Red Beans and Rice N'Awlins Style Ya'll

Now I know ya'll thought this might be my first post, but I had to wait until a Monday when I had time to cook (actually a Sunday) this savory dish that is traditionally served on Mondays in N'Awlins. The story behind Red Beans and Rice being served on Mondays is back in the day, Monday was wash day. Dinner needed to be something that could cook all day on the stove and didn't need to be watched too closely. Also, beans and rice was an economical dish and after whooping it up for Sunday dinner, I guess people needed to be a bit more conservative in the beginning of the week but not economical on taste. This is a staple for our family even if are 600 and some odd miles from New Orleans. This is a keeper!

Red Beans and Rice - Soak 1 pound of red kidney beans overnight in cold water in a large bowl. This will greatly reduce the cooking time of the beans. Soaking will soften the beans. When you check the beans in the morning you will note they have plumped up, just add cold water to cover the beans until you are ready to start cooking. In a large heavy pot add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot brown off 1 lb. of smoked pork sausage, remove from pot and set aside. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter, then add 1 onion chopped, 2 ribs celery chopped, 4 cloves garlic minced, and 1/2 lb. smoked cubed ham (optional). Saute approximately 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add smoked sausage and beans. Blend well with vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes. Add enough cold water to cover beans by approximately 2 inches and add 2 bay leaves and 2 teaspoons dried sweet basil. Bring to a rolling boil and allow to cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching. Reduce heat to simmer and cook approximately 1 hour or until beans are tender. Stir occasionally, beans will settle at the bottom of the pot. Add 3 tablespoons chopped parsley and 2 green onions, chopped. Once beans are cooked season to taste with salt (very important do not add salt until beans are soft, adding salt before hand will make beans hard) and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Use a spoon and mash approximately 1/3 of the beans against the side of the pot to create a creamy gravy. Once the beans are tender and creamy, they are ready to be served over hot white rice. This is one of those dishes that tastes better if it is cooked a day ahead of time.

Coq Au Vin & Mashed Potatoes

I haven't posted in a couple of days because I haven't been cooking. My husband and I had dinner out to celebrate our wedding anniversay. We also have been enjoying a warm spell in the mountains which induced my husband to grill, so I've had a couple of nights off and I couldn't remember where the kichen was located.

Coq Au Vin is French I'm told, for Chicken cooked with wine. I haven't made this in quite some time and decided to give this old standby a another try.

Coq Au Vin - Use a 3 to 4 pound chicken cut up and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Generously salt and pepper chicken on both sides and set aside. Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and fry 5 slices of pancetta (or bacon) diced in the oil until brown and crispy. Remove pancetta (or bacon) from pan and set aside. Place chicken in pot, a few pieces at a time and brown on both sides, remove from pot and set aside. Add 1 more tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to pot and add one onion sliced and 3/4 pack of baby carrots to the pot and saute for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions have started to brown slightly, add 4 cloves of garlic minced and cook a minute or two and add 3/4 cup brandy, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper; let this cook for 5 minutes then add chicken and pancetta back to the pot. Now add 1 cup of chicken broth, 2 cups burgundy wine and 1-1/2 teaspoons dried tyme leaves and let this come up to a simmer. Once the pot comes to a good simmer, place tigh fitting lid on pot and place pot in a preheated 250 degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove pot from oven to stove over medium heat and blend 1 tablespoon of room temperature butter and 1-1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour in a small bowl to make a doughy mixture - add this to stew and blend with a spoon and add about 8 ounces of pearl onions (fresh or frozen) and let simmer. Meanwhile place 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter to a saute pan and saute one container of fresh mushrooms until they turn golden brown, then add mushrooms to the stew. Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

Mashed Garlic Potatoes - Boil 3 pounds peeled potatoes in salted water (reserve 1/2 cup of water before draining potatoes). While potatoes are boiling, in a small pot place 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced garlic. The garlic will infuse the oil with the garlic flavor. Once the oil begins to bubble, remove pot from stove and set aside to cool. Place drained potatoes in a large bowl and strain the minced garlic from the pot and add to potatoes. Smash the potatoes with a hand masher, then add 2 tablespoons of flavored oil and 1/4 cup of potato water, salt and pepper. Blend everything and add oil and water as needed to get the right consistency.

