Archive for the ‘Side Dish’ Category

Thanksgiving: From Same ‘Ole to Creole!

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

We’ve already shared our Deep Fried Turkey recipe with you and hopefully at this point you already have that bird marinating in delicious, spicy flavors! Here are a few of our favorite recipes for Thanksgiving  sides:

Dirty Rice

1 lb. chicken giblets

1 lb. ground beef

1 c  onions, chopped

1/2 c bell peppers, chopped

1/2 c celery with leaves, chopped

1/4 parsley, chopped

Juice of 2 crushed garlic cloves

Tony’s Creole Seasoning

1/4 green onions, chopped

pinch of thyme and basil

2 c rice

In a pot, boil giblets in salt water until tender; reserve liquid. In a Dutch oven, saute meats until brown; drain off excess fat, add remaining ingredients and continue to cook a few minutes. In a separate pot, cook rice in 4 cups of giblet liquid for 18m. Drain rice and mix thoroughly into the meat mixture. Spoon into a greased casserole and bake at 300 degrees for 20 – 30 min. Yields 10 servings. 

Cauliflower Au Gratin

1 head cauliflower

2 tbl. butter

3 tbl. all-purpose flour

milk

cooking spray

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Tony’s Creole Seasoning

Break cauliflower into small flowerettes; discard stems. In a large pot, steam slightly salted flowerettes in a steam basket over boiling water. Boil until tender (do not over cook)), drain. In a saucepan blend flour and butter. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly over low heat, until the sauce is the consistency you desire. Place the cauliflower in a square baking dish coated with cooking spray; add cheese and cream sauce seasoned with Original Creole. Sprinkle more cheese over the top of the sauce. Bake at 350 until bubbly. Yields 6 servings.

Molasses Cookies

3/4 c margarine, softened

1 c sugar

1/4 c molasses

1 egg

2 c all-purpose flower

2 tea. baking soda

1/2 tea. salt

1/2 tea. ginger

1/2 tea. cinnamon

1/2 tea. ground cloves

In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add to liquid mixture and blend well. Add spices. Roll into balls, then roll balls in additional sugar. Place balls on sheet and press to flatten with a fork, making one horizontal and vertical press. Bake at 350 for 10 – 12 min. Yields 30 cookies.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, Spice Nation!

 

Dirty Rice-Stuffed Green Bells!

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Stuffed Green Bells - Chachere Style!

  Ingredients:

  • 6 green bell peppers
  • 6 cups cooked, minced meat (chicken, lamb, veal, roast pork, shrimp, OR, veggie-style with corn)
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 Tbl. melted butter
  • 1 Tbl. minced parsley
  • 1 tea. Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup water or beef broth

****Can also simplify by omitting all ingredients and stuffing peppers with our Dirty Rice Mix: use package instructions, stuff and bake peppers, season to taste!

Instructions:

  • Cut peppers in half, crosswise, remove seeds and cut off stems.
  • Mix all remaining ingredients together, except water or broth.
  • Fill peppers with mixture, stand in pan and pour water around them.
  • Bake at 350 degrees, basting often, until tops are toasty brown. Yields 6 servings.

 

 

Mouth-Watering Monday: Fried Green Tomatoes & Maque Chou

Monday, August 1st, 2011

Y’all are in for a real southern treat today with these two classic dishes, fried green tomatoes and maque chou. No, this isn’t Iggie’s version of Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe – better! (highly recommend this film if you have not seen).  Bacon drippings, maque chou, and Tony Chachere’s make this a a truly Cajun-certified dish! Use the fried tomatoes and maque chou as side dishes or top with maque chou as a dish on it’s own!

Fried Green Tomatoes - Secret's in the drippin's!

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  • Cut tomatoes in quarters, add seasoning to taste and let stand for about 1/2 hour.
  • Drain juice, dip tomatoes in corn meal and fry in bacon drippings.
  • Add more oil, if necessary, to keep from burning.
  • Brown on both sides and place on absorbent paper.

Yields 4 servings. Squash and okra may be fried the same way.

Maque Chou

Ingredients:

Tony Chachere's Maque Chou

Instructions:

  • Cut corn off cob and scrape cobs to get all of the juice. Set aside.
  • Heat margarine in a Dutch oven, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté until tender.
  • Add corn and tomatoes, season with Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning and cook mixture over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring constantly. Add milk from time to time to keep mixture soft.

Yields 6 servings.

Additional:

Pile maque chou on top of fried tomatoes or serve as a side in a ripe avocado half next to fried tomatoes.

Maque Chou a la Avocado!

 Délicieux! (Delicious!)

Thanks a million for the awesome picture Simple Creative Inspiration!!

 

Mouth-Watering Monday: Smothered Okra and Tomatoes

Monday, July 25th, 2011

It’s that time of year again: time for smothering okra! Any Cajun or Creole cook will tell you that you can’t have a good gumbo without okra! So head down to your local farmer’s market and pick up a few pounds of okra to smother down and freeze for those upcoming gumbo-weather months!

"Every year, I cook a huge amount to be frozen for later use. It's ideal for gumbos." - Mr. Tony Chachere

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. okra
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tbls. all-purpose flour
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 med. stalks celerey, shopped
  • 5 fresh or 1 large can tomatoes
  • Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning

Instructions:

  1. Wash okra, cut and fry in 2 tablespoons oil until it is not sticky (DO NOT USE CAST IRON POT).
  2. In a skillet, make a medium dark roux with 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon flour. Add chopped onion, bell, and celery and simmer until wilted.
  3. Add tomatoes and simmer for 5 mins.
  4. Add okra, season well with Tony Chachere’s and reduce heat. Cook for 1 hour.

Yields 6 servings. Can increase recipe, place into quart-sized freezer bags, and freeze for later use. *Gumbo: thaw out bag of frozen okra and drop into gumbo at the end of cooking, continue cooking until okra is warm, serve.

Thanks a million Houston Homeboy for the great photo!!