Oyster Stew

Often times the easiest Oyster Stew recipes are the best. Here is one that is easy to prepare and taste delicious.

Ingredients

• 3 dozen oysters
• 1 stick butter
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1-quart milk (preheated)
• 5 green onion tops, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 1 sprig parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. prepare a white roux with all-purpose flour and butter 
2. add vegetables and sauté for a couple minutes on medium-high heat
3. drain oysters and slowly add the oyster liquid to the pot
4. reduce to a simmer and add preheated milk
5. introduce the raw oysters and simmer until oyster edges start to curl
6. finally, add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce

Note: It's important to not "boil" the milk because it will curdle and ruin the stew.

Serve with croûtons or crackers.

 Read more >>   Options >>  

Jacques Gaspard's Sliced Beef Roast Po-Boy Sandwiches (video)

This Sliced Beef Roast Po-Boy Sandwich recipe just could become a favorite for your holiday guests. It's a lot like the N'awlin's style po-boys... 'cept much betta!

A 4 lb. beef rump roast can easily go from very tough to fall-apart tender in just a few hours using my simple two-stage method of cooking as outlined below.

But first, here's a little secret. If you take particular notice of the title to this post you will see that part of it reads "Sliced Beef Roast Po-Boy Sandwiches" and not "Sliced Roast Beef Po-Boy Sandwiches". That's because there is an easier way of cooking the beef roast other than using the conventional dry-heat method of roasting to create these wonderfully delicious sandwiches.

So, true to our pledge of bringing you great foods without all the fuss and muss, read on as I demonstrate how simple it is to create great tasting beef sandwiches which are certain to impress even the more finicky taste buds around your home.

Ingredients

• water
• 4 lb. trimmed beef rump roast
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 packets of Lipton's Beefy Onion Soup Mix
• 4 beef bouillon cubes
• 3 Tbs. garlic powder
• 3 Tbs. onion powder
• 5 Tbs. black ground pepper
• 1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
• 3 Tbs. Kitchen Bouquet
• 1 loaf of garlic French bread, sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup butter
• shredded lettuce
• vine ripened tomatoes, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Part I - Boiling a Beef Rump Roast

Place the rump roast in a boiling pot and add just enough water to cover the meat. Except for the salt and black pepper, add all of the dry seasonings to the water including the 4 bouillon cubes and 1 packet of Lipton's  Beefy Onion Soup mix.

On medium-high heat bring the beef roast to a boil and continue boiling for 1 and 1/2 hours. Turn the roast over a couple times during the boiling process. Next, remove the roast from the liquid and set aside to cool before slicing. Continue boiling the liquid until the virgin roux is added.

After the roast has cooled, cut across the grain into 1/4" slices and set aside until you are ready to add everything to the slow-cooker.

Virgin Roux Gravy (uncooked all-purpose flour, water and seasonings)

Add 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour in a bowl, the remaining packet of Lipton's Beefy Onion Soup mix and 4 Tbs. of fresh ground black pepper and salt (I prefer the coarsely ground black pepper for the stronger flavor). Mix well and begin slowly adding cold water (a little at the time) to make a thick slurry -- about 2 cups. This slurry will be added to the boiling liquid to create a thick and savory gravy which will compliment the flavor of the sliced beef when you are putting the final touches to your po-boy sandwich.

The gravy, as you will see, will also be added to the slow cooker and used to infuse more flavor into the beef slices during the final stage of the cooking process. Any remaining gravy can be stored in the freezer for later use.

Next, pour a portion of the gravy into the bottom of your slow-cooker then add the first layer of sliced beef followed by more gravy. Continue this until all of the beef slices and gravy have been added to the pot.

Finally, turn your slow-cooker on to your preferred setting: high for about an hour or so... or, on low for about 3 hours.

Part II -- Building the Sandwich (measure once cut thrice)


I prefer to use garlic sour dough French bread for my po-boy sandwiches because it adds a richer flavor to the meal. Cut your French loaf in half horizontally, paint a generous amount of liquid butter onto both halves, sprinkle onion powder then oven-toast (face up) until the edges of the loaves are a golden-brown color -- just a couple minutes.

Next, apply mayo and sprinkle some fresh black ground pepper to both halves. After that apply a gravy-soaked layer of tender sliced beef onto one half-loaf followed by a layer of fresh shredded lettuce and a layer of fresh sliced beef-steak tomatoes. (If you like a sloppy po-boy sandwich, now would be a good time to pour some of the peppery gravy on top).

Finally, put the cap on your po-boy and cut the sandwich diagonally into 4 equal parts and serve. Hope you enjoy your sandwich! Ahheee!!

Baked Flounder with Crab Stuffing

Ingredients

• 2 one pound flounders
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs. bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup crab meat
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 Tbs. salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 egg

Instructions

Sauté onions, garlic and bell pepper in butter until tender. Add crab meat and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes. Add bread crumbs, salt, pepper, parsley and egg. Mix well. Stuff into cavity of flounder. Place in baking dish and bake 30 minutes at 375°F. Mmmm--c'est bon!
KT

Indoor Smoked Beef Brisket

Here is where I show you how to cook smoked brisket like a pro ... but indoors and in significantly less time. Follow these instructions and you will be absolutely amazed by the results. I promise you.

Please don't get the wrong impression because when time and weather permits there is nothing I like better than cooking a brisket outdoors on the BBQ or in the smoker for hours-on-end while drinking
my favorite beverages and jaw-boning with family and friends. But, there are times when I use the following methods of achieving like-results by cooking briskets indoors in the oven.

