Shrimp Etouffee

I adapted this (slightly) from NOLA Cuisine.

I started by making my own shrimp stock.

Shrimp Stock Recipe

The Shells and tails from 2 lb. of Shrimp
1/2 Cup chopped Onion
1/4 Cup chopped Celery
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Lemon sliced
2 Bay Leaves
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Black Peppercorns

Add all ingredients to a dutch oven or a moderate sized stock pot. Cover this with cold water, it should be about 6-8 Cups Cups. Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or chinois.

Apparently stock freezes very well, but I haven't done that. I might pick up a new set of ice cube trays to freeze it. 

I also made my own Creole Seasoning, too.

My Creole Seasoning Recipe

1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Paprika
1/4 Cup Granulated Garlic
4 Tbsp Onion Powder
1/3 Cup Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Tbsp White Pepper
2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
2 Tbsp Dried Thyme
2 Tbsp Dried Basil
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano

Combine all ingredients and place in an airtight jar or plastic container.

Okay, now the actual shrimp etouffee:

Shrimp Etouffee Recipe
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup fresh Tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 Cups Shrimp Stock
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
4-5 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Hot Sauce (I like Crystal or Louisiana Gold)
1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp minced Italian Parsley
2 lb Good Quality Raw Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined, Save shells for the stock
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice

1. Season the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the Creole Seasoning.
2. Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery, saute until translucent. Whisk in the flour to make a blonde roux, stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining Creole Seasoning. Add a small amount of the shrimp stock, stir well to form a paste, add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need a little more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of a gravy, not too thick, not too thin.
3. Add the tomatoes, garlic, Thyme, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, a little salt, black pepper, and Cayenne. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. I had to add more shrimp stock to the whole thing to thin it out a bit.
4. Add the shrimp, green onions, and parsley, simmer for 10 minutes more or until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the 3 Tbsp butter, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

And here's the Creole Rice

Creole Boiled Rice

I just made Basmati in a rice maker with 2 bay leaves, a Tbsp kosher salt, and a Tbsp unsalted butter. 

Not *Quite* KFC good, but REALLY good and easy

Um, yeah, so these are pretty good. They're not quite KFC good, but they're really easy and tasty. I'd recommend doubling it because they really only make 6. Don't roll them out too thin because they don't rise that much. I'm not great at making homemade biscuits -- I think I tend to over or under "work" them, but I've made these 3 times and they've come out perfect. Just fyi.

1 1/2 cups flour 

1 1/4 teaspoons salt 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

2/3 cup milk 

1/3 cup vegetable shortening 

Directions: 

1 Preheat oven to 400ºF. 

2 Sift together flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into mixing bowl. 

3 Make a well in the flour mix and add the milk. 

4 Add shortening and begin kneading with hands (to cut in) the vegetable shortening and flour in the milk until thoroughly mixed. 

5 Add a little more milk, if needed to form, and mix. 

6 Turn onto floured board, and knead gently 6 to 8 times. 

7 Pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness. 

8 Cut into biscuits.

 9 Place on baking sheet and brown in oven 10 minutes. Makes about 6 biscuits.

Really Good Guac

I adapted this from Alton Brown's guac recipe and it was really really good.


2 Haas avocados, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
2-3 dashes chipotle powder
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne
¼ medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced


In large bowl, place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice. Toss to coat. Drain and reserve the lime juice after all the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher, add the salt, garlic salt, cumin, cayenne, and mash. Then fold in onions, garlic, tomato, and jalapeno (I used my mini chopper to blend the garlic, onion, and jalapeno). Add 1 Tbsp of reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

What's for dinner? Chicken?

I'm in a chicken rut. If I ever develop a chicken allergy, I'll be screwed. I try not to eat too much red meat, and pork doesn't tend to agree with me. We love fish, but it's a bit pricey, as is shrimp. So chicken. But we eat a lot of chicken.

Last night we had tequila lime chicken, which was pretty good. This week, I'm thinking about, yes, chicken. I'm debating slow cooker chili chicken tacos. And tonight I might try to make shrimp gumbo, if I can get a bottle of dry white wine today. I'll need to make a roux, which I've never done before. But Beej took the day off because his allergies are bugging him, so that means there's someone here to keep an eye on the dog so I can cook.

So chicken tacos, shrimp gumbo, maybe fish?, maybe steak, maybe grilled pizza.

Cajun/Creole Cooking

When we were in New Orleans, Beej and I found this little bar/restaurant that, apparently, used to be primarily a local place. Apparently, after the invention of apps like Urbanspoon, lots of people know about it (to the locals' dismay). We actually got the recommendation from a local bartender, and it was the best food we ate while we were there. And no, I'm not telling you where it was. But we bought their self-published little cookbook. We've thus far made two recipes out of it and they've been outstanding. Tonight was jambalaya from scratch. It was a smidge too spicy, but it was delicious. Depth of flavor, good heat, delish.

Smokey Pasta Sauce

I make simple pasta sauce pretty often. My go-to is this:

Sautee a small shallot (chopped, of course) in 1 Tbsp olive oil until it's translucent.
Add 4 cloves of garlic, chopped. Sautee until fragrant (30 seconds or so).
Add a package of sliced mushrooms, preferably baby bellas
Sautee those until a little over half cooked
1 tsp-2 tsp with garlic salt
Add can of fire-roasted tomatoes

I made one small switch tonight and I'm happy about it.
I cut back on the garlic salt and added 1 tsp Salish
and added a pinch of crushed red pepper

Add pasta.

The fire-roasted tomatoes and Salish made it smokey. I really like it.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I adapted this from Delish.com. Delish is amazing.

You need
1/2 C. fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil
fresh ground pepper
1 tsp kosher salt or Salish
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Heat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.

About 1/2 C. fresh basil, 1 tsp Salish, 2 cloves garlic, 2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes (in oil, but drained), fresh ground pepper. Chop all of this together.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts: use a paring knife to make a slit in the middle of the breast, being careful not to go through the sides. Again, being careful not push through too far, using your finger, make that pocket bigger, trying to get as close to the sides without going through. Fill each breast with the mixture and about 1.5 oz of fresh mozz. Rub the breasts with a bit of olive oil and add a bit more salt (just a touch) and pepper. Close the pockets with 4-5 toothpicks.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Might want to broil for a few seconds to try to brown the tops, too. Let them sit for 4-5 minutes before eating.