The Best, Easy-To-Make, Cajun Recipes

From The Kitchen Of:

 Louis A. Le Blanc

 Cajun Jambalaya

Serves 12 "Normal" Folks or Five Cajuns

Vegetables Liquids

4 stalks of celery 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste

2 medium onions 1 10.5 ounce can of beef broth

2 bell peppers 3 10.5 ounce can of chicken broth

5 cloves of garlic 1 quart of canned tomatos (drained)

1 bunch green onions

½ bunch parsley Meats

Seasonings 1 whole fryer chicken, about 4 pounds

1 pound of link sausage (like Ekrich)

2 bay leaves 1 pound smoked ham in bite size pieces

¼ teaspoon of red pepper

½ teaspoon of chili powder Grains

1 teaspoon of basil

1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce 2 cups of converted rice

Utensils

  6 quart capacity Dutch oven with lid or an equally large skillet (with lid)

Assembly Instructions

 Cut chicken into quarters, separate drum sticks and wings. It is preferable to remove all skin and any excess fat.

 In a little oil (1 tablespoon of Canola), brown the chicken pieces well. Debone the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces and save.

Cut the link sausage in half, along the length. Next, thinly slice the halved links across the width in ¼ inch pieces, making bite-sized pieces. Do the same to the smoked ham, making small morsels.

Finely cut the vegetables (except parsley and green onions) in a food processor, and then sauté until limp and translucent. Cut and chop green onions and parsley by hand, store separately from other vegetables.

To the sauteed vegetables, add all the liquids, chopped meats and seasonings. Allow these ingredients to come to a slow boil on medium heat with the vessel uncovered.

Add the rice, cover the vessel and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 25 minutes. Then, determine if rice is cooked by tasting. If rice is cooked, then add chopped parsley and green onions, remove from heat but allow to stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Cajun Red Beans & Rice

Serves 6 Regular People or Two Hungry Cajuns

Parts List

1 or 2 bell peppers, chopped 1 pound dry red beans

1 or 2 medium onions, chopped 1 ham hock

2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 pound sausage (like Eckrich)

3 ribs of celery, chopped 2 cups raw white long grain rice

1 bay leaf

1 dried red pepper (i.e. cayenne)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning (i.e. basil, oregano, thyme) or 1/2 tsp. oregano and 1/2 tsp. thyme

Salt and pepper (or Cajun seasoning)

Assembly Instructions

Use 6 quart (or larger) heavy pot (iron or cast aluminum)

Wash beans in colander, place in pot and cover with water (by at least 1 inch over beans)

Let soak over night, then pour off the old water

Re-cover with water as before and add ham hock

Add all ingredients (including chopped vegetables and seasonings), but not salt or pepper

Heat to boiling, and then reduce heat to simmer; cook until beans are tender (2-4 hours)

Remove ham hock, trim meat and return this meat to pot (discard bone and fat)

If necessary, use a potato masher and to crush the beans to make a thicker gravy

Gravy should be at a consistency that allows serving the beans over the rice

Not too thick! Not too thin!

Slice sausage across the width about 3/8 inch thick

Add sausage to beans, cook further until sausage is heated completely through

Add salt and pepper or Cajun seasoning

Serve over cooked white rice. If the chef can cook rice, long-grain white rice is best!

Do not use parboiled or converted rice. This kind of rice, including "minute" or "instant" kinds, doesn't stick together.

"Together" is a desirable quality of rice to be served with red beans and other Cajun dishes such as Creole sauces or gumbo! 

Cajun Dirty Rice

Enough to Serve an Army

Parts List

1 eggplant (about one pound)

1½ pound of lean hamburger (like ground chuck) or a mixture of lean pork and beef

3 cups rice (either regular or "converted")

1 medium yellow onion

1 medium bell (green) pepper

3 stalks of celery

3 cloves of garlic

1 handful parsley (about 15 pieces)

1 bunch green onions

Seasoning (salt and pepper or Cajun spices)

Assembly Instructions

Finely chop the yellow onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and place together in a separate container.

