Creole: July 2005 Archives

Grits are usually thought of as a Southern dish, not specifically Creole. We're going to "creole" them up today.

The Podcast (30:14, 27.6MB)

The Recipes

Creole Grits And Cheese Casserole

4 cups cooked grits
½ Cup Onion, chopped fine
¼ cup Green Onion, chopped fine
2 cups Grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp Zatarain's Creole Seasoning
1 Egg beaten
2 Tbsp parsley
Prepare grits according to recipe on package. Add the next five ingredients to grits and blend thoroughly until cheese has melted.

Pour mixture into baking dish and top with 1 cup grated cheese and parsley.

Bake in 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes.

Serves 8-10

Grilled Corn Grits
from Zea Rotisserie And Brewery

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grilled corn
1 cup yellow grits (not instant)

Directions:

To grill corn, shuck off husk. Lightly butter corncob and grill over charcoal or open fire until slightly blackened. Cool corn and cut kernels from cob with a sharp knife. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add heavy cream and return to a boil. Slowly whisk in the grits and then the corn. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Creole Tomato Grits

Prep Time: 45 Minutes
Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow stone-ground grits
2 large Creole tomatoes, chopped
½ cup bacon, chopped
¼ cup butter
¼ cup sliced garlic
3 cups water
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps canned chopped green chiles
¼ cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

Method:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Reserve drippings in pan. Add tomatoes, butter and garlic. Sauté until garlic is tender. Mix in water, cream, salt and chiles then bring to a boil. Gradually stir in grits, blending well. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat then blend in cheese until melted. Pour grits into a shallow baking dish until ½ inch–¾ inch thick. Place in refrigerator until grits are cool and set. With a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out grits patties. Set on a plate and top with crawfish étouffée, shrimp Creole or eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce.

Grillades and Grits

* 8 thinly pounded veal escallopes, about 3 ounces each
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1-1/2 cups bell pepper, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
* 1 bay leaf
* 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
* 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 quart beef stock
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 cup cool water
* 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* Cooked grits

Season veal escallopes on each side with salt and pepper. Heat butter in a large skillet and sauté the veal until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked meat to a platter and hold in a warm oven whilie prepping the sauce.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion, green onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery until tender. Stir in bayleaf and Italian seasoning, and add the tomatoes, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.

When the mixture is well-blended, stir in the stock and cook for 5 minutes, stirring freqently. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water, and stir it into the sauce to thicken it. Add the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat until reduced by 1/4. Remove the bay leaf.

Spoon the sauce onto warm plates, and center a veal escallop on each. Place grits on the side of the meat, ladle additional sauce over the grits and meat. Garnish with parsley and a few capers. Serves 8.

New Orleans and Creole Potato Dishes

The Podcast (30:57, 28.3mb)

The Recipes

Brabant Potatoes - See the Creole Chicken Podcast

Creole Parsley Potatoes

Yield - 12 Dinner Servings

Ingredients
4 LBS CREAMER RED POTATOES
2 TBSP LEMON JUICE
1 GALLON CHICKEN STOCK
1/2 LB BUTTER
1 TSP WHITE PEPPER
1 TSP SALT
1 BUNCH CILANTRO (Chopped)

Method
Peel potatoes, wash in cold water and douse with lemon juice. (This will stop potatoes from turning brown.) Use a large stock pot and over high heat, boil the potatoes in the chicken stock. Test the potatoes for doneness after 10 minutes, by cutting one in half with a knife. The potatoes should be watched carefully and removed the minute that they are cooked though. Do not over cook the potatoes. The potatoes can be refrigerated at this time for service latter or held covered in a warmed serving bowl.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet. Add the potatoes and lightly fry in the butter. Add the remaining seasonings, turn frequently to coat all sides of the potatoes with the cilantro. Continue cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Alternate Method #1
1 TSP SPANISH PAPRIKA
1/2 TSP GROUND CAYENNE PEPPER
Add the above ingredients at the end, the deep red color and taste will greatly enhance this dish.

Alternate Method #2
Use crab boil in lieu of the chicken stock, this add a distinctive South Louisiana flavor.

Creole Potato Salad

* 3 pounds red potatoes, cubed
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup creole mustard
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
* 1 medium size sweet onion, diced

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover 12 minutes or until tender, drain and cool slightly.

Stir together mayonnaise, creole mustard and the next six ingredients in a large bowl; add potatoes, eggs, onion, tossing gently.

Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves 8

Pomme de Terres Soufflees (Soufflee Potatoes from Antoine's Restaurant)

2 pounds large potatoes
Oil
Salt

Wash and peel the potatoes and cut lengthwise into slices 1 1/4 inches wide and one-eighth inch thick. Soak the potato slices in cold water to remove excess starch.

Have two pots filled with oil, one at a moderately hot temperature (275 degrees F) and the other at a very hot temperature (400 degrees F). Drain the potatoes and dry them carefully. Put a single layer of potatoes into a frying basket and lower the basket into the moderately hot oil. Keep moving the potatoes around, dipping the basket in and out of the oil until the potatoes begin to brown and to puff. The partially cooked potatoes may be set aside for awhile before the second stage, or may be finished immediately.

Put the partially cooked potatoes in a basket and dip the basket into the pot of very hot oil. Again be careful to cover only the bottom of the basket with potatoes and to keep them moving around in the oil until they are golden brown, well puffed and crispy.

Remove from the oil, drain on absorbent paper and sprinkle with salt for seasoning. Serves 6.

one of the things New Orleanians try to do before a hurricane hits is to cook up food in the 'fridge and freezer prior to a hurricane hitting. That way, if the household loses power during/after the storm, a lot of good food won't go to waste.

So, that was the theme tonight. Zuppardo's grocery sells fresh "chicken tenders," which are chicken breasts sliced up. They were on sale the other day, so i bought a pack. Rather than freezing them, I cooked them up. Checking the freezer, I had a pack of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets in there. The original plan for tonight was to make a seafood pasta with some fresh scallops, but it got a bit fancier quickly.

OK, chicken, puff pastry, scallops. Further raiding of the 'fridge yielded a half-pint container of whipping cream, sliced mushrooms, half a green pepper, a medium onion, and a couple of green onions. I had some frozen chicken stock I pulled out as well.

I dusted the chicken tenders with creole seasoning and browned them in olive oil. I use extra Vigo extra virgin olive oil for cooking. I take a wine bottle, load it up with some rosemary and tarragon, then add the olive oil. That's the oil I used tonight. Setting aside the chicken, I added a bit more fresh oil and sauteed the scallops for about five minutes. Scooping them into a bowl, I deglazed the pan with some white wine (an inexpensive sauvignon blanc).

Now, for the sauce: half a medium onion, half a green bell pepper, two green onions, all chopped fine. Saute for five minutes or so i olive oil. When the onion is clear, add about three tbsp of flour to thicken. Added a cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup or so of white wine, then the cup of whipping cream. Fire on the burner is fairly hot, medium, so this is still pretty thick. Adding back the scallops and the liquid thins out the sauce a bit, then add the 'shrooms, and remove from heat.

On to the chicken--i made four pastry-wrapped sets by putting two chicken tenders on a pastry sheet, cutting it down, and matching with a similar-sized piece, pouring on some a bit of the sauce. Baking the pastry will cook off most of the sauce, leaving the onions and such in with the chicken. Brown the chicken/pastry for about 20 minutes until it's nicely brown. Generously scoop the sauce over the chicken, serve with crunchy New Orleans french bread, and pour the wine!

:-)