Cookin again

[prabe]

I spent years in the DC area, including living in Maryland, and am stunned it's not from the Chesapeake region.

I'd say we made it our own.

 

[Zardnaar]

The mighty pie in small town NZ north of where I live.

The best ones are generally found in small places. One of our favorites is a small pub in town of 80 odd people.

 

[AnotherGuy]

The mighty pie in small town NZ north of where I live.

The best ones are generally found in small places. One of our favorites is a small pub in town of 80 odd people.

Ah, small towns are the soul of every nation!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It's a long story, but I put it in my recipe as a "Secret Ingredient" because one of my buddies is a bit of a purist (okay, the dude's a snob) when it comes to Cajun cooking and spices. Which is really weird, because he's from Iowa. Anyway, last year he was going on about how Old Bay seasoning isn't "authentic Creole" and how "nobody south of Tennessee ever uses it" and I didn't want to deal with any stigma.

Now I grew up 2 hours from Shreveport and I have family in Monroe, but what do I know?

Good grief. Unless it’s a competition recipe, there’s not much point in having a “secret ingredient“ for creole food. Especially gumbo. It’s a poor man’s dish elevated to a culinary pinnacle of Cajun/Creole cuisine.

Besides the 6+ recipes I personally use, I’ve studied the recipes of some of the more iconic chefs of the cuisine, like Justin Wilson and Leah Chase, who showed the world how they do theirs by committing it to film for shows or even interviews.

And my only “secret” is that one of the sausages I use is my extended family‘s commercial recipe, and I cannot divulge what is in IT. I freely discuss how I do gumbos online. Even shared one detailed recipe with the head chef of a resort in Norway. I included info on substitute ingredients he could use if he couldn’t get things I use.

After thanking me, he said “I can get any ingredient in the world.”

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I use Tony Chachere's in my gumbo and jambalaya, but if you couldn't see the tin, I think most people would believe that Old Bay was a creole/cajun seasoning. The ingredient lists have a lot of overlap.

Tony’s in my cupboard, and in those of several people in my family. There’s a few other seasoning brands I use for specific recipes. You have my blessing.

But the thing is, it’s not just the particular ingredients, but their proportions. A little difference in percentages can make surprising changes in flavor. My gut feeling is that the only use of Old Bay you’re likely to find in NOLA would be in things like crab cakes, stuffed shrimp, and similar dishes.

For example, Dooky Chase is as iconic a restaurant as there is in New Orleans, and they definitely use it. For example:

Fish Cakes with Citrus Beurre Blanc - THE DOOKY CHASE KITCHEN: LEAH’S LEGACY by WYES

4 redfish fillets1 tsp. salt1 tsp. black pepper1⁄2 tsp. cayenne pepper1 lemon1⁄4 stick butter1⁄4 cup green onions (chopped)1⁄4 cup parsley (chopped)1 cup mayonnaise1⁄4 cup creole mustard2 eggs1⁄2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning1⁄2 tsp. creole seasoning3 cups bread crumbsEgg wash1⁄2 cup oil Preheat oven...

dookychase.wyes.org

 

[reelo]

Made some Kaeng Khiao Wan (Green Curry) for me and my boys today.

 

[Zardnaar]

Looks good. Springs here so probably less rice based dishes.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The all-beef Hatch Chile sausage experiment went pretty well. The resultant spice blend was tasty, but a little lacking in character when mixed with 80/20 ground beef.

We think the mix as-is might work better with a white meat like pork or chicken, but the next time we try it with beef, we’re upping the hatch Chile content, reducing the amount of celery seed, and adding cumin.

So we’ve got at least 2 more experiments we need to try out.

 

[prabe]

The all-beef Hatch Chile sausage experiment went pretty well. The resultant spice blend was tasty, but a little lacking in character when mixed with 80/20 ground beef.

We think the mix as-is might work better with a white meat like pork or chicken, but the next time we try it with beef, we’re upping the hatch Chile content, reducing the amount of celery seed, and adding cumin.

So we’ve got at least 2 more experiments we need to try out.

I find it interesting that you feel there was maybe too much celery seed in your blend, this time. My experience and understanding is that celery works well with beef. Of course, beef sausage may well be a different use-case.

 

[CleverNickName]

I kinda, accidentally threw down the gauntlet at the construction site earlier this week. One of my colleagues was talking about last weekend's rib contest, and someone else remarked that they would have won easily "if it had been a chili contest," and then me and my big mouth replied "well let's have a chili cook-off then!" and now it's on. Engineers vs. contractors, in a chili cookoff, late October.