Cajun Cuisine

[TheOysterMan]

Today I am in such a cajun, zydeco mood. I call it one of my Gumbo days lol. I'm thinkin bout getting a Muffaletta and some corn fritters for lunch from my favorite little poboy shop around the corner. Probably gonna cook some jambalaya or red beans and rice for dinner. Whats your favorite little flavor of the bayou?

 

[ROLLTRIBE]

I love it all but simple red beans and rice with fresh hot bread is hard to beat...

 

[bayoutider]

Red beans & rice with sausage and tasso over steamed rice and a side of greens, raw onion and cornbread is one of the best comfort foods around.

Chicken & Sausage gumbo with or without okra served in a bowl with a scoop of steamed rice. I like my gumbo on the thick side so some might call mine a stew but its really, really, really, really good. Side of potato salad, french bread upgrade a stack of crackers.

Third place would probably go to either shrimp creole or ettouffee served over steamed rice with some fresh french bread.

The muffaletta, hot link po boy, catfish, shrimp or oyster po boy all get honorable mention.

Hot Link Sausages in red gravy over rice
Meatball stew with rice
Smothered Round Steak & Gravy with rice

Just about all cajun meals begin with I'll chop some vegetables you put on a pot of rice.


We don't even call it red beans and rice anymore. We love dry beans so we may use red beans, black beans, pinto beans, baby or large lima beans especially if we have a ham bone, navy beans, great northern beans and sometimes black eye peas by request since I really dont like black eye peas. Honestly my favorite is baby lima beans with sausage and tasso or ham hocks or ham bone.

 

[BamaLuver]

I love seafood gumbo (no okra please, but loads of shrimp & crabmeat).

Not many cajun dishes I don't like. Would welcome some Jambalaya, Etouffee, Creole, Mudbugs, shrimp poboy on real french bread, etc.! Making me hungry just thinking about it!

 

[aden]

whre can you get a good mufaletta in Mobile?

 

[BamaLuver]

Good question Aden: I know Gambino Bros (at Airport/Hillcrest) serves muffalettas, but I've never been there. My co-worker eats there fairly often.

 

[TheOysterMan]

Good question Aden: I know Gambino Bros (at Airport/Hillcrest) serves muffalettas, but I've never been there. My co-worker eats there fairly often.

Try Orleans Poboys on Schillinger next to the Back Yard burger...best muffalettas and red beans and rice in town.

 

[aden]

thanks, I'll try them, anytime I am in new orleans I always go to central grocery and buy a couple and bring them home.

 

[BamaLuver]

Try Orleans Poboys on Schillinger next to the Back Yard burger...best muffalettas and red beans and rice in town.

You know, I pass that restaurant every day on my way home from work & have never stopped. Do they have decent gumbo?

 

[TheOysterMan]

You know, I pass that restaurant every day on my way home from work & have never stopped. Do they have decent gumbo?

Eh, I'm not a fan of their gumbo...but i eat gumbo at work everyday and I'm very partial to ours

 

[BamaLuver]

Eh, I'm not a fan of their gumbo...but i eat gumbo at work everyday and I'm very partial to ours

Sounds like you like your gumbo as much as I do. Guess I'll cross off the gumbo from their restaurant & stick to a poboy or sandwich.

 

[TheOysterMan]

Sounds like you like your gumbo as much as I do. Guess I'll cross off the gumbo from their restaurant & stick to a poboy or sandwich.

I usually get a muffaletta, corn fritters, and red beans and rice when i go there....can't go wrong with those

 

[bayoutider]

Gumbo I make at home it different from what I usually find in restaurants. Mine is thicker not quite at the gravy stage but thicker than a watery gumbo. I like mine but sometimes when ordering a meal you get a cup of gumbo and I usually eat it and don't complain.

