The Best Gumbo Cajun Recipes

Both Cajun and Creole Cuisine use the same various techniques to cook their dishes with. Both are two distinct cultures in Louisiana.

Here are some of the basic cooking techniques used in the two cuisines.

1. Barbecuing- slow to low cooking technique like "Texas Cuisine" But with Cajun Seasonings; can involve grilling or baking.

2. Grilling- direct heat on a shallow surface; fastest of the different varieties of grilling which also include: Charbroiling which is direct dry heat on a solid surface with wide raised ridges; Grid-ironing which is direct dry heat on a solid or hollow surface with narrow raised ridges Griddling-direct dry or moist heat along with the use of oils or butter on a flat surface

3. Braising-combining a direct dry heat charbroil-grill or gridiron-grill with a pot filled with broth for direct moist heat, faster than smoking but slower than regular grilling or baking; time starts fast then slows down then speeds up again to finish.

4. Baking-direct and indirect dry heat in an oven or furnace; faster than smoking but slower than grilling

5. Boiling-As in boiling crabs, crawfish or ship in seasoned liquid

6. Deep Frying

7. Etoufféé- cooking a vegetable or meat in its own juices, similar to braising but in New Orleans they call this "smothering" (Southern cuisine uses "smothering" also with a gravy)

8. Frying- also known as pan frying

9. Injecting- Using a large cooking syringe to infuse seasonings deep inside of meats through incisions made in them. This is a newer technique but is used all across Cajun Country.

10. Stewing- also called "fricassee"

Cajuns also deep fry turkey or oven roast Turduckens (which are combinations of deboned Turkeys with deboned ducks inside of them and debone chickens inside the duck.) So turduckens have all three birds one inside the other. This is a more recent addition to Cajun cuisine as is blackened fish or chicken and also barbecuing shrimp in the shell. All these are not traditional Cajun cooking.

I stumbled across this awesome recipe, and I tried it , and it is absolutely delicious! I promise you, once you try it once, you will be hooked, just like me. My partner was extremely impressed, and that is 10 points for me. So here it is:

This Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe clone is going to make you one celebrated cook!

Whether you're contributing to a potluck or outdoor barbecue event... or simply making an amazing evening meal for your family, your new Chilis Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe will have everyone asking you just how you did it! There will be smiles. Many, many approving, delighted smiles!

One of those smiles will definitely be yours!

Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta - The Ingredients:

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
* 4 tsp. cajun seasoning
* 4 tbsp. butter or margarine
* 3 cups heavy cream
* 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. black pepper
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* 8 oz. cooked penne pasta (drained)
* 2 roma tomatoes, diced
* fresh shredded parmesan, to taste

Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta - The Process:

1. Slightly moisten chicken with water.
2. In a large resealable plastic bag, shake chicken and cajun seasoning until chicken is thoroughly coated.
3. In large skillet, saute chicken in 2 tbsp. butter, over medium heat, turning whenever necessary.
4. When chicken is about half-way done, grab a second skillet and combine heavy cream, 2 tbsp. butter, and remainder of seasonings over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
5. When cream mixture begins to bubble, add the pasta and turn off heat. Stir well.
6. When chicken is cooked through, place on cutting board and slice into strips.
7. Spoon pasta and sauce onto large serving plates (2) and top with chicken, diced tomatoes, and parmesan.
8. Throw a thick, garlicky slice of Texas toast on that bad boy and enjoy!

If you would like to sprinkle some additional cajun spice on top of your Cajun Chicken Pasta, I doubt anyone will hold it against you!

This Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe will definitely get you noticed for sure!

But to really rev up your status as "Baddest Cook On The Block," you'd better go and scoop up all of my incredible, FREE Chili's Recipes!

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Murray

So there you have it, why not try it this weekend. Your family will LOVE you for it.

For More Impressive Cajun Recipes, Click Here!

Beignets are fried pieces of dough that has raised yeast in it. After they puff up while frying, when brown they are removed from the oil and either sprinkled with sugar or frosted. They are like sweet doughnuts without a hole in the middle. For years beignets were actually round balls that were frosted with mocha icing. It is the beignet that gave way to the fried doughnut that is also popular today.

