Gumbo

On 4th October 2015, This was Dinner…

I think gumbo is a proper comfort food with it’s deep, rich flavours. Apparently a gumbo consists of a strong flavoured stock and includes the holy trinity (wikipedia words, not mine) of celery, onion and peppers. Did you know it is also another word for okra.

Mr S says I can sometimes be away with the fairies. Well he got to do his eye-roll at the deli yesterday. I asked for 8 small chorizo sausages. I duly handed over my money for those and a few other ingredients and thought ‘Well that was expensive!’ Yeah – turns out he gave me 8 normal sized chorizo. Good job I bloody love the stuff.

Preparing:

• Chop up a couple of chorizo sausages
• Dice a green pepper
• Dice a couple of celery stalks
• Chop up an onion
• Grate a few garlic cloves
• Chop up a few tomatoes
• Prepare some chicken stock
• Slice some okra
• Chop some parsley
• Get cooked prawns, rice, cajun seasoning*, a bay leaf, a couple of thyme sprigs, plain flour, oil & seasoning ready

Making:

Heat a pan and cook the chorizo until starting to release it’s oil. Remove and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the onion, green pepper and celery until starting to soften. Add the garlic and some cajun seasoning and cook for another minute. Add the flour and stir through for a minute. Pop the tomatoes in along with the thyme and bay. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes to intensify the flavours.

Make sure there is enough stock and add the rice. Cook for 10 minutes then add the okra.

Cook, keeping an eye on the stock level until the rice is cooked through. Season well, adding the prawns for the last few minutes. Serve with the parsley.

I adapted a recipe called Portuguese Linguiça Gumbo from my Dirty Food book.

• cajun seasoning – paprika, cayenne, chilli flakes, oregano, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder & black pepper.

Quick Cajun Chicken

On 21st August 2015, This was Dinner…

I’m sorry, I can’t help but ask! Has anyone made a Jamie’s 15 Minute Meal recipe in 15 minutes? I probably ask the same question every time I make one but still, I need to find someone that can and ask what the secret is. I didn’t even serve the additional salad that he serves.

Mr S says this is the best meal he’s had recently but as good as it was, I disagree. It was salty and it was chicken so I’m not surprised.

Preparing:

• Thinly slice a couple of sweet potatoes
• Chop some parsley
• Butterfly a couple of chicken breasts
• Get sweet chilli sauce, polenta, cajun seasoning*,smoked streaky bacon, oil & seasoning ready.

Making:

Pop the potatoes in boiling water and cook through.

Mix the polenta with the cajun seasoning and coat the chicken.

Cook the bacon slices then remove and cut into pieces.

Pop a little oil in a pan and heat. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes each side or until cooked through.

Mash the sweet potatoes and add a little seasoning and some sweet chilli sauce.

Slice the chicken and serve on a bed of the mash, scatter over the bacon pieces and garnish with the parsley.

* I made my own using smoked paprika, ground coriander, ground cumin, dried thyme, dried oregano, garlic salt and a little salt & pepper.

Cajun Chicken

On 20th October 2014, This was dinner…

This recipe comes from a book that Mr S picked up as part of my birthday present, It’s the first time we have used it and considering it was 99p, it’s already been worth it!

I wasn’t really involved in making this again, I added the tomatoes and that’s all. So here’s his prepping and making:

Preparing:

• finely chop an onion
• bash a couple of garlic cloves
• finely chop a stick of celery
• deseed & chop a green pepper
• [deseed] & chop a couple of red chillis
• prepare some chicken stock ready
• get oil, chicken breasts, plain flour, dried oregano, dried thyme, a bay leaf, tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, brown sugar, tabasco & seasoning ready.

Making:

Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the chicken for a few minutes on each side. Remove and pop to one side.

Make sure there is plenty of oil in the pan and add the flour, stirring to a paste. Add the onion, garlic, celery and green pepper and stir well.

Add a splash of the stock then stir, repeat until you have used all of the stock and the flour has gone. You will have a nice thick sauce.

Add the oregano, thyme, bay leave and chillies and stir.

Add the tomato purée (I did that too), sugar (and that) and the tomatoes. Season and stir well and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 30-40 minutes. Pop a few dashes of tabasco in and serve.

