Archive for the Category » Main Dishes «
29
Jan 2011
Jan 2011
It’s just my luck that I want to talk soup when, for the first time in over two months, the mercury’s rising close to 64 degrees. But I’m dishing out this recipe anyway, because we all know winter’s far from over. And if you’re like me, you’ll jump at the chance to prepare an easy and comforting pot of soup regardless of the temperature. Besides being easy, this soup is also satisfying, hearty and healthy. Its brothy base is enriched with plenty of turkey Italian sausage, spinach and tomatoes. A dusting of Parmesan cheese at the end brings all of [ ... ]
15
Jan 2011
Jan 2011
Just the other day, I was flipping through an old cookbook when out fell a recipe from the food section of the Times-Picayune, New Orleans’ daily newspaper. The clipping, which obviously had a few years on it, was a recipe for Crabmeat & Brie Soup from The Dakota, a suburban New Orleans restaurant. I had a vague recollection of that recipe and a similar one involving brie from Flagons A Wine & Bar Bistro. (Flagons was another great New Orleans restaurant that closed many years ago.) I remember wanting to borrow a couple of ideas from these two recipes to [ ... ]
Category: Crab, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Seafood, Soups
Tags: Crabmeat, Home Cooking, New Orleans Cooking, New Orleans Recipes, Recipe, Roux 2 Comments
11
Jan 2011
Jan 2011
Are you familiar with steelhead trout? I stumbled upon it by mistake and what a wonderful mistake it was. Several months ago, I ran into BJ’s Wholesale Club (one of our local warehouse chains) to pick up a few things. In my haste, I grabbed what I thought was salmon. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I had three pounds of steelhead trout on my hands. Steelhead trout? Now what?
I ran a quick search on Google and found that steelhead trout is the seagoing cousin of rainbow trout. But unlike its landlocked, freshwater relative, these babies migrate [ ... ]
01
Jan 2011
Jan 2011
Smothered cabbage is a common New Orleans side dish. We were all force-fed some version of it when we were little. And while most of my friends gagged at the mere thought of it, I was one of those weird kids who loved it. Cabbage, especially when pan-fried by my mom or cooked down with pickle meat by my great-grandmother, ranked high on my list of favorite veggies. So in honor of my childhood and with ritualistic promises of health and wealth, I’m ushering in 2011 with an unusual twist on Grandma Kirn’s homey, belly-warming meal. It’s not fancy [ ... ]
24
Dec 2010
Dec 2010
Until recently, we celebrated Christmas back home in New Orleans. The upside: being with family and enjoying all the wonderful holiday traditions we grew up with. The downside: orchestrating Santa’s arrival in another city! Now, for obvious reasons, we have Christmas in Georgia. It’s bittersweet. While we love waking up in our own home on Christmas morning, we all miss sharing this special day with the rest of our family. So I’ve begun a few new holiday rituals to keep homesickness at bay. For one, we party on Christmas Eve just [ ... ]
Category: Christmas, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegetables
Tags: mirliton, Shrimp Recipes, tasso 3 Comments
15
Dec 2010
Dec 2010
Today, as promised, I’m sharing a fast and flavorful recipe for Sunday’s leftovers. Remember the Apple and Bacon Grilled Pork Loin with Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze? Well, pull that dish out of the fridge and warm it up. Because in less than 15 minutes, that pork loin and yummy glaze are going to be transformed into a festive platter of Pork Tacos with Chimichurri. The only thing you’ll need to do for tonight’s meal, in addition to pushing a few buttons on the microwave, is prepare the chimichurri sauce. That prep time, by the way, is included in the 15 [ ... ]
12
Dec 2010
Dec 2010
The title of this recipe is a mouthful, I know, but with good reason. This dish delivers BIG flavors. And I’m happy to say that all the ingredients have come together nicely despite the fact that my thoughts and my spices were all over the place when I created it. If you’re in the mood for a smoky-sweet and succulent pork loin, this post is for you. And today is the perfect day for grilling something low and slow, even if it is a bit chilly outside.
This recipe is my best attempt at marrying two of my favorite pig combos: [ ... ]
06
Dec 2010
Dec 2010
I’ve never liked Shrimp Creole. Maybe it’s because my mom never cooked it or because the few restaurant versions that I’ve tried were disappointing. But oddly enough, it has always been a dish that I wanted to like.
I hadn’t thought much about my dysfunctional relationship with Shrimp Creole until recently while reading through a bunch of recipes and stories on roux-based dishes. Every time a Shrimp Creole reference crossed my desk, my mouth watered. They all sounded so rich, comforting and tasty, but my food memories recalled otherwise. I had never eaten a bowl of Shrimp Creole that was rich, [ ... ]
Category: Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Roux, Seafood, Shrimp, Stock
Tags: Creole Cooking, French Bread, New Orleans Recipes, Rice, Roux, Seafood, Shrimp Creole, Shrimp Recipes 8 Comments
01
Dec 2010
Dec 2010
It’s unseasonably and unwelcomely cold outside today, but that suits my mood just fine because I have no intentions of leaving the house. All I want to do today is cook, in my own kitchen, all by myself. I tend to get cranky like this when I’ve been away from home for too long. Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays and I’m very grateful that we were able to spend Thanksgiving week in New Orleans with our family. But after eight days on the road and three days of laundry and other wifely chores, I simply need [ ... ]
Category: Beef, Main Dishes, Pasta
Tags: New Orleans Cooking, New Orleans Recipes, Recipe, Red Gravy 7 Comments
15
Nov 2010
Nov 2010
Gumbo is one of the many New Orleans dishes steeped in tradition. Just about every family has their own unique style, cooked a certain way with specific ingredients. Each pot tells a story or reveals a bit of family history.
Our family gumbo was my great-grandmother’s Creole Seafood Gumbo. She graciously passed that recipe on to my mom who continued the tradition of preparing the dish for specials occasions. The pot was always teeming with fresh shrimp, previously boiled crabs (for extra flavor) and briny oysters. The gumbo was thickened with a light roux and canned okra and finished with tomato [ ... ]
Category: Chicken, Gumbo, Main Dishes, New Orleans Classics, Pork, Roux, Stock
Tags: andouille sausage, cajun, creole, Gumbo, Roux 6 Comments