Peel, and then cut the egg plant into ¼ inch cubes.

Trim and then cut the green onions across the width in ¼ inch pieces and store in a separate container. Do the same for the parsley.

Place the egg plant with some water in a sauce pan and "cook down" the egg plant until it changes color to a light shade of brown/green and becomes soft, then drain.

In a six quart pot or similar cooking container, brown the hamburger and drain the excess grease.

Add the chopped vegetables to the hamburger.

Let the "Holy Trinity" (i.e., onion, green pepper and celery) cook with the hamburger until the former is limp.

Then, add the cooked rice (prepared separately) and the cooked eggplant to the meat and vegetables. Stir thoroughly and then add the chopped green onions and parsley.

Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper, or any brand of Cajun seasoning.

Cajun Gumbo

Serves 6 Hungry People

Parts List

1 or 2 bell peppers, chopped

1 or 2 medium yellow onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

1 clump of parsley, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 pound sausage (like Eckrich)

1 or 2 whole fryers or cooked turkey meat (4 to 8 pounds)

Tony Chachere's Instant Creole Roux and Gravy Mix

This is a dehydrated roux found in most supermarketsand packaged in

a yellow, ten ounce can similar to Parmesan cheese container.

Salt and pepper (or Cajun seasoning)

Gumbo Filé

Assembly Instructions

Use a 6 quart, or larger heavy, pot (iron or cast aluminum) with lid.

Brown chicken pieces in small amount of vegetable oil in pot. Remove chicken from pot and place on platter or container.

Sauté vegetables (Holy Trinity of Cajun Cooking: bell peppers, onions, celery, plus garlic)

in same pot after browning chicken . Cook vegetables until limp and translucent.

Mix 1 cup of roux mix with 12 cups of cold water in a separate mixing bowl and stir well.

Do not allow roux mix to settle.

Add liquid (roux and water) to sauteed vegetables and continue stirring on high heat until mixture is brought to a slow boil.

Add chicken and simmer until chicken is tender (meat begins to separate from the bone).

Remove chicken from pot and de-bone, return chicken meat (bite size) with sausage (cut across the width in thin slices about 3/8 inch thick) to gumbo.

Add salt and pepper or Cajun seasoning.

Let gumbo simmer for another 20 minutes or so.

A few (5 or so) minutes before serving, add chopped green onions and chopped parsley.

Serve gumbo in bowl, then add cooked white rice and season with a little gumbo filé.

If the chef can cook rice, long-grain white rice is best!

Parboiled rice such as "minute rice" or "converted rice" doesn't stick together, which is a desirable quality of rice to be served with gumbo and other Cajun dishes.

A rice cooker can make cooking rice fool proof! 

Barbecued Shrimp

Ingredients

2 pounds of shrimp (in shells, without heads))

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

Juice of 2 lemons

3/4 cup of butter cut into pieces (margarine is alright but not as savory)

Salt and pepper (or Cajun seasoning) to taste

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rinse shrimp with cold water and drain in colander

Combine everything in shallow baking or roasting pan(s)

Place pan(s) into preheated oven

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally

Season to taste

Serving Suggestions

Serve in soup bowl with lots of French bread for dipping up the garlic-butter sauce.

Cajun Potato Salad

Serves 8 Cajuns or 24 others

Parts List

10 pounds potatoes

8 or 7 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 cup dill relish

2 cups sweet relish

2 cups salad olives, chopped

2 cups finely chopped onions

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1½ pints mayonnaise

½ cup yellow mustard

Salt, or Cajun seasoning, to taste

Louisiana (Cayenne or Tabasco) hot sauce, to taste

Assembly Instructions

Boil potatoes in their jackets. Let cool and then peel and chop in large chunks.

Mix mayonnaise, yellow mustard, hot sauce, and salt together.

Add mixture to potatoes, along with the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. You may need to put a little more dressing on if this is a little dry.

You can make this the day before and refrigerate it overnight.