Indoor Smoked Beef Brisket

I could write about how to pick out a choice cut of brisket but you can easily find out that information on the NET.

When I buy a brisket I try to find one that is whole and untrimmed (packer cut). The reason I like to trim my own brisket is that I can leave a little 'fat on the flat' so to speak. I like to trim the fat down to about 1/4" and make crisscross slashes through it. I then cook the brisket fat-side up knowing that the melted fat will act as a continuous baste for the rest of the meat. As the fat slowly cooks and melts, gravity kicks-in and coats the outside of the brisket while keeping it moist at all times.

The average briskets weigh-in at 8 -12 pounds, is 12 to 20 inches long, and about a foot wide.

That said, I must now reveal the 'secret' to my method of preparing delicious and tender smoked beef brisket indoors.

• I use a flat container large enough to completely immerse my brisket in the brine-water solution yet small enough to place it over-night in the refrigerator. I've used the meat tray from the bottom of my refrigerator before and it works great.
  
• Pour-in one 4-oz bottle of Colgin liquid smoke, 1 lb. of dark brown sugar and 1 lb. of table salt. Stir well in tepid water (usually between 1 and 2 gallons) until all the sugar and salt solids are dissolved.
• After trimming, immerse your brisket in the brine solution and let it soak for at least 12 hours in your refrigerator.
• Remove and apply your seasoning rub to the non-fat side of the brisket.

That's it! From that point on it's a piece of cake. Double wrap your brisket in heavy aluminum foil with the fat-side up and cook in the oven for 3 hours at 250 degrees F., then another 2 hours at 300 degrees F. Remove the foil and let the brisket cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.

I make my own seasoning rub. I use cracked black-pepper corns, dill weed, Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning Mix and other choice spices. You should experiment with your own seasoning rub.

In conclusion, this is a method of preparing smoked brisket which is "indoor easy and outdoor delicious".

Bon appetite! Ahheee!!

Black-eyed Peas and Cabbage

Black-eyed Peas

Ingredients

Black-eyed Peas & Cabbage

• 1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
• 2 slices of hickory smoked bacon
• 2 Tbsp onions, minced
• 2 Tbsp bell pepper, minced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Colgin liquid smoke
• Water
• Salt and pepper to taste.

As is the case with thousands of other families across America, I also take part in the annual tradition of cooking-up a mess of black-eyed peas and cabbage in an effort to increase my luck for the coming New Year. Heaven knows we are gonna need all we can muster up. (Okay. Stop ... no politics! Moving on.)

Contrary to popular belief, black-eyed peas don't have to be soaked overnight or for any significant period of time because the peas have a thin skin and are relatively easy to cook.

Over medium (or lower) heat, black-eyed peas can be done in just a few minutes. It's the pot liquor that makes all the difference in how your peas will taste, however.

Think 'minced' and not 'chopped' when it comes to your vegetables. A couple tablespoons of minced onions and bell pepper - and about 1 teaspoon of minced garlic sautéed in the fat from a couple slices of smoked bacon creates a wonderful flavor and delicious taste. And, you can salt and pepper to your own liking.

Using a 2 quart pot begin by adding just enough water to cover the peas and sautéed vegetables by about an inch,  (or by a finger and a half as we say in Cajun speak),  and begin the slow process of cooking them to perfection, while stirring occasionally (around 1 - 1 1/2 hrs.). Keep an eye on the peas because you may have to add a little more water occasionally as they absorb and cook.You will know when they become tender enough by taste-testing.

Set them aside until the boiled cabbage is done.

A pound of dried black-eyed peas, when cooked, should yield between 5 and 6 cups.


Cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 head of cabbage, leaves separated
  
• 3 or 4 pork chops
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp Colgin liquid smoke (hickory)
  
• 1 measure DIY Cajun Seasoning
• Additional salt and pepper (if desired) 
  

Cooking cabbage (boiled) is also easy to do and the way I prepare my cabbage, by popular demand I might add, is to include 3 or 4 pork chops with it. This is how I prepare my boiled cabbage.

The first thing I do is season the heck out of the pork chops with one measure of DIY Cajun Seasoning (easy to make - check it out), and fry them up in my cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat in a couple tablespoons of oil.

I fry the chops for a couple minutes on both sides until they are well browned, but I don't cook them all the way because they will finish cooking with the slow-boiling cabbage.

The next thing I do is get my kitchen shears and cut-up the chops into bite-size pieces and add this to the boiling cabbage.

If you are using a heavy cast-iron skillet, chances are in your favor that a crust will form at the bottom of the skillet (it usually does when you cook meat fast on high heat).This is a good thing.

We Cajuns call this crusty material the 'gratin' - which is commonly used to complement and enhance the flavor of various meat gravies.

Here's a little secret: keep the skillet hot but add in about 2 or 3 ice cubes and stir them around the skillet and they will magically loosen the crust (or 'gratin') and will produce a savory bouillon that you can add to the cabbage mixture to enhance the overall flavor.

Once you have liquefied the crust and added it to the stock pot along with the cabbage leaves and cut-up pork chops, you just go about your business of boiling cabbage like you always have (low and slow).  Adding a little salt and black pepper always helps.

I like to also include a tablespoon of Colgin liquid smoke (hickory flavor) and not that other brand. Keep mixing and tumbling the cabbage leaves in the pot occasionally so they don't burn. The only difference with cooking cabbage this way instead of the traditional way is that you now have a delicious pot liquor and a few bites of meat to go with your good luck food.

See there! Your luck's already changing.

I hope you like this great recipe for the coming New Year.

Catch ya later.

Bon Appetit! ... and a happy New Year! Ahheee!!