 

[BamaLuver]

Bayou -- I bet you make a mean pot of gumbo! I actually like mine on the thicker side as well, but its gotta be full of crabmeat and shrimp. I can do without the slimy okra (even I like it fried). Someone about the texture when its cooked in something or boiled. YUCK!!!!

 

[bayoutider]

My grandfather on my mother's side loved boiled okra so grandma would boil some for him special and fry the rest for us. After I moved to Louisiana I was introduced to smothered okra and tomato and fell in love with it. I guess the tomato takes away some of the sliminess of the okra. I sometimes put okra in gumbo or vegetable soups, not always, and it's ok. I guess tastes change but I have always been able to eat lots and lots of fried okra.

Has anyone ever bought frozen breaded okra or okra in a can? When I cut okra, well as far back as I can remember eating okra in our family, the stem end was always thrown away. That part is different and sometimes even woody tasting.

 

[BamaLuver]

We always cut our own as well and threw away the stem. I do love fried okra from time to time.

 

[bilbo]

thanks, I'll try them, anytime I am in new orleans I always go to central grocery and buy a couple and bring them home.

are you my twin? LOVE me some Central Grocery mufellata!

 

[BAMAFAN IN NY]

My grandfather on my mother's side loved boiled okra so grandma would boil some for him special and fry the rest for us. After I moved to Louisiana I was introduced to smothered okra and tomato and fell in love with it. I guess the tomato takes away some of the sliminess of the okra. I sometimes put okra in gumbo or vegetable soups, not always, and it's ok. I guess tastes change but I have always been able to eat lots and lots of fried okra.

Has anyone ever bought frozen breaded okra or okra in a can? When I cut okra, well as far back as I can remember eating okra in our family, the stem end was always thrown away. That part is different and sometimes even woody tasting.

Ive bought frozen breaded okra. Its good stuff. I like okra pretty much any way you can get it. They have the breaded okra at cracker barrel too.

We used to cut okra, mix it with corn meal and then freeze it. Later on, you just pull it out of the freezer, thaw it, and throw it the iron skillet with some grease and fry it up real black and crispy. Good eating.

 

[bayoutider]

I love my fried okra but I became a fan of smothered okra and tomatoes when I started eating more Cajun cuisine. The okra isn't slimy and has a very luxurious texture sometimes I eat it over rice. Very easy to make if anyone wants to give it a try. I have heard use only cast iron and have heard do not use cast iron I guess the do not use cast iron say so because of the acid in the tomato may harm the cast iron seasoning.

Start out by heating up a good size skillet and add about 3 tbsp bacon drippings. Saute 1 small or half a larger onion that has been diced, you can add half a diced bell pepper or some other pepper if you want at this time. Cut about a pound of okra into 1/2" slices throwing away the stem end. Add the okra and continue to saute till the okra doesn't stick to the skillet this is also about the time the okra will no longer be slimy. Add salt and pepper and either a can of diced tomatoes or about 5 ripe tomatoes that you have pealed, seeded and diced. Lower the heat to simmer and allow to cook down but not run out of liquid. Add chicken stock, vegetable stock or plain water as necessary. You will find a consistency you like, it should be looser than hash browns maybe about like oatmeal. Most of the okra will lose its shape just be sure to stir often.

I have kicked this up by adding some small or medium shrimp or some chicken white meat. When I do this I add a little tomato sauce, not much, to make it more like an etouffee. To make it more spicy use Rotel tomatoes and some diced tomatoes. This could change the way you look at okra cooked in a different manner.

 

[TommyMac]

I love okra, almost any way. I don't care for pickled okra though. At least any I've tried to date, but I try to keep an open mind and still try it from time to time.

My Mom used to throw some okra (whole) on top of beans while they were cooking, mighty good. If you've never had them this way, try it, they kind of take on some of the flavor of the beans and go well with cornbread. But to me, anything goes good with cornbread, I've had cornbread and buttermilk with chopped up green onions and a little Tabasco for breakfast many times. (Actually, it's really kind of a lot of Tabasco.)