Buffalo Chicken Strips

Sometimes I feel like my real job starts when I walk through the door in the afternoon from the job I have that helps pay the bills. The county public schools have been closed since Tuesday afternoon due to "illness" and girlz are bored. It has been too cold and wet to go outside and work off their excess energy. Yesterday when I arrived home, they seriusly pounced on me. We had to make an emergency run to the mall. On the way home, I was thinking how tired I was, had a slight headache and really didn't feel like cooking. My youngest must have been reading my mind because she said she was in the mood for buffalo chicken, basically, she was in the mood for buffalo sauce to mix with ranch dressing. You're probably thinking right now that I let these girlz walk all over me. Maybe I do at times if it keeps peace. Anyway Kaitlin wanted to help and we nailed the buffalo sauce, here goes...

Buffalo Chicken Strips - Use one pack of chicken strips or slice up boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Note: This recipe works for wings too). Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry with papertowels. Salt and pepper the strips and lightly dust them with all-purpose flour - do not use an eggwash. Using a high sided, heavy frying pan, gently place the strips in 300 to 325 degree peanut oil and fry until golden borwn. Be careful not to over crowd the pan so the oil temperature will not drop. Doing this in batches is fine. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pan using tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a platter lined with papertowels to absorb the oil.

While the chicken is frying, melt one stick of butter (not margarine) over low heat in a 2 quart sauce pan. Once the butter is melted, add 8 ounces of Crystal Hot Sauce or Frank's Hot Sauce (do not use Tabasco), 1-1/2 tablespoons apple cidar vineager, 3/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, blend well and remove from heat so the sauce won't breakdown because of the butter. Taste the sauce and depending on your stamina, you may need to add a little more hot sause and/or a pinch more cayenne.

Once the chicken is fried and the sauce is complete, place the strips in a large bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken (you may want to reserve a ladle or two sauce for dipping). Toss the chicken to evenly coat with sauce. Place the coated strips on a baking sheet and put them in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to cook the sauce onto the chicken. Remove from oven and serve with a side of carrots, celery and your favorite bleu cheese or ranch dressing.

Note: Some bake or grill the chicken and this is fine. I find the sauce adheres better to fried chicken and we like the crunch that goes along with the taste.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Here's a cold weather warmer-upper! In this recipe, I'm using boneless, skinless chicken thighs to cut down on the grease and dark meat adds a bit more flavor. You can use chicken thighs or chicken legs with the skin on, but be sure to skim the excess grease from the top of the gumbo.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo - Using a large stock pot, brown 1 lb. sausage (andouille preferred, a good smoked pork sauage will work fine) and four boneless, skinless chicken thighs in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (about 15 minutes). Remove meat from pot and set aside. Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil and 3 tablespoons of flour to pot and stir continuously to make a roux. The roux is finished when it's just a little darker than the color of peanut butter. Next add 1 onion chopped, 1 green bellpepper chopped, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and one cup chopped celery. Fold the vegatables into the roux to coat them. At this point your kitchen is going to smell some good! Saute for about 3 minutes then add 3 large cloves of chopped garlic and finish sauteing for another 3 to four minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Now add 1-1/2 quarts of chicken broth, 1-1/2 quarts of water to the pot and blend in well with the roux. Then add 1 tablespoon Lea & Perrins, 1 teaspoon cayenne, salt to taste, 2 bay leaves to the pot and bring to a boil. When gumbo comes up to a boil, lower heat to simmer and add meat back in, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Skim off any excess grease from top of gumbo. Cook 4 cups of extra long grain white white. Spoon a serving of rice into a bowl and ladle gumbo over rice and enjoy!

Smoky Mountain Ribs and Slaw

I'm learning that when you barbeque meat here in Appalachia, cole slaw is the natural accompaniment. Barbeque is on my top ten, but cole slaw is not on of my favs.

