. A second course of haggis served with neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) since this will make the haggis taste better. The main course is salmon served in parchment paper with some slices of precooked potatoes and a topping of asparagus, snow peas, and some spices. A nice trifle is for dessert. A cheese course will be the last to be served with oat cakes. I made my own oat cakes two years ago but have some I brought back from the last trip.

The meal begins with the Selkirk Grace.  This was known in the 17^th century as the Galloway or the Covenanters Grace.  It was said by Burns himself at the table of the Earl of Selkirk in July 1793 and has since been referred to as the Selkirk Grace:

               Some hae meat and canna eat

               And some wad eat that want it

               But we hae meat and we can eat

               An sae the Lord be thankit.

 

Below are recipes for the soup and salmon course.

Recipes taken from the cookbook called “Scottish Cookery.”

 

Cullen Skink

Serves 4

1 oz. unsalted butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 fresh bay leaf

1 oz. plain flour

12 oz. new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small pieces

1 pint semi-skimmed milk

½ pint water

12 oz. undyed smoked haddock fillet, skinned (could not find so I will use smoked whitefish)

3 oz. sweet corn kernels

2 oz. garden peas

Freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

2-3 Tbsp. single cream

2 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley

Crusty bread to serve

Melt the butter in a large heavy based saucepan, add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bay leaf and stir, then sprinkle on the flour and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the potatoes.

Take off the heat and gradually stir in the milk and water. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, discard any pin bones from the fish and cut into small pieces. Add to the pan together with the sweet corn and peas. Cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables and fish are cooked.

Add pepper and nutmeg to taste, then stir in the cream and heat gently for 1-2 minutes, or until piping hot. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with crusty bread.

 

After the soup will be the haggis with the ‘Address to the Haggis’

               Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face

               Great chieftain o’the pudding-race!

               ………

               Is there that o’re his French ragout

               …..

               Looks down wi’ sneering scornfu’ view

               On sic a dinner?

 

Salmon in Parchment

Serves 4

1 lb. baby new potatoes

4 salmon steaks

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine strips

6 oz. asparagus spears, trimmed

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 oz. unsalted butter

4 large fresh parsley sprigs

Preheat the oven to 375°F about 10 minutes before required. Parboil the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 5-8 minutes until they are barely tender. Drain and reserve.

Cut out 4 pieces of baking parchment, measuring 8 inches square, and place on the work surface. Arrange the parboiled potatoes on top. Wipe the salmon steaks and place on top of the potatoes.

Place the carrot strips in a bowl with the asparagus spears, sugar snaps and grated lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss lightly together.

Divide the vegetables evenly between the salmon. Dot the top of each parcel with butter and a parsley sprig.

To wrap a parcel, lift up 2 opposite sides of the paper and fold the edges together. Twist the paper at the other 2 ends to seal the parcel well. Repeat with the remaining parcels.

Place the parcels on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Place an unopened parcel on each plate and open just before eating.

After dinner toasts are made to the Queen and/or the President, and then a toast to the Lassies followed by a toast to the Laddies.

Nashville and Husk

We paid a visit to Nashville last week for an after New Year’s visit with our relatives. Now these relatives do not cook much but they do know how to go and get some good food. So, I always enjoy what they bring in. For breakfast we had some delicious spinach quiche and one morning biscuits with good ham and brie. We even went to a restaurant and had a drink while waiting for the food to take out. This is not fast food but gourmet take-out!

Since Husk has a new location in Nashville, I wanted to go and give it a try. I love the Husk restaurant in Charleston and wanted to try Sean Brock’s new venture. Some of our relatives had already visited this restaurant and did not really like it. Sean Brock is very creative and his combinations are always interesting (and usually quite tasty) such as for starters: Crispy Pig Tails, Soy Red Pepper Glaze, Benne, Cilantro; or Chilled Rappahannock Oysters with Buttermilk Consommé, Apple and TN Caviar; so can you decide whether this should be ordered? My favorite place for raw oysters is still Frank Stitt’s Highlands Bar and Grill.  We tried to stop in Birmingham on our way up to Nashville for lunch at Fon Fon or Botega but both were closed that day!

