Showing posts with label Gumbo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gumbo. Show all posts

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Spanish, Exercises, Cooking, The Highwaymen, Gumbo.

You may remember I am learning Spanish and last night, I was still doing lessons at gone midnight. By the time I had finished, I really didn't want to blog and anyway hadn't a lot to write about, so, sorry, being lazy.

Not that I have a lot to write about today, I had a thoroughly lazy day really. I didn't even go to exercise class, slap hand and go to bed with no tea. My excuse was I was hurting, my reason was I was again being lazy. I just seem to have been on the go lately.

Admittedly Thursday I spent a lot of time making cole slaw. Easy if you are fit, tiring and painful if you are not. Today I made the shrimp and leek recipe I posted on September 25. We both enjoyed it. Matt wasn't too sure at first,  but after he had been eating it for a bit, he decided he liked it. I liked it from the start. Of course it has no spiciness too it which maybe what threw him off. It is really easy to make, I wasn't sure at first, but it was. I cooked the pasta in the Instant Pot of course, then I can forget about it until it's done and concentrate on the rest of the recipe. It is certainly a recipe I will be making again although of course we have leftovers already. Probably eat them Sunday depending on what I decide to cook for Saturday night.

I was wondering, in bed last night thinking about it, does anyone ever cook my recipes? If you don't, you are really missing out on some good nosh.

We just watched "The Highwaymen", with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Chris Christopherson. I could name all of them except Waylon Jennings. We are not supposed to be Country Music fans but we both thoroughly enjoyed the concert and I certainly was familiar with most of the songs. I would love to get the DVD, but not at $50 something. Lot more on the TV of course as they were fund raising once more.

Well, getting pretty late again, did my Spanish earlier, so this is it for tonight.

I haven't made a gumbo since we came back from the Carolinas. This recipe turned up today on MyRecipes.com and I thought, why not. Saving it I noticed they said frozen okra, sorry, I would not use that unless I had to. I haven't seen okra for a while, but there must be somehwere I can get it.

Smoky Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo

Freeze leftover stock up to three months, and use for chowder or risotto.

Stock:
1 lb unpeeled medium shrimp
8 cups water
1 tsp black peppercorns
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 large celery stalks, chopped
3 bay leaves
3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
Gumbo:
6 Tbs canola oil, divided
2.25 oz all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups finely chopped white onion
1 Tbs Creole seasoning
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen cut okra
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups hot cooked brown rice

1. To prepare the stock, peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Cut each shrimp in half lengthwise; cover shrimp, and refrigerate.

2. Combine reserved shrimp shells, 8 cups water, and next 6 ingredients (through onion) in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Set aside 3 cups stock; keep warm. Reserve the remaining shrimp stock for another use.

3. To prepare the gumbo, heat a large cast-iron skillet over low heat; add 1/4 cup canola oil. Cook for 2 minutes, swirling to coat pan. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup. Gradually add flour to oil, stirring constantly with a whisk until smooth. Increase heat to medium; cook for 8 minutes or until the flour mixture is caramel-colored, stirring frequently. Cook 2 minutes or until mixture is chestnut-colored, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; slowly add warm shrimp stock, stirring until smooth. Pour stock mixture into a large bowl.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 7 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add onion and the next 5 ingredients (through bell pepper); sauté for 3 minutes. Return stock mixture to pan; add broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.

5. Add okra and next 3 ingredients (through black pepper). Simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Combine shrimp and paprika; toss to coat shrimp. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shrimp; sauté for 2 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Stir shrimp into okra mixture. Discard bay leaves. Serve over rice.

Servings: 8

Source: Cooking Light

Have a great weekend.
 

Friday, April 22, 2011

Good Friday, THE Wedding, Easter Weekend.

Easter ChristmasHappy Good Friday. This isn’t the best picture in the world, but it amused me because – quite accidentally – we have Easter bunnies and a Poinsettia right next to each other. Celebrating two holidays at once. I’m getting a bit fed up with the Poinsettia mind you. The piggy banks are incidental. I meant to make some Hot Cross Buns for today and completely forgot. We can buy them, but they are not quite the same taste as the ones I make or that we used to buy in the UK.

It seems, watching TV this morning, that the whole of the ABC is jaunting off to the UK this weekend in order to “do” the royal wedding. Some of them are already there and the rest are going over the next couple of days or so. A lot of people seem very wrapped up in the whole celebration. It will be shown on TV from about 4 a.m. onwards, but this is one cookie who will NOT be getting up that early. I don’t think I did for the other weddings either. They didn’t invite me, why should I care!!! I just heard this morning it takes 4 minutes to walk up the aisle. They figure its because of the whole event that Kate has lost so much weigh lately and one presenter guessed she probably hadn’t had too much sleep lately.

I picked up a tub of fresh oysters the other day so I am making gumbo tonight with shrimp and the oysters. Only thing will be missing is the crab. Canned crab just isn’t the same. We are still debating whether to have roast lamb or roast turkey breast for our Easter dinner. We only get turkey a couple of times a year normally so I think we will opt for the turkey. This turkey breast came all the way from NC. Can’t find such deals here.

Last night we had our bowling banquet and everyone was very disappointed that, for some reason, we didn’t have rolled ribs, apparently they were ordered. Instead we got platters of grossly overcooked beef which was difficult to lift off the plate because it just fell apart it was so well done. Matt and I just don’t understand how much people seem to enjoy beef like that which, to us, is totally ruined. Little or no flavour to it. Even if you don’t want rare, serve it slightly pink, much better flavour.

Today we are supposed to vote, actually we have a choice of today, tomorrow or Monday. That is because we are working the election. Yesterday, our cleaners came in, they are French Canadians so I was asking them about the words for polling booth (un isoloir) and other appropriate words in case I get someone who is French speaking and needs an interpreter. Apparently they only ever speak French at home and talking about family things so they couldn’t remember the French for any of the things I was asking.

This recipe is for Tina, Matt’s youngest daughter who, on her one and only visit to Canada, could not get enough of chocolate pies. That was quite a few years ago.

Velvety Chocolate Cream Pie

Hershey’s Kitchens

IngredientsVelvety Chocolate Cream Pie

  • 1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Whipped topping
  • Additional HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions

  1. 1 Prepare pie crust, cool.
  2. 2 Stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan. Combine eggs and milk; gradually stir into sugar mixture, blending well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk, until mixture begins to thicken and just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
  3. 3 Add chocolate chips, butter and vanilla. Stir until chips and butter are melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Immediately press plastic wrap onto pie surface. Refrigerate three to four hours or until firm. Garnish with whipped topping and chocolate chips. 8 servings. VARIATION: COCONUT CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE: Prepare pie as above; stir in 1 cup MOUNDS Sweetened Coconut Flakes with chocolate chips and butter.

Have a great Easter weekend

Jo