In New Orleans the Cafe Monde still serves Beignets and Cafe au Lait as it did in the late 1800's. Since 1862 Cafe Monde has been serving Beignets and Coffee to people. The famous Cafe au Lait is actually dark brewed coffee with chicory and hot milk. Chicory was originally added to the brew in order to stretch the amount but people liked the smooth taste it lent to the coffee so it became part of the recipe.

Here is one of Many type of Beignet recipes you can make.

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. warm water (110 degrees)

1 pkg. dry yeast

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, room temp.

1 c. evaporated milk

7 c. flour

1/4 c. veg. oil

Oil for deep frying

Powdered sugar
optional to add to the batter:
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of cardamom
a sprinkle of nutmeg

*The only other advice would be to add 4 cups of flour initially and work that into the batter really well, then add 1/2 cups at a time. I ended up only using 6 cups of the flour to make the dough have the right consistency.

Fillings or toppings (the dough puffs up leaving a nice space inside
to fill)

Directions:

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over water; stir until dissolved. Beat in sugar, salt, eggs and evaporated milk. Gradually beat in 4 cups flour and the oil. Add remaining flour gradually and beat until a smooth dough forms. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Roll dough on a floured board to 1/4" thick. Cut into rectangles 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". Heat oil in deep fryer to 360 degrees. Fry four rectangles at a time for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Keep beignets warm in a 200-degree oven until serving. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can also add fillings once they are cooked to the middle of the Beignet like a favorite jam or custard.

No Mardi Gras in Louisiana would be complete without a good old fashioned Kings Cake. This cake was brought by the French and Spanish Settlers to Louisiana when they originally came there in the 1700s.

Here is a vintage 1901 recipe of the 12th night Kings Cake.

Ingredients:

8 cups of all-purpose flour, sifted
6 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pound butter or shortening
2 cups whole milk, scalded then cooled to lukewarm
1/2 ounce yeast (2 1/4-ounce packages, or about 4 1/2 tsp)
2 teaspoons salt
Candies to decorate

Directions:

To make the cake take 6 cups sifted flour, and put it in a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center of the flour, and put in a half-ounce of yeast, dissolved in a little warm water.

Add the 2 cups milk. Knead and mix the flour with one hand, while adding the milk with the other. In another bowl, combine remaining 2 cups flour with the salt; set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat eggs with butter and sugar until light. Add to dough, kneading lightly with your hands, and adding more eggs if the dough is a little stiff. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, then add the reserved flour and salt.

Knead the dough by turning it over on itself three times and set to rise again, covered with a cloth for about an hour. Take it up and work again lightly, and then form into a ring.

This is a large amount of dough, so it may be divided and baked in two or more King's Cakes. Pat gently and flatten a little. Have ready a greased parchment paper or silpat-lined baking pan, and set the ring in the middle. Cover the pan with a clean cloth, and set the cake to rise for an hour longer. When well risen, glaze the loaves lightly with a beaten egg.

Place in 325° oven; let bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or less if making smaller loaves. Decorate with colored icings and decorator candies, as desired.

In Louisiana both Cajun and Creole people make Pan Perdu. We call it French Toast. "Pain Perdu" means Lost Bread. This is because traditionally it was made using stale bread that was about to be thrown away or lost. The word in french for bread which is "Pan" is changed to how its pronounced in Louisiana Pain. Now stale bread is an essential in this recipe.

Here is a Cajun and Creole recipe of Pain Perdu for you to enjoy.

Pain Perdu Cajun Style

In this recipe you can traditionally use any style of leftover bread. However it is not recommended to use sourdough bread.

Ingredients

1 egg
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Milk
Dash of Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Butter

Preparation:

Beat the Eggs and Sugar together add in Nutmeg and Milk, Dip slices of bread in the Egg/Milk mixture. Fry in the hot butter until brown on both sides. Dust with powdered sugar and then top with your favorite syrup. ( Traditionally cane syrup or molasses was used. In addition to any local fruit or jelly that was preserved from a local fruit.)

Pain Perdu Creole Style

Stale french bread was the preferred bread for this recipe. This is not your typical french toast recipe, it uses an egg custard to dip the bread in.

Ingredients

2 eggs
½ cup of milk
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon your typical french toast recipe.