Frozen Margaritas

Makes At Least Four Large Drinks

Ingredients

6 ounces frozen concentrated limeade

4 ounces (½ cup) of the cheapest Tequila (clear not "gold")

2 ounces (¼ cup) Triple Sec

6 ounces (3/4 cup) Sprite or 7-UP (can substitute diet)

Assembly Instructions

Put the above ingredients in a blender, fill the blender with ice, and then grind it up.

Serve in a goblet with salt on the rim.

Metric Measurement of Ingredients

180 ml frozen concentrated limeade

120 ml Tequila (clear not "gold") and the cheapest

60 ml Triple Sec

180 ml Sprite or 7-UP (can substitute diet versions)

Hot Dill Pickles

Ingredients - Per Pint of Pickles

1 clove garlic (preferably sliced)

1 hot pepper (preferably Cayenne)

1/16 teaspoon alum

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

3/4 teaspoon dill seed

Optional: 1 sprig fresh dill

Place the above items at the bottom of the pint jar before stuffing with sliced cucumbers (pickling variety).

Pickling Solution For 5 Pints

1/4 cup pickling salt

1 1/2 cups 5% acidity white vinegar (not Heinz)

3 cups water

Assembly Instructions

Bring the above pickling solution to a boil while stirring.

Fill the stuffed jars with the solution, leaving about 1/4 inch head space.

Wipe top of jars with damp paper towel.

Sterilize lids in boiling water.

Place lids on jars and screw on the rings. Lids will seal without processing jars in a water bath.

Pickles can be stored at room temperature. If jars would not seal, refrigerate.

Pickles are ready to eat within 7 days.

Cooking A Ham and Turkey In A Cajun Smoker

This is a set of instructions to cook, but not smoke, in a smoking unit often called a "Cajun Smoker." The unit is a light metal, vertical, cylinder with two grills, a pan at the bottom for charcoal briquets, and another pan beneath the lower grill for water. The instructions include a recipe for the liquid in the water pan. Only use a smoker that has a side door where water and briquets can be added during cooking.

Meats

This process is for two different meats on the upper and lower grills in the smoker. Place a stuffed, smoked ham on the upper grill. (See instructions for stuffing on next page.) Large hams are fine, but measure the inside diameter of the lid on the smoking unit. Large hams may be too long to fit. Ask your butcher to cut the ham (on its narrow end) to a length that will fit under the lid. Use the ham remnant for red beans and rice or soup, etc. An inexpensive ham works as well as very expensive brands. It is alright to trim fat off the ham, but leave some fat on it. The fat keeps the ham from drying out and its dripping to the lower meat keeps the latter moist as well as flavors it.

Place a turkey on the bottom grill. Be sure to wash the bird with water and trim the fat and excess skin off its ends. Inside the cavity of the turkey, place a peeled whole onion and peeled whole red apple. This will keep the inside of the bird moist.

Supplies

Cheap briquets are preferred, as they cook slow and do not get too hot like the more expensive brands. Line the bottom pan with foil before loading the briquets. Fashion an L- shaped poker from a metal coat hanger. Use this to keep the hole in the briquet pan from getting clogged with ash from the burned briquets. Insert the short end of the poker into the whole in the pan and jiggle vigorously for 30 second or so until the ashes stop falling to the ground from the pan. This should be done about every 30 minutes after the first hour of cooking.

Spray the entire load of briquets with plenty of charcoal briquet lighter fluid and ignite. As soon as possible, load the water pan and two grills with the meats and cover with the lid. Do not use any wood chips. This is cooking, not smoking!

Stuffing the Ham

To stuff the ham (not the turkey), the following items are needed: a medium onion, several Jalapeño peppers (red and/or green), and several cloves of garlic. The relative amounts of each of these ingredients, especially the hot peppers, should be adjusted according to one's taste.

Peel the onion and cloves of garlic, and clean the peppers by removing their seeds and juice. The ingredients can then be chopped finely by hand or in a food processor. Place the chopped or processed ingredients in a small bowl and cover with some white vinegar. The moisture will make handling the chopped stuffing material a little easier.

