Andouille, Crab and Oyster Gumbo
Chocolate-colored roux, the Cajun/Creole “holy trinity” of red bell pepper, celery and roux, homemade shrimp stock, pecan wood-smoked Andouille, fresh crab and oysters..
For the Gumbo (from a recipe by Andrew Zimmern, with slight modifications)
1/2 cup organic, all-purpose flour
4 ounces pastured butter
1 Spanish onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 fresh bay leaf
5 cups homemade shrimp stock (substitute chicken stock)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 pound fresh okra, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 cups bottled clam juice
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
2 dozen shucked oysters and their liquor
3 tablespoons organic Worcestershire sauce
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 tablespoons filé powder (divided)
3 large celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
sea salt and black pepper
parsley, chopped for garnish
green onions, sliced for garnish
In a large pot, stir the flour and butter until smooth. Cook over moderate heat, stirring every 45 seconds, until the roux turns a rich brown color, about 20 minutes.
Add the Andouille, celery, onion, red pepper, jalapeno, garlic, okra, thyme, bay leaf and half of the filé powder and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the stock, clam juice, Worcestershire and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining filé powder and add the crab, oysters and their liquor. Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 1 minute to just cook the oysters. Serve the gumbo with rice or bread.
Not the same recipe, but who doesn’t miss Justin Wilson?
Like this:
Southwestern Pork and Pozole
Similar to the traditional Pozole Rojo, this thick stew features leftover roast pork shoulder that has been cubed and simmered in stock with heirloom pozole, toasted cumin, cracked coriander, canella and Mexican oregano, with roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic and fresh chilies. Topped with crispy fried corn tortilla strips..
1 pound (more or less) leftover roast pork (including some fat), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 cups homemade smoked pork/chicken stock
1-1/2 cups fresh yellow pozole (hominy)
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, toasted and cracked
1 teaspoon whole cumin seed, toasted and cracked
1 2-inch piece canella
1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
2 large fresh tomatoes, cored and wedged
3-4 large, fresh Anaheim peppers
1/2 head of garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon finely-minced lemon peel
1/4 cup New Mexico chile powder
2 teaspoons granulated piloncillo
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Heat stock to a low boil, then add cubed pork, cumin, canella and coriander and simmer 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, roast tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic in a 500 degree oven soft and charred. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then squeeze out the garlic, chop the vegetables and add to the simmering pork along with the cooked pozole, dry spices (except s&p) and tomato paste.
Partially cover and simmer until the pork is very tender and the pozole has just begun to break apart, about 30 minutes.
Add cilantro, stir and simmer another 5 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, then ladle into clay bowls and serve hot with fried tortilla strips.
Like this:
Arroz con Camerones
Fresh jumbo gulf shrimp are briefly boiled in a stock containing sea salt, cracked cumin and coriander and fresh lime juice, then plunged into ice water to stop the cooking process. Half of the shrimp are coarsely chopped and set aside along with the remaining whole pieces. Next, a sofrito of garlic, onions and tomatoes is sauteed in a mixture of bacon fat and butter along with a couple of sliced Anaheim peppers. Bomba rice is added and stirred to coat each grain in the flavored fat, then the cooking stock is added along with a spoonful of achiote paste. Stirred continuously until most of the stock has been absorbed, the chopped shrimp is added along with a little more stock and heated through. Seasoned to taste with freshly-ground black pepper and a handful of chopped fresh cilantro, then turned out into pre-warmed dishes and topped with the reserved whole shrimp and a little more hot stock..
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Dill Pollen Gravad Lax
Dating to the Middle Ages when Nordic fishermen salted and lightly fermented fresh-caught salmon by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line, Gravad Lax (gravlax) is prized to this day for its delicate, briny flavor. Quite expensive to purchase at retail, but dead simple to make at home using only 5 ingredients..
Dill Pollen Gravad Lax
Sustainable and among the safest remaining species in terms of mercury and PCBs, wild Alaskan salmon is a good source of Thiamin, Riboflavin and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B12 and Selenium. Think of it as gourmet grizzly bear food!
Gravad Lax
1 pound fresh, wild Alaskan salmon (skin on or off, pinbones removed)
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
2 tablespoons organic, pure cane sugar
1 tablespoon dill pollen (more flavorful than the traditionally-used fresh dill)
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
Combine the salt, sugar, dill and pepper together in a bowl. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface, then place enough salt mixture down to match the size of the salmon at a depth of about 3/8 inch. Position the salmon on top, then spread the remainder of the salt on the exposed surfaces to a similar depth.
Tightly wrap the package as it is, then wrap the entire bundle one more time. Place the wrapped salmon on a dish or inside of a plastic bag to catch the juices, then refrigerate for 48-72 hours, turning once half way through.
Unwrap the salmon, rinse away the salt under cold, running water and blot lightly. To use, simply slice the salmon thinly on a bias and serve on top of a bagel with cream cheese, or in a French omelet, perhaps.
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Charcuterie – A Documentary
Another gorgeously-produced, compelling story from award-winning Austin director Christian Remde – Charcuterie – A Documentary..
“Charcuterie is defined as the cookery of meat but in the past 700 years, it’s become so much more. From the Pâtés and Terrines of France to the Salumi of Italy and Spain, the world of Charcuterie is rich with tradition. This short documentary highlights two of Charcuterie’s rising stars, Lawrence and Lee Ann Kocurek of Kocurek Family Charcuterie in Austin, Texas.”
With their deeply-traditional, yet contemporary interpretations, I can tell you from personal experience that Kocurek Family Charcuterie are artisans in the finest sense of that term. From Chorizo Verde to Currywurst to Cheek-to-Cheek Terrine (and well beyond), Lawrence and Lee Ann’s passion for their craft is evident in every morsel of their hand-crafted goods. Find @KFACharcuterie at Austin area Farmer’s Markets or online at http://www.kocurekfamilycharcuterie.com/. Pass the duck rillettes, please! –Ren
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