6 thick slices of day old french bread (older is fine as long as you can cut it and Italian bread works fine too, in fact any crusty bread will work.)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
powdered sugar (optional)

Preparing the Custard: It's the simple milk and egg custard that's the secret that makes Pain Perdue special. In a large mixing bowl whisk together your eggs, milk, salt, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice.

Slicing the Bread:

Slice the bread into thick slices, at least 1-inch thick and add to the egg mixture. I used a beautiful whole-grain French loaf, but any French or Italian loaf should work nicely. Slicing at a slight angle will make for a longer piece of bread. Soaking the Bread in the Custard:

Toss the slices until all the mixture has been absorbed into the bread. Depending on how stale the bread is this may take from 5 to 10 minutes. The secret to this recipe is to completely saturate the bread. This is also why thick slices of stale bread is used as thinner fresh bread would fall apart.

Lightly Browning the Bread Before Baking

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large non-stick skillet, over medium heat, very lightly brown the slices in the butter and oil for about 2 minutes per side. Don't cook too dark as most of the browning will occur in the oven as the French Toast Bakes.

Putting French Toast in Hot Oven:

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
Turning Over the Slices and Finishing the Baking
After 10 minutes remove, turn over and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes to brown the other side.
After 10 minutes on one side and 5 on the other the custard should be cooked on the inside, and the French toast will be crisp on the outside.

If it looks like it needs more time cook it longer, but be careful not to cooked very dark as the egg custard may become bitter.

Traditionally it was served with powdered sugar but You can add syrup and or fruit sauces.

Have you ever seen your Grandmother or older relatives use old cast iron cookware? You tell them throw out that old dirty pan and they laugh and say no way, I can't cook with new pots. Well, that's a fact for certain types of cuisine. This is especially true of Cajun, Creole and Southern Cuisine. That black cast iron pot or frying pan is an essential.

The thing is that it is purposely made black and old. That is a process called seasoning. It is the "seasoning" process that makes the food taste so good. Seasoning is a process that seals the pores of a new pot and creates a non stick surface. The more its used the more seasoned the pot becomes.

Seasoning a new cast iron pot or pan is quite easy. Here is how it's done. Wash and dry the pot and lid of the new pan thoroughly. Once completely dry coat the pot and its lead with a vegetable oil. Do not use a saturated fat because it turns rancid when you store it and makes the food taste bad. (Saturated fat would be like butter or bacon grease.) Use two tablespoons of vegetable oil to completely coat the pot and lid. You can use a paper towel to coat the pot and lid.

The next step involves two things first. One is to preheat the oven to 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. While the oven is heating up you line a cookie sheet or baking pan that is large enough for the new pot and lid with aluminum foil. Place the pot on the cookie sheet face down and the lid right side up. When the oven is heated for 30 minutes you then put the cookie sheet in the oven with the pot and lid to bake.

Leave the pot and lid in the oven for one hour. After an hour turn the oven off. Do not take the pot or lid out. Leave the oven door closed with the pot and lid in there for another 4 to 6 hours. After the 4 to 6 hours remove the pot and lid. Wipe them down with a clean dry cloth and now they are ready to use.

You can also season new utensils the same way. You wash and dry the new utensils thoroughly. It is then recommended you put them directly over an open flame for two to three minutes (not the handles). This removes all the excess moisture. Metal utensils are also porous. You oil them down including the handles like you would a pot or pan. Place the utensils on a aluminum lined cookie sheet or baking pan.

Pre heat the oven the same way you would for a pot. You leave the utensils on for one hour only. Remove them when they cool a little they will be very hot, so be careful.

The Muffuletta is one of two national sandwiches of New Orleans.

The "Muffeletta" is actually a type of round italian bread similar to focaccia bread. A traditional muffuletta consists of one muffuletta loaf, split horizontally. The loaf is then covered with a marinated olive salad, then layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler, and provolone. The sandwich is sometimes heated through to soften the provolone.