With a sharp knife, effect holes in the ham by making two cuts at right angles four inches or more deep into the meat. Repeat this procedure all over the ham, about three inches between the center of each hole. Fill each hole with the stuffing mixture.

After cooking when the ham is sliced, the sought after effect is a piece of meat that is similar to pickle loaf. With a combination of red and green Jalapeños and white onions and garlic, there is a definite presentation of colors.

Liquid and Seasoning for the Water Pan

For each batch of the liquid to place in the "water" pan, the following ingredients are needed.

2 cups dry white wine (cheap Sauterne) 12 drops bitters

1 bell pepper, halved and cleaned 1 medium whole onion

¼ cup dried parsley 2 cloves whole garlic

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp. dried/crushed mint

2 cups water 2 tbs. liquid smoke

The initial mixture as prescribed above should last maybe two hours. Be sure to check the briquets and liquid pan every 30 minutes after the first hour of cooking. If the liquid is evaporating, keep the pan at least half filled by adding water.

Two batches of the above formula are needed for six to eight hours of cooking. Have the second batch ready to add after three hours. A watering can or a baster can be used to add either plain water or the seasoning liquid to the pan.

Don't forget to use the poker to keep the air hole open at the bottom of the briquet pan. As the briquets disintegrate, add more.

The ham and turkey should be ready in six to eight hours. Do not take the lid off the smoker until the meat is believed to be ready. The ham can be sliced without removing it from the smoker. If a turkey drumstick can be pulled off by hand, the bird is done.

Yellow Squash and Jalapeño Cornbread Casserole

Courtesy of Charles Bosworth

Houston, TX

Make one recipe of Jalapeno cornbread. Break up cornbread and put into casserole dish or 9" by 13" Pyrex dish.

Cut or dice 4 to 5 yellow squash and steam until tender. Reserve the water.

Mix squash and cornbread. Beat two eggs and pour over the mixture. Add about one cup of the water or less until the mixture clings together.

Grate in some cheddar cheese.

Level casserole and top with more grated cheddar. The more cheddar the better!

Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes.

Zuchinni & Yellow Squash Casserole

Courtesy of Georgette H. Person

Houston, TX

Serves Six

Three to five yellow (aka crooked neck) squash, washed and sliced across the width about one-quarter inch thick

Three to five green zuchinni squash, washed and sliced across the width

Bell peppers -gold, red and green (the gold and red are sweet and colorful) - requires 1 and a half

Red or Vidalia onion or both - requires one large onion

One cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese

One cup of mayonaise

Parsley (optional)

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper or Cajun seasoning (like Tony Chacherie’s)

9 by 13 inch Pyrex dish

Cooking Instructions

Layer cooking dish with alternating layers of green and yellow squash - two layers of each type should be more than adequate.

Sprinkle each layer of squash with salt/pepper or seasoning ad Parmesan cheese

Mix mozzarella cheese with mayonaise and layer over the top of casserole.

Sprinkle the cover mixture with parmesan and optional parsley

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degree in oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or possibly as long as an hour depending on the effectiveness of the oven.

Remove foil and bake for about five more minutes to brown the topping using caution not to.

Let cool and serve

Three Bean Salad

Courtesy of Charles Bosworth

Houston, TX

Ingredients

1 can of yellow wax beans (drained)

1 can of French-cut green beans (drained)

1 can of red kidney beans (drained)

½ cup + 2 tbs. vinegar

½ cup salad oil

½ cup sugar

1 medium yellow onion (sliced)

1 medium grenn (bell) pepper (sliced)

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

Mixing Instructions

Drain beans and place in serving bowl. Cut onion and green pepper and add to beans. Next, season with sugar, salt and pepper. Finally, pour in oil and vinegar and stir well.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours for best flavor. Even better, stir at eight hour intervals during refrigeration.

Big Al's Jambalaya

Courtesty of Alex Butler

Louisiana State University

* First you make a roux.