We were going to have rice with it but there was so much chicken we didn’t bother.

Cajun Salmon & Prawn Fishcakes

Mr S made these. There are certain things that are my domain, fishcakes being one, I like to pretend they are difficult and I’m doing a lot of hard work, but when I got home these were almost finished. I felt redundant but very appreciative. A really good fish cake too. We saw Jamie Oliver make them on a repeat of his Save with Jamie show. I have in my head that Mr S changed a couple of things slightly but I just asked him and he can’t remember. No doubt once I have pressed ‘publish’ he will.

As it’s a Save with Jamie meal it uses cheaper bits, the salmon was frozen, defrost it along with some prawns.

Cook some potatoes in boiling, salted water, leave to steam a little then mash. Pop to one side to cool.

To the mash, add roughly chopped salmon (don’t forget to remove the skin) and prawns, a finely sliced red chilli, the zest of a lemon and some seasoning. Make into fishcakes.

Whizz up some stale bread in a processor and (here’s where he just remembered) add the cajun seasoning herbs and spices which almost make a cajun seasoning – just make it up!

Dip the cakes in flour, then egg then into the breadcrumb mixture (I did get this job!). Pop in the fridge to chill.

Cook in a 190ºc (fan) oven for about 30 minutes.

We served them with leftover salad from yesterday.

Using FROZEN SALMON, COOKED PRAWNS, POTATOES, RED CHILLI, LEMON, STALE BREAD, CAJUN SEASONING (or near enough), FLOUR and EGG…

This was dinner…22nd July 2014.

Cajun Chicken & Bean Salad

So the 2014 World Cup is upon us. Don’t get me wrong, I like football, but I’m a week behind on my postings and, well, it’s half time in the England game and I’m sick of the incessant bull$h!t of some of the commentators and 76 showings of every game. Mr S and I have decided to adopt the nation that comes third. Hmmm. We’re also doing a 2 person fantasy football league and thanks to Neymar (me) and a poor Casillas (Mr S) I’m in front for once.

Mix oil, dried oregano and thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne and garlic salt together and add a couple of butterflied chicken breasts. Season well and leave for 15 minutes, covered, in the fridge.

Make a salad of black beans, chopped fresh tomato, sweetcorn, spring onions, chopped sun dried tomatoes and the zest and juice of a lime.

Cook the chicken through in an oiled pan, mine took about four minutes each side.

Although I love fresh guacamole, it’s like pesto. It’s not always convenient so I bought one for this recipe.



Check out July’s BBC Good Food magazine for the actual recipe.

Using DRIED OREGANO, GARLIC SALT, DRIED THYME, SMOKED PAPRIKA, CAYENNE, CHICKEN BREAST, BLACK BEANS, TOMATOES, SWEETCORN, SPRING ONION, SUN DRIED TOMATOES, LIME and GUACAMOLE…

This was dinner…12th June 2014.

 

 

 

Cajun Meatballs

I got these out of the freezer before I went off for a morning at the hairdressers, another prepared meal. If only I could be this organised all of the time!

The recipe comes from my old faithful BBC Good Food and here is the link as always.

The meatballs are easy. Add some Cajun seasoning* and some salt and pepper to about a pound of turkey mince and shape into balls (about 18-20 should be right but I ALWAYS end up with the odd number).

I made my sauce differently:

Soften a finely chopped onion in a bit of oil and butter. Add a chopped garlic clove, a chopped green pepper and a bay leaf stir for a couple more minutes. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and half a tin of water along with a stock ‘cube’. I use the Knorr things – stock pots. Add a tin of cannellini beans & cover and cook whilst you make your side dish. As we had rice yesterday we went with mash.

I would have put celery into the sauce as well but had taken it to work to give to Larry, the rabbit that send me his carrots on a regular basis, forgetting I needed it for this.

*my Cajun seasoning – 6 tbsp smoked paprika, 4 tsp salt, 4 tsp garlic salt, 1 tbsp chilli flakes, 2 tsp ground black pepper, 2 tsp ground oregano and 2 tsp ground coriander.

The fancy potato quinelles are thanks to Mr S.

This was dinner… 23^rd November 2013.