Smoky Mountain Ribs - Rinse and dry one slab of pork baby back ribs. In a bowl mix 3/4 cup paprika, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 pinch of cayenne, 1 tablespoon season salt, 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper 1 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoon onion powder. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients and rub into ribs, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 6 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let meat temperature come up a bit. Slice ribs into 2 to 3 rib sections and wrap in foil. Place wrapped meat on heated 250 degree grill (charcoal works best) over indirect heat for abut 2 hours, turn after 1 hour. After two hours, open foil packets, remove foil and liberally brush meat with your favorite barbeque sauce. Cook meat for about 30 minutes, turn and coat the other side and cook for another 30 minutes. Meat should separate from bone easily.

Cole Slaw - Shred one medium head of cabbage, two peeled carrots and one medium onion in food processor using the grater attachment. Empty shredded vegetables into a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonaise, 1/4 cup yellow mustard, 3 tablespoons apple cider vineager, 1/3 cup granualted sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Wisk these ingredients together and pour over shredded vegetables. Toss dressing with shredded vegetables to thoroughly coat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours. As an option, you can add 1-1/2 teaspoons of curry powder right before serving cole slaw.

Broiled Catfish

On our first Friday of Lent I was racking my brain on what to cook for dinner. My husband was on his way back home from New Orleans. He called me several times while he was making his 600 mile journey home and told me he had his fill of seafood. Great, just what I wanted hear. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from work hoping to see something at the Seafood counter that would inspire me. I knew a shrimp dish was out and cod...gross; I don't even want to go there. The talapia looked dried out. The catfish filets were on sale and looked great so I bought four of them still not knowing what to do with them. When I pulled them out for dinner, here's what happened...

Broiled Catfish - Pre-heat the broiler, yes the broiler. Pat the filets dry on both sides. Brush each filet with extra virgin oilve oil and seaon each with a light coating of garlic powder, onion powder, coarse salt, lemon pepper and parika. Turn them over and do the same thing on the other side. Cut the top side of the filet in a diamond pattern, not all the way through, but about halfway through. This will help the filets to cook faster and evenly under the broiler. Put the filets on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. Make sure the filets don't touch. Now drizzle each filet with a dry white wine and put them under the broiler for about 6-7 minutes (until the fish is moist and flakey). Remove from oven and drain the pan drippings to a medium size sauce pan. Tent the filets with foil and put them back on the turned off oven to stay warm. Now back to the pan drippings, heat them over medium heat, when the drippings start to bubble, wisk in 2 tablespoons of butter until smooth and silky, now add 1 tablespoon of flour and wish in until smooth and add 2 teaspoons of Frangelico and two green onions thinly sliced. Blend and lower heat to simmer and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, plate your fish and sppon your pan sauce over the fish.

Ribeye with Penne Pasta

This is an easy and affordable dish that stretches out a couple of ribeye steaks if you are serving steak and pasta lovers.

Ribeyes with Penne Pasta - Season two ribeyes steaks with salt and pepper or McCormick's Montreal Grill Seasoning. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. When oil is heated, sear the steaks for about 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan set aside to cook. Add 2 more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pan and saute a couple of handfuls of sliced baby bella mushrooms and one medium, thinly sliced red onion until the mushrooms start turning golden brown and the onion is translucent. Add salt and cracked black pepper to the pan while the veggies are sauteing. Then add four cloves of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and saute for about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of red wine and saute for another minute to deglaze the pot. Stir in 1-28 oz. jar of your favorite red spaghetti or marinara sauce and 1 cup of beef broth. Cover pot and reduce to simmer.

While the sauce is simmering cook penne pasta in salted water until al dente and drain. Now, trim the fat from the ribeyes and cut into bite size pieces. The ribeye pieces should be rare in the center. Add the ribeye pieces and any juices to the sauce to finish cooking. When the pasta is cooked and drained, add to sauce and stir gently to blend.

Serve in bowls or plates and garnish with shaved parmesan.