Entries in Cajun Specialty (7)
Cajun Jambalaya
Jambalaya History: The name is derived from several sources; the French word "jambon" for ham and the African word "ya" for rice. The basic cooking style of jambalaya was originally inspired by the Spanish dish, paella, a rice dish which also includes a variety of ingredients. When the French Acadian settlers put down roots in the swamps of Louisiana, it is widely believed that they adapted the techniques of making Spanish paella to create the dish known as jambalaya. The Acadians, or Cajuns as we now know them, practiced a simple, yet flavorful, style of cooking. They frequently used whatever fresh ingredients that were on hand. This is why there is no standardized recipe for such dishes as gumbo and jambalaya; the recipes changed according to whatever type of fish, fowl or meat was hunted and caught on any particular day. After preparing jambalaya a number of times, you'll start to improvise in the kitchen just as the Cajun cooks have done over the years!
Ingredients:
J.P. Gelinas
in Cajun Specialty
|
Post a Comment
| 
Email
| 
Print
How To Make Your Own Crawfish Boil
Awrighty then, let us now get our boil on! There's a certain way to do a boil that I insist on. First, get out some good Mardi Gras music and put it on the stereo good and loud. Second, open up a bottle of your favorite libation, be it beer or something stronger; this is just to set the mood, y'understand. You ready? Ok, let's do it!
Ingredients:
J.P. Gelinas
in Cajun Specialty
|
Post a Comment
| Email
| Print
Crawfish Etouffee
Ah, crawfish etouffee is one of the great loves of my life. Each year, during the Mardi Gras Season, I usually cook up a batch or two of this wonderful cajun dish that features crawfish tails tossed in a hearty brown gravy. Normally, the tried and true method of executing this dish involves creating the sauce from scratch in the pan. However, the recipe I'm posting today is a bit more "user friendly" in which you can make the sauce ahead of time. I've done this in case any of you are throwing a Mardi Gras Party and would like to prepare this dish as part of a menu featuring cajun dishes.
First, we'll make the Etouffee Sauce!
Ingredients:
J.P. Gelinas
in Cajun Specialty
|
Post a Comment
| Email
| Print
Cajun Dirty Rice
"Dirty Rice?!" Yes, dirty rice! Dirty rice is an old cajun dish that gets its name from it's dark appearance duc to the pork and chicken livers used in the dish. Like jambalaya, many families have their own unique recipes for dirty rice and I've found you can do endless variations on this dish. Dirty rice is one of my favorite Mardi Gras dishes as it can really spice up a costume party, know what I mean jellybean? Ah, the tang of the black pepper awaits!
Ingredients:
J.P. Gelinas
in Cajun Specialty
|
Post a Comment
| Email
| Print
Alligator Sauce Piquante
Brrrr! Here in New York, the weather has turned cold. My craving for warmth usually leads me back to some of my hot cajun dishes such as today's recipe-- Alligator Sauce Piquante. "Alligator?! What the.." Well, many folks have asked me exactly what alligator meat tastes like and I usually tell them, "Why it tastes just like crocodile!" Actually, I would compare the taste of alligator to pork (not chicken). The meat can be prepared a variety of ways with a lot of different sauces. The main thing to be aware of when working with the gator meat is that it needs to be tenderized and cooked slowly, otherwise it will be tough and chewy with a texture akin to that of the gator's hide! Concerning today's recipe-- I made a couple of changes to the traditional cajun piquante by adding some brown sugar and habanero peppers. The sweetness hooks right up with the heat of the hot peppers in a way that leaves your tongue dancing all night long!
Ingredients:
J.P. Gelinas
in Cajun Specialty
|
Post a Comment
| Email
| Print
Chef JP Makes Crawfish Remoulade
Howdy folks! The other day I was cleaning out some old boxes and I found a copy of a cooking demo I did on the Telecare cable channel show Real Food last year. I decided to post that video so that you can get an idea of the style of food I used to cook in my restaurant kitchen. (Yes, it's true, folks---TV really does make you look 10 lbs heavier!) The dish I'm preparing is Crawfish Remoulade, a dish I've had many times in various parts of Louisiana. Special thanks to my brother Marc for handing the technical hoodoo for the YouTube file upload and editing.
J.P. Gelinas
in Cajun Specialty
|
1 Comment
| Email
| Print
