Now before we start this, it is not a Red Beans Recipe:
We are going to use a lot of the same items, but we will change a few. I am making a large pot with (2) pounds of Red Bean so please cut in half if you use a 1-pound package of Red Beans.
Ingredients:
Start off with 4 to 6 cups of shrimp stock if you do not have it chicken stock will work. We want to soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator. Make sure that they are completely covered with stock. We will be cooking on low heat on the stove or in a crock pot until our beans are fully cooked (this could take between 6 to 8 hours). Once we have the beans in the pot, we will add water. Make sure they are covered by at least 2 inches.
Once we start adding the below items, we will have to add more water.
About 1/2 to 1 hour later we will then start adding the following.
1) one orange bell pepper
2) one red bell pepper
3) one whole onion
4) 1 cup of celery
Do Not Cut them into small pieces we like to see what we are eating.
5) 2 tablespoons minced garlic
6) one can of Rotel Tomatoes with Chilies
7) 1/4 to 1/2 cup of late reason White Wine (Sweet)
8) 2 to 3 bay leaves
9) 1 tablespoon dried thyme
10) 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
11) 1 tablespoon dried parsley
12) 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning depending on your taste
13) 2 tablespoons of Lea & Perrins better known as Worcestershire Sauce
14) 1 pound of Alligator Sausage cut into 1/4-inch pieces
15) 1 to 2 pound of Farm Raised Alligator meat cut into ¼-inch pieces
16) cook rice in a rice cooker and serve what you have cooked over the rice
As a side note you can add Mushrooms and Okra to your
desired amount.
Make sure you cook low and slow and keep stirring and adding water as needed.
1/2 onion
1 bell pepper (red and yellow)
1/2 to 3/4 can of chicken broth
Start cooking the Alligator, then add onions and bell pepper. Cook until bell peppers are soft.
Add chicken broth and bring it to a boil.
Add asparagus.
Reduce the chicken broth to a simmer.
Peal and cube the mango.
Add mango after the asparagus gets tender.
Cook on low heat for about 10 min. As always, you can add your special spices as you feel needed.
Went to the Farmers Market again for the major part of my Labor Day meal. It was very simple to cook, all-natural flavor, just added salt and pepper on both side and add some rub. Now, the way I did the rub was to put it in a salt shaker and just sprinkled it on both sides. You can use any vegetables but you need to make sure it will cook in about 10 minutes. The grill was set on 250 degrees and I cooked them 10 minutes on each side. Now, the Alligator will be done and moist if you need to leave them on the grill for a couple of minute's more for the veggies to finish that is okay. JUST WATCH CLOSLY.
Ingredients
Cooking Burritos
Soft Tacos
Ingredients
Now we are Ready to Enjoy Either
Now we cut up:
1)1/2 to 3/4 cups of onions
2) 2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic
3)I/2 cup of Orange and Red Bell Peppers
4)1/2 to 3/4 cup of Celery
5)1/2 to 3/4 cup of Mushrooms.
6)salt and pepper to taste
7)add some Tony's seasoning but not too much if you have Kids eating. You can always add more on your bowl or plate.
8)add your alligator meat that is already cut up between 1/2 to 2 ounce pieces and tenderized. If you have a 2-ounce piece then you can cut it in half.
Grab another bowl and throw all of the chopped ingredients in a Black Iron Skillet and sauté until everything is translucent and soft. You want to empty take a can of Mushroom Soup empty out in a bowl, then fill the same can up with Milk and whisk well.
9)add one can of Rotel Tomato to the mixture.
10)When everything is translucent, add the Mushroom Soup to the pot. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, then you are ready to plate the dish in a bowl or plate over the rice. Now always remember these are my family's recipes, and they did not have a lot of seasoning going on 55 years ago. So this is a base add to it your favorite spices.
Total Time: 1 h 30 m
8 servings 316 cals / serving
Ingredients:
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 pounds alligator, cut into bite-size pieces
4 cups chopped yellow onion (3 or 4 small onions)
1 (Red or Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
2 bay leaves
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juice
1 (10-ounce) can Original Ro-Tel tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
4 cups shrimp or chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne or more to taste
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 bunch green onions, tops only
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
First, make a roux of the oil and flour cook until dark brown. If you do not wish to make your own roux you can buy a good one a Walmart, add onions and stir well. Add bell pepper, celery, garlic and jalapeno. Cook, stirring often, another 15 minutes.
