Fried Flounder Po' Boy & Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

What's not to love about this classic Louisiana sandwich?  Po'Boys are typically made with fried shrimp or catfish and are served everywhere in Louisiana. There is nothing better than a soft, yet crusty roll with crispy fried flounder. Fully dressed with roasted red pepper and garlic aioli, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and dill pickles. This Po' Boy is not going to be here for long!

1 lb. fresh flounder filets 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder Salt and Pepper to taste 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup milk Canola oil for frying Shredded lettuce Sliced tomatoes Dill pickle slices Fresh crusty French Rolls
Roasted Red Pepper Aioli:
1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced 1 clove roasted garlic, diced Salt and Pepper

Combine ingredients for Roasted Red Pepper Aioli and chill while preparing fish.  Combine cornmeal, flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a shallow plate. Beat together egg and 1/2 cup milk. Sprinkle fish filets lightly with salt and pepper. Dip into egg/milk mixture and dredge in cornmeal coating. In a skillet, heat about 1-inch of canola oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add fish fillets and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Turn carefully and brown other side. Drain on paper towel.
Slice rolls and build your Po' Boy.

Crispy flounder Sliced Pickles Tomatoes Lettuce Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

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Filled Focaccia AKA Muffaletta

The original New Orleans Muffaletta is made with their signature olive salad and bread made especially for this unique sandwich.  The bread in this recipe comes from "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy".  The bread is baked in a wood oven that is hard to replicate in the home kitchen.  Baking the breads in a cast-iron skillet gives nice results.  What I would give for a wood burning oven!!!

 If you don't want to make the focaccia, get some fresh, crispy rolls and warm them in the oven.

For the Focaccia:

1 package active dry yeast

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl and let sit for several minutes, until it starts to bubble.  Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.  Combine the dissolved yeast with 1 cup of warm water and add to the flour along with the olive oil.  You can make this in the food processor, but I did it by hand and it came together very easily.  Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute into a smooth round.  Put it in a large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about an hour.  

Put rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat it to 450 degrees F.  Deflate the risen dough and cut it in half.  Flatten each piece into a round about 9 inches in diameter and lay in a cast-iron skillet.  (If you only have one skillet, put one piece of dough back in the oiled bowl, covered while you bake the first piece.

Bake about 20 minutes until light brown on top.  Turn out to cool on a wire rack.

Olive Salad

1-1/2 cups pimento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives (optional)

1 cup giardiniera (Italian pickled salad)

2 pepperoncinis, chopped

1 Tbsp. capers chopped

1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. oregano

1 Tbsp. fresh italian parsley chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

Freshly ground pepper to taste.

The Muffaletta olive salad is the most important ingredient in this delicious sandwich.  It's a vinegar and garlic lover's dream (that's me).  You can add or omit whatever you like in this salad, just be sure to include the olives.  I had a few pickled banana peppers and some roasted red peppers in the fridge and added them as well.  Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight, if possible.

Split focaccia in half and add a generous layer of olive salad.

Top with your favorite deli meats (have them sliced super thin.

I did provolone, genoa salami, ham and mortadella.

Top with the remainder of the olive salad including any juice left.

This sandwich is better when it sits for a while for the bread to absorb all those delicious juices from the olive salad.

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~Adapted fro Lidia cooks from the heart of Italy

   and The Traditional New Orleans Muffaletta

New Orleans-Style Garlic BBQ Shrimp

These shrimp are cooked in a skillet, not on a grill:  barbecue - in this case, refers to the sweet-hot sauce served with them.  Serve this with plenty of crusty bread for mopping up that mouthwatering sauce.

24 jumbo shrimp, peeled (or unpeeled as I did), tails left on

2 tsp. Creole or Cajun Seasoning*

1/4 cup canola oil

4 cloves, garlic, minced

1/2 cup beer

5 Tbsp. hot sauce (tabasco if you really want these hot, otherwise use Frank's)

5 Tbsp. Worcestershire

Juice from one lemon

6 Tbsp. unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces

Crusty French Bread for serving

Put the shrimp and Creole seasoning into a bowl and toss to coat; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add the oil and garlic to the skillet and cook until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute.  Add the shrimp and cook, flipping once, until the start to turn pink, about 30 seconds.  Transfer the shrimp to a large plate and set aside.  Add the beer, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and lemon juice to the skillet and stir well.  Bring to a simmer and cook 5-7 minutes.

Whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time (the sauce will start to thicken).  Return the shrimp to the skillet and toss to coat.  Return the skillet medium heat and cook until the shrimp and cooked through, 2-3 minutes.  Transfer the shrimp sauce to serving plate and serve with chunks of warm, crusty bread.