Several of us at the table ordered pork (really just a pork chop) with 9 hour cabbage and yellow hominy, with West African mustard onions. The pork chop was ok but not terrific and I could not find many greens under the pork chop. This was $28.00. This makes me think that sometimes it is better to eat at home! It is a treat to eat out but one must be prepared to pay a lot when eating at these restaurants. I will go to Husk again but maybe for lunch when it is not so expensive.

Actually the oysters were probably one of the best items and they’re in season, so I decided to buy some and do some sauces for them. I found three good sauces in my new issue of ‘Louisiana Cookin’. Each of these mignonette sauces makes 2 cups or enough for 24-32 raw oysters. For those of you who do not like raw oysters I have included a special recipe with oysters and spaghetti.

Taken from ‘Louisiana Cookin’ January/February Issue 2014.

Cucumber Mignonette

Makes 2 cups

¼ cup diced cucumber

6 tablespoons minced shallot

1 cup rice wine vinegar

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

In a small bowl, add cucumber, shallot, vinegar, and pepper; whisk thoroughly. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Traditional Mignonette

Makes 2 cups

¼ cup minced shallot

1 cup red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

In a small bowl, add shallot, vinegar, and pepper; whisk thoroughly. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Green Apple Mignonette

Makes 2 cups

¾ cup diced Granny Smith apples

6 tablespoons minced shallot

1 cup Champagne vinegar

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

In a small bowl, add apple, shallot, vinegar, and pepper; whisk thoroughly. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Oyster spaghetti was on menus in New Orleans in the past, but not so much anymore. This is from Chef Brian Landry, chef at the restaurant Borgne in New Orleans.

Oyster Spaghetti

Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons salted butter

½ cup finely chopped shallot

¼ cup finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup dry vermouth or white wine

1 to 1 ½ cups oyster liquor

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

48 large Gulf oysters, shucked

Salt

Ground white pepper

1 pound cooked spaghetti

Garnishes: shaved Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, melt butter over high heat. Add shallot and green onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-high. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add vermouth, swirl the pan to deglaze, and simmer 2 minutes. Add oyster liquor, cream, bay leaf, and thyme. Simmer until cream is bubbling and the sauce begins to reduce, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in Parmesan. Add oysters, and cook until the edges begin to curl. Remove and discard bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

In a large bowl, combine oyster mixture and cooked pasta. Gently toss.

Divide pasta and oysters between 6 bowls. Garnish with shaved Parmesan.

So go buy some oysters and have a feast for one-third of the price of a restaurant.

 

 

 

Spices 2014 with Indian Dishes

In keeping with the healthy trends for 2014 one cannot forget the use of spices. If you read in any food magazine, spices such as ginger, turmeric, cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, and bay leaves are a great asset in many ways to a healthier you. I think we all tend to get in a rut and use the old stables such as salt, pepper, rosemary, tarragon and perhaps cilantro. It just takes a little effort to use more interesting spices and the stores (even Walmart) carry these more exotic spices. Here are two recipes that use some of these spices and are also good cold weather dishes. One uses chicken and one uses beef. I used grass-fed for the beef stew and organic drumsticks for the chicken. Free range chickens are healthier if you can find them. One of my husband’s New Year’s resolutions was for me to do Indian once a week!

From ‘Food and Wine’ December 2013.

Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks with Cilantro-Shallot Relish

4 servings

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ cup canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

12 chicken drumsticks

¾ cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1 small shallot, minced

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450°. Set a rack on each of 2 large baking sheets. In a small skillet, toast the paprika, garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric over moderately low heat, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer the spices to a medium bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the ginger, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper.

Make 2 or 3 slashes in each drumstick. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the spiced yogurt and rub it onto the chicken. Arrange the chicken on the racks, leaving 2 inches between the pieces. Roast for 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Light the broiler and broil the chicken 6 inches from the heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly charred and crisp.

In a small bowl, stir the cilantro, shallot, vinegar and the remaining ¼ cup of the oil; season with salt. Serve with the chicken.