When softened, add diced tomatoes. Simmer 15 minutes. Add bay leaves, Ro-Tel, lemon juice, broth, salt, cayenne, thyme and Worcestershire. Cook for 1-1/2 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Add cut-up alligator and simmer another hour, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, and parsley. Let sit for at least an hour before serving over hot cooked rice.
The Roux
Your roux is a 2 to 1 mix; 2 cups of a good olive oil like Carapelli, do not use Light or Virgin, and then 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Heat the oil on medium temp, when hot add the flour, you want a dark brown but not burned mixture, this takes constant stirring. It might take as long as 45 min; good tasting food takes a lot of preparation. In Cajun kitchens there are so many ways to make a roux; this is just one of many.
Now if you do not have the time to make the roux, you can go to Wal-Mart a buy a large jar.
While we are making the roux, we are also making the stock:
-3 to 6 quarts of water, depending on how much you are making, this is what we are going to make our stock with. Place one or two chickens in for about 45 minutes, take out and cool, then de bone
-3 to 5 pounds of heads on shrimp, 9/12 count cook in the Chicken Broth for 2 minutes then take out and cool off with ice or cold water to stop from cooking
Then take off the heads and shells and place them in the chicken stock to cook for another 30 minutes.
You are cooking both broths; we are looking to get the entire flavor. Then strain the broth, (here is one more secret) take the heads and with a knife scrap all the meat and fat out of head and put back into the broth. This gives the broth a fatter, richer flavor. When the stock ready to add to the roux be very careful the roux is hot, I will usually add a couple of cups at a time until it cools down then pour the rest in.
We must use the holy trilogy, onions, bell peppers and celery. On the bell peppers I use green, orange, and yellow and purple, each has its own different taste. Now, as far as the sausage goes I like to add two to three different types, Andouille and Gator and Shrimp each has a distinctive taste.
(1) pound of each Andouille, Gator and Shrimp Sausage sliced use at least 2 pounds, any of your choosing
(2) 1 pound of Tsao
(3) 2 bags of okra unless you have put some up from the summer which would be the way to go (again I like a lot of okra, so play it by ear you might want to add another bag)
(4) 6 cups chopped onions or more
(5) 3 cups of chopped bell peppers, different colors
(6) 2 cups of chopped green onions
(7) 4 cups of finely chopped celery (this is something you can add more of if you wish) even the leaves
(8) Garlic I like garlic from Gilroy California, any would be fine, we need 1/2 to 1 cup, I like garlic so the more the merrier for me
(9) 2 cups for finely chopped parsley
(10) 1/2 cup of cilantro AND 6 bay leaves.
(11) 2 to 4 cups of a late season white wine
I did find a St. James (Velvet White) in Missouri that seems to work okay, you might get with your winery and see what late in the season sweet grape wine that they may have for cooking with. Sauterne was the choose of Chef Justin Wilson
(12) At this time, you can de vein your shrimp, I personal do not, I will cut the shrimp in half, because we are using 9/12 shrimp and they are large, I will always drop some of the shrimp in the gumbo whole pull of the whiskers, adds more flavor.
(13) 4 to 5 tbsp. of Lea & Perrins
(14) Cayenne pepper to taste, add some taste you do not want it to hot for children
-Salt, this is the old grandmother measuring method, again add to taste
(15) 1 large can of tomato sauce
Now we let simmer on the stove on low heat for 4 to 6 hours, and then place in refrigerator overnight. Sever the next day over a bed of rice. If you can find file powder ( Mamma Jean's on Sunshine if you live in Missouri) File add to the rice before you serve the gumbo over it. Be sure to keep stirring we do not want it to stick to bottom and burn.
KEY: after you have completed your gumbo let it set over night in the refrigerator before you serve it, that way it lets all the flavors marry
Need a good breakfast? We make my granddaughter's favorite omelet Dinosaur Chicken as she calls it (ALLIGATOR MEAT) and she loves it.
The ingredients are the Holy Trinity--Onions, Celery, Bell Pepper, then add Mushrooms and Dinosaur Chicken--aka Alligator meat.
1) Crack 2 eggs and place over the vegetables until the eggs are over easy. (Option: over grits)
2) If you are making this dish over grits, make them thick and be careful not to break the egg yolks
3) Once cooked, place the Omelet over the grits and enjoy.
This has a Grand Ma Twist. And tell him Happy Birthday from Cajun Country.
Ingredients:
FARMERS MARKET DAY, when to the farmers market today and got the following.