Crawfish Bisque I

Our Crawfish Bisque I recipe will yield approximately 6-8 servings, depending on the eating habits of your guests. It ordinarily takes about 4 to 5 lbs. of live processed crawfish to produce 1 lb. of tail meat.

Preparing this Cajun favorite takes a little planning, but is well worth the effort if you want to create a memorable experience for your family and guests.

Ingredients

• 30 lbs. live crawfish
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 can whole tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small can tomato juice
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 gallon cold water
• Salt, red pepper, white pepper to taste

Instructions

1. scald crawfish by submerging them in boiling water for 5 minutes
2. process crawfish tails and set meat aside
3. prepare a roux with oil and flour
4. when roux is golden brown add onions, celery, garlic, whole tomatoes and tomato juice, mix well
5. cook for 15 minutes
6. add water 2 cups at a time until roux and water is well mixed
7. add seasoning and let cook for approximately 1 hour
8. add crawfish tails along with chopped green onions and parsley
9. cook for 20 minutes
10. serve over cooked long grain rice

Bon appetite!
KT

Half-Moon Pies (turnovers)

These Half-Moon Pies are sweet-tooth pleasers. My favorite are the ones filled with blackberry preserves. My grandmother used an empty cut-out coffee can to stamp-out the dough into petite circular pies. 

She would spoon-in a generous portion of blackberry or strawberry preserves and bake 'em up for us. They were small enough to stuff a couple in your coat pocket to eat later. Talk about good!

Ingredients

 

• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 4 Tbs. milk
• 1/8 tsp salt
  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

Cream the shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, milk and salt while stirring well. Sift the flour and baking powder together (add this mixture a little at a time until you have formed a dough-ball). Next, roll-out and flatten the dough on a slightly floured-surface down to about 1/4" thick. Cut into circles approx. 6” in diameter. Spoon-in two or three tablespoon of your favorite fruit filling, fold the pie dough over and with a fork crimp the edge of your pies to seal them. Bake at 350°F until the pie edges are a golden-brown color.

Ahheee!! How sweet it is! Bon appetite!
KT

Da End is Near! | Turn Yo Self 'Round Now! (Cajun Humor)

Reverend Boudreaux was the part-time pastor of the local Cajun Baptist Church, and Pastor Thibodeaux was the minister of the Covenant Church across the road.

They were standing by the road and both were pounding a sign into the ground that read:

As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, “You religious nuts!”

From the curve in the road they heard screeching tires, and a big splash . . .

The Reverend Boudreaux turns to Pastor Thibodeaux and asks, “Do ya tink maybe da signs should jus say Bridge Out?”


by The Cajun Daughters

Cajun Meatballs Sauce Piquant

This Cajun Meatballs Sauce Piquant recipe was designed to accommodate those who love spicy hot meals and for those who don't... that's because all of the spicy seasonings are contained in the sauce, but not in the meatballs. Give it a try. I know you will like it.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2. 1 lb. ground pork
3. 1 cup onions, finely chopped
4. 1/2 cup bell peppers, finely chopped
5. 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
6. 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
7. 2 cloves garlic, minced
8. 1 tsp. salt
9. 12-oz. can Rotel Tomatoes, (hot)
10. 8-oz. can tomato sauce
11. 5 Tbsp. powdered roux
12. 2 cups water
13. 1 pkg. onion soup mix

Instructions

1. in a bowl combine the first 8 ingredients and mix well,
2. shape into 1 1/2" diameter meatballs (yield will be around 30)
3. brown meatballs on all sides in a medium to large skillet at 350 degrees F.
4. drain the oil and and set the meatballs aside
5. in a medium-sized pot mix-in the Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, powdered roux and onion soup mix
6. cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally
7. next, pour-in small amounts of water at the time until the desired thickness is reached
8. finally, add the meatballs to the mixture and simmer another 20-30 minutes
9. serve over cooked long grain rice

Makes 6-8 servings

Note: Keep in mind that the more water you add, the thinner the sauce will become.


Tip: As you slowly stir and cook the tomato sauces and roux down (low to medium heat), be sure to taste-test it every now and again to gauge the strength of your seasoning.

Also, if someone at the dinner table can't take the heavy spices that are in the sauce, there is always the option of removing some of the meat-balls from the pot before hand and presenting them in a different way -- like on an open-face sandwich, for example. This is another reason why we do not add any spicy seasonings to the meatballs. All of the hot spices are in the sauce.

Enjoy! ... mon amie. Ahheee!
KT

Boudain (Boudin) Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

Here is a way to skip the many steps in stuffing bell peppers the traditional way: use boudain as the stuffing.

If you can't find boudin at your local supermarket or grocery store, you can learn how to make it at home. Here are are a few links to get you started, Pork Boudin, Chicken Boudin and Boudin Balls.

Once you have your hands on some boudain, the rest is a piece of cake.

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers
• 2 lbs. boudain
• Italian bread crumbs
• butter
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

1. cut the tops off of each pepper 
2. stuff each bell pepper with boudain 
3. puncture small holes at the bottom of each pepper 
4. sprinkle tops with bread crumbs 
5. add a tab of butter on top of each pepper
6. place in a baking pan with a small amount of water 
7. cook at 350 degrees F. until peppers are done

Serves 4

If you should have any boudain left over after stuffing the peppers, it can be fashioned into small bite size meat balls and served on crackers to your guests as hors d'ourves. And, the reason we want to punch a few small holes at the bottom of each pepper is to release any oil which may accumulate inside the peppers while they are cooking.

So, if you find yourself in a rush to make a quick meal, try some good ol' Boudain Stuffed Bell Peppers next time.

P.S. You may want to keep this clever little secret to yourself.

Enjoy!

KT