Taken from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking

Rogan Josh or Beef Stew

Serves 4-6

Two (1 inch) cubes fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

8 cloves garlic, peeled

4 tablespoons plus (15 fl. oz.) water

10 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 lb. stew beef cut into 1 inch cubes

10 cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

6 cloves

10 peppercorns

2.5 cm. (1 inch) cinnamon stick

7 oz. onions, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons bright red paprika mixed with 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

6 tablespoons natural yogurt

¼ teaspoon garam masala

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the ginger, garlic, and 4 tablespoons water into the container of an electric blender. Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meat cubes in several batches and set to one side. Put the cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon into the same hot oil. Stir once and wait until the cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on color. Put in the onions. Stir for about 5 minutes or until the onions turn medium-brown or about 5 minutes. Put in the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika-cayenne and salt. Stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add the fried meat cubes and juices. Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt and fry for about 30 seconds or until the yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time. Stir and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Now add 15 fl. oz. water to the beef mixture. Bring to a boil, scraping in all browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pan. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer the beef for 2 hours, or until it is tender.

Every 10 minutes or so, give the meat a stir. When the meat is tender, take off the lid, turn the heat up to medium, and boil away some of the liquid. You should end up with tender meat in a thick, reddish-brown sauce. Spoon off the fat. Sprinkle the garam masala and black pepper over the meat before you serve and mix them it. Serve with rice or some Indian naan.

I like to add some broccoli for a green side, just alone or with a little (grass-fed) butter.

 

 

Healthy Eating 2014

Most of us are probably eating better than we did a decade ago and I think the main trend for 2014 is not to diet but to eat healthier. If you eat the right foods and lower the portions, the weight will come off. Yes, it is hard to do this every day.

Here are some tips for getting this new healthy 2014 started. Eat more grains, less white flour; more leafy, hearty greens; more heritage-breed pork instead of that plastic-wrapped supermarket stuff; more pristine, sustainable fish; more grass-fed beef! We need to build our meals around these ingredients and you will not even think healthy but delicious.

We should eat breakfast every day if possible, and a good one. One of the reasons to keep extra cooked grains around is because they can be added to pancake or waffle batter, quick breads, muffins, and even vegetable fritters. Grains are replacing pasta these days. Store grains such as millet, wild rice, barley, wheat berries, farro, black rice, oats, and spelt in zip-lock bags or airtight jars and they will keep for months in a cool pantry.

Greens are always on the healthy list. Kale was the thing in 2013 and I used a lot of it in salads and really liked it. You should never leave a farmer’s market without a bunch of spicy mustard greens, chard, or hardy collards. They are so easy to use. You can sauté them, make a sauce, or add to a stew. They are super greens and you should eat them every day.

Fish is the new chicken. Many of us are choosing fish over poultry because fresh fish is easier to find and fillets are quick to cook. Fish should be wild caught and not from China! Choose fish that is plump and pristine and the eyes should be clear and bright. Avoid fillets that appear flat, mushy, or dull or that smell fishy. Fresh fish should not smell like much.

I was happy to see that a trend for 2014 is to eat your meat. Today’s well-sourced, well-raised meat has earned a prime spot on your plate. It’s better for you (that is science talking) not me. It can also be better tasting. The key is knowing how to cook it. We talk about meat differently than we did a decade ago. You are getting protein with a side of adjectives; “Grass-Fed,” “Pasture-raised,” “Heritage Breed.” A lot of these words are confusing. We seem to all be on a learning curve with these terms. Mainly people want to know where and how their meat was raised. Heritage breed pork may naturally have more fat, but all that goodness has higher levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Grass-fed beef tends to be much leaner than conventional beef, both in terms of marbling and in the amount of external fat. All cuts of grass-fed deliver a pronounced beefy, almost mineral flavor, that once you have cooked it, is unmistakable. Cook the skirt, flank, and hanger steaks hotter, faster, and a little rarer than you would cook cows fed on grain.

Other trends include gluten-free foods and nut milks. I will not go into all that today but save it for another time. But I do know that many people are looking for some good gluten-free recipes. I will have some of those at a later date.

To begin the year with a good start I did a spicy pork and mustard green soup. This is good and easy and healthy.

Taken from January 2014 ‘ bon appétit’

Spicy Pork and Mustard Green Soup

4 servings

½ lb. ground pork

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger

1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns, crushed

¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp. cumin seeds, coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 bunch mustard greens, torn (about 4 cups)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp. fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)

8 oz. wide rice noodles (I had some narrow at hand so used those.)

Mix pork, garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and cumin in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add pork mixture; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors meld, 8-10 minutes. Add mustard greens, scallions, soy sauce, and fish sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 5-8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions, drain.

Divide noodles among bowls and ladle soup over.