Here is a basic Recipe to serve 4

Ingredients

1 10" round loaf Italian bread with Sesame seeds
1 Recipe Olive Salad
1/4 lb Genoa Salami (Oldani is the best,)
1/4 lb Hot Capicola ( you can use regular Ham.)
1/4 lb Mortadella (San Danielle brand is suggested)
1/4 lb Mozzarella
1/4 lb Provolone

Muffuletta Olive Salad

1 1/2 Cups Green Olives, Pitted
1/2 Cup Calamatta Olives (or Black) Pitted
1 Cup Gardiniera (Pickled Cauliflower, carrots, celery, Pepperoncini)
1 Tbsp. Capers
3 each Fresh Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/8 Cup Celery, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Fresh oregano (When I have it in my garden) or 2 tsp. dried
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Pimientos (Roasted red peppers) Recipe follows
1 Tbsp. Green Onions, thinly sliced
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground pepper To Taste (salt may not be necessary)

Directions:

Crush each olive on a cutting board with your hand. Combine all ingredients. Cover with:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 1 - 1 1/2 Cups
Put into a bowl or jar, cover and let the flavors marry for about a week.

Assembly:

Cut the bread in half length wise.
Brush both sides with the oil from your 1 week old olive salad, go a little heavier on the bottom.

Layer half of the Oldani on the bottom half of bread. Then the Mortadella. Then the Mozzarella, then the Capicola, Provolone, and the remainder of Oldani. Top this with the olive salad. Put the lid on and press it down without smashing the bread. Quarter it. You've just created pure heaven.

This recipe serves 4 Enjoy . . .

Here is a great recipe I found, that i wanted to share with you. It was given to me by Kat Dee, and i hope you will use the recipe to make your family smile! Here it is:

The french settled in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. They brought with them a unique cooking style. Cajuns take pride in their love of food. They season it with hot peppers, pepper sauce, and spices.

I was recently trying to decide something different to cook other than the traditional green bean casserole for the holidays. As Emeril Lagasse would say, I just wanted to kick it up another notch. So here`s a great cajun style twist on boring green beans. It`s delicious and even my kids love it. This is one green vegetable I don`t have to force them to eat.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have. As the cajuns say enjoy the Fais Do Do ( traditional cajun party), and Bon Appetite! Hoping you always have a great Joie De Vivre (attitude towards life).

Cajun Style Green Beans Ingredients:

2 Pounds of green beans, trimmed
1/2 Cup of diced salt pork
1 Clove of garlic
2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon of dijon style mustard
1 Teaspoon of sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of Hot Sauce
1/4 Cup of chopped celery leaves

Cooking Directions:

Put 1 inch of salted water in a medium saucepan, cook beans covered for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain beans. Cook salt pork in a small skillet at medium high heat 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat and add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Stir in white wine vinegar, sugar, dijon style mustard, and hot sauce. Remove from heat. Stir in celery leaves. Toss with beans to coat. This recipe makes about 8 servings.

Gumbo is a stew or soup that originates from Louisiana and then migrated throughout the South.

The Cajun people who are from French Arcadian ancestry and Creoles who are from French European ancestry mixed with the other ethnic groups and formed Gumbo. Cajun Gumbo is rustic as are the Cajun people who live in the outer regions of Louisiana and in the Bayous. Creoles who live primarily in the City of New Orleans French Quarter have a hearty version also.

Regardless of the region of the Gumbo; all Gumbos have a strong stock base of either meat or fish, mostly shell fish, a thickener and uses the holy trinity. The holy trinity is a mixture of finely diced celery, bell pepper and onion. It may also contain okra from which is traditionally called okingumbo from which the word "Gumbo" derives.

Whether Cajun or Creole a typical Gumbo has some sort of shell fish, poultry and meat from a pork shoulder. The poultry is usually chicken, duck or quail. Local freshwater shell fish such as crawfish, crab or shrimp are used. Tasso or Andouille adds the smoky flavor to the dish.

There are also things that make a Creole Gumbo different from A Cajun one. Creole Gumbo has a lighter color because the roux which is the thickener is made lighter. Creole Gumbo also uses tomatoes. Traditional Cajun Gumbo is a dark brown and never uses tomatoes. Creole Gumbo may also use Okra as a thickening agent in addition to the roux. Both recipes once again use file powder. Some may even use it as a thickener. Other recipes add it to the Gumbo when it is cooked for flavor.

So there you have it, that's Gumbo for you!