Rebekka's Jambalaya

This jambalaya recipe is adapted by Rebekka from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and can be found on her blog: rebeatworld.blogspot.com. This makes a very spicy dish, but that is part of what makes it so grand.

Ingredients:

2 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t rubbed sage

2 T butter
1/2 pound chopped andouille sausage, about 2 cups
3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups
1 T minced garlic
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped green bell peppers
1/2 c canned tomato sauce (I just use a whole little can of tomato sauce)
1 c chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c uncooked converted rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and scraping pan bottom well if it's not nonstick.

2. Stir in seasonings (bay leaf through sage), garlic, and 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the broth and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan (I found that the recommended 8x8 was much too small). Bake uncoverd in a 350 F oven until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and cool a bit before eating.


Note: The seasonings really are quite flexible. I haven't yet used the bay or the white pepper and it has turned out plenty spicy!

Suzanne's Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe from a rockstar woman I love, and who makes the best enchiladas around. Terrified of the enchilada, but willing to mount an attack, I emailed her for the recipe. I give her directions and then a few modifications/comments of my own in italics following each step. I doubled the recipe and made two pans of enchiladas, hence the larger proportions, but they fed an army and turned out wonderfully. What a coup.

Suzanne's Directions:

1. Start by cooking some rice (you'll need about 1.5 cups, but anything between .75 to 2 cups is probably fine. You can also skip the rice.

I used 2 cups cooked brown rice. I think the brown rice gives a deeper/healthier impression.

2. Cut up chicken breast in to bite size pieces and cook in a pan on the stove (you can also get 1-2 precooked whole cooked chickens and tear the meat up into pieces).

I cooked five chicken breasts by boiling them in water and apple cider vinegar with a bit of salt in a large skillet on the stove. After cooking I chopped/shredded the chicken into large bite size pieces.

3. Add about 2 cans of tomato sauce (or one really big can) and nearly a whole can of red enchilada sauce, saving 1/3 cup or so to put on the top (I usually use Rosarita, but anything would work.)

I used 2 cans of Ortega medium red enchilada sauce, one larger can of tomato sauce, and maybe another can's worth of tomato puree that I had in the fridge. These enchiladas were a little drier than most, but I like them better that way. Leaving some for the top is definitely wise.

4. Add the rice to the mix (meaning chicken/sauce mix)

5. Add a lot of shredded cheese (uh...maybe 3/4 cup each of cheddar and mozzerella?)

I used sharp cheddar and white monterrey jack, grating an entire small block of each. The net amount of shredded cheese was probably around 3 cups. I saved a little cheese out to put on top of the enchiladas.

5. Now add more sauce until it's a bit runny (if it's thick, the enchiladas will be more like burritos!)

6. Stir up the mix of sauces with chicken, rice, and cheese.

7. Coat a pyrex dish (size 13 x 9 is good, but anything would probably work) with cooking spray.

8. Put a dollup (2/3 cup?) of mix on a flour (wheat!) tortilla, roll the tortilla up, put it in the dish. Repeat until the dish is full of enchiladas. (My dish fit eight enchiladas.) Leave space between each enchilada so some sauce can get in there and so they will separate more easily.

9. On the top of the enchiladas, add: left over mix, left over enchilada sauce, and extra cheese.

Janie and I also cut up a bunch of fresh cilantro and put it on top with the sauce and cheese and chicken and it was delicious! I would put some cilantro inside even, also we added chopped onion to the chicken/rice/sauce mix.

10. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly hot and browning on top. You can also refrigerate before cooking, and just cook a bit longer (40 minutes?) Serve hot with sour cream or guacamole on top.

So good. MMMMMMMMM.

Eggplant Moussaka

This recipe from Sokolov drew me in and I knew I had to try it, even if it meant buying (and consuming) eggplant. The end result was not quite the wonder I had envisioned in my head, but it is surprisingly tasty, with a distinct flavor.

The dish is not pretty, but it is filling and reheats reasonably well.

Ingredients:

2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled but trimmed and cut in rounds about 1/2 inch thick
Salt
3 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
Pepper
3 Tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated cheese (Gruyere, Cheddar, or kefalotyri)
Grated nutmeg

Directions:

1) Put the eggplant slices in a large colander. Toss them in salt and let stand for at least a half hour.

2) Heat the oil in a large skillet. Brown the onion with the lamb. Stir in the tomato puree, cinnamon, sugar, and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and continue cooking until all the liquid evaporates. Stir in the parsley and let cool.

3) Rinse the eggplant slices until they are lightly browned.

4) Grill or boil the eggplant slices until they are lightly browned.

5) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6) In a bowl, whisk together all the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

7) Lightly oil the inside of a 10 by 14-inch ovenproof dish. Cover the bottom with a layer of half the egglant slices. Then spread on it a layer of all the lamb mixture. Finally add the rest of the eggplant in an even layer. Pour the yogurt mixture over the top and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown on top.


I used ground pork sausage instead of lamb (none at the supermarket :( ) and cheddar cheese. I also used regular parsley, a too soupy yogurt, and brushed the eggplant slices with olive oil before broiling. This moussaka is rich, what with the pork, egg, cheese, and yogurt, so it could be easily served as a main course with salad on the side and be satisfying.

Verdict: Next Easter when lamb is more available this may be worth trying again.