These are not as "hot" as you would imagine from the ingredients in this recipe.  They are well spiced, full of flavor and I left the shells on to make them more messy and fun to eat!  The sauce is so good you will be sucking if off the shell!

Embrace the city's joie de vivre!

Hearty and carefree enjoyment of life!

*Chef Paul Prudhomme's Cajun Seafood Magic

~Adapted from Saveur and Commander's Palace, New Orleans

One Year Ago - Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

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Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

This recipe is dedicated to a dear friend who we lost recently.  Michelle of La Belle Cuisine  lived in the heart of Cajun Country.  These are recipes that she has collected from some of the best restaurants and chefs in the South, and I am happy to introduce you to her and her amazing website.!  Filled with beautiful art, clever quotes, you are sure to spend quite a bit of time browsing through her collections of Fine Cuisine with Art Infusion.

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

1 lb dried red beans

10 cups water (I added one chicken bouillon)

1 ham bone or ham hock*

1 lb. smoked sausage cut into 1-inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1-1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 green pepper, diced

1 cup chopped scallions

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. Creole/Cajun Seasoning**

Crushed red pepper to taste

1/4 cup ketchup (my addition)

Lemon juice, just a splash

Tabasco sauce to taste

4 cups hot cooked rice

Rinse beans well and drain them in a colander.  If you remember to cover them with water and let them soak overnight, great.  Otherwise, place beans in a large pot, cover them with water and "fast soak" by bringing to a boil and letting them stand off of the heat, covered, for 1 hour.

La Belle Cuisine - Party Central!

Drain beans, return to the stove and add 10 cups fresh water.  Add ham bone, garlic, onions, bell pepper and seasonings.  Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook very slowly, partially covered, for 1-1/2 hours.  Stir the entire mixture just once about every half hour.  Add the smoked sausage and cook another hour, partially covered. 

 

The Garlic Bread - Man, dat's good yeah! 

Beans are ready to serve when a rich natural "gravy" is formed.  Serve over rice with garlic bread and a fresh salad.  How many hungry people will this recipe feed?  Are they Cajuns?

~ Adapted from La Belle Cuisine

*I used a smoked Turkey Leg

** Chef Paul Prudhomme's Cajun Magic Seasoning

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Croissant Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

How sweet and buttery can you get?  I looked at a few recipes for old fashioned bread pudding, Ina's version which was made with about 5 cups of half and half.  I'm sure it's delicious - maybe for a special occassion, but this bread pudding is for an everyday dessert.  Don't get me wrong, the bourbon sauce makes it super special!

• 3-1/4 cup milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6-8 mini croissants
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisans (optional)

Tear croissants into small pieces and place in a large bowl.  Add sugar and cinnamon.  Mix milk, eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Let bread soak up with mixture while your oven preheats.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter prepared pan.  Pour croissant mixture into pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until center is set. 

Bourbon Sauce:

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp (or more!) Bourbon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tbsp. white corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and boil for one minute.  Mixture will foam up.  As it cools, the foam will disappear.  Add chopped pecans to the sauce if desired.  Serve warm.

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French Quarter Beignets

Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, March 8th, this year.  "Fat Tuesday" is the last day of the carnival season as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday.

When I think of New Orleans, I think of the famous beignets.  I've never been to the French Quarter, but my sister went on a business trip and brought me back some beautiful Mardi Gras masks and some prints from an artist in the area.

French Quarter Beignets

• 1 envelope Active Dry Yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk
• 3-l/2 to 3-3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 Tbs. shortening
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Confectioner's sugar

Combine yeast, water and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Let set until frothy, about 5 mins.

Add salt, egg and evaporated milk.  Mix on low.  Add half of the flour and mix until incorporated.  Add shortening.  Add remaining flour, a little at a time until well incorporated and dough is not sticky.  Knead on low for 5 minutes.  Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and turn onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 1/2" thick.  Cut into 2" x 3" squares, and place on a floured baking sheet and let rise an additional 40 minutes.

Heat 2-3" of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350 degrees.  Carefully place 2 to 3 beignets into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.  These fry very quickly.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.  Serve hot with plenty of powdered sugar.

Beignet is the french word for "fried dough".  Most cultures have some version of this.  In polish cuisine, they are called Paczki (POHNCH-kee), Italians have zeppole.  Polish Paczki are usually filled with jam or jelly and coated with sugar or dusted with confectioner's sugar.  Beignets are loaded with powdered sugar.

Remember not to wear anything black while enjoying these, the powdered sugar will be a dead giveaway that you've been munching on these delightful little pillows.

Enjoy with a hot cup of Cafe Au Lait - 1 part French Roast Coffee and 1 part steamed milk.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez

"Let the Good Times Roll!"

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