CRAWFISH MAQUE CHOUX

Savory Meal Delivery's Crawfish Maque Choux
Makes 4 servings

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 medium celery stalks, chopped

2 cups corn

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dry 1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 fresh jalapeno, chopped

1 pound crawfish

1-1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup smoked cheddar cheese, grated

Over medium-high heat, saute onions, bell pepper, celery and corn for 2 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, thyme, garlic, jalapeno, and crawfish and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in unsalted chicken stock and seasonings.

Place in baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm, and enjoy!

CHICKEN VESUVIO

Slow Cooker Chicken Vesuvio
Makes 6 servings

2-1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
Salt and pepper to taste
4 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut in wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
GARNISH:
Zest of 1 lemon
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced

Coat slow cooker well with nonstick spray.

If desired, heat oven and a cast-iron pan to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, coat potato wedges with a little oil, salt and pepper. Lay on heated pan. In 10 or 15 minutes, when lightly browned, turn over with tongs. Cook another 10 minutes. Place in bottom of slow cooker.

Salt and pepper chicken while heating olive oil in a large skillet. When hot, brown chicken , turning with tongs. Do not crowd the pan.

(If you skipped browning the potatoes, add them to the slow cooker.) As chicken browns, add it to the slow cooker on top of the potatoes.

If necessary, add a bit more olive oil to the skillet. Cook onion and garlic until soft. Add to slow cooker.

If browning the chicken has formed a fond, or browned layer on the bottom of the skillet, pour wine, broth and lemon juice into the pan. Over medium heat, scrape with a metal spatula to release and (mostly) dissolve. When dissolved, pour over the chicken. If no fond is formed, add the liquids to slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for six hours or high for four hours.

To serve, combine lemon zest, garlic and parsley in a small bowl. Arrange chicken and potatoes on a platter, and ladle sauce over it. Sprinkle with garlic and parsley mixture and serve.

Optional: Skip the garlic and parsley mixture. Add 1 cup green peas (frozen is fine; thaw briefly at room temperature) to the slow cooker 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE

Ingredients

• 2 (20 ounce) cans of pineapple chunks, tidbits or crushed pineapple, drained, but juices reserved
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1-1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, sliced thin
• 1-1/2 sleeves of crushed Ritz crackers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1-quart casserole dish, or spray with non-stick spray; set aside. Drain the pineapple juice into a saucepan; set aside the pineapple. Combine the sugar and cornstarch and add to the juice. Heat over medium high, stirring regularly, until sugar dissolves and forms a syrup. Stir in the pineapple.

To the baking dish add 1/2 of the pineapple and syrup mixture, top that with 1/2 of the crushed Ritz crackers, and thinly slice 1/2 of the butter over the top. Sprinkle on 1 cup of the cheese; repeat layers but ending with the butter; reserve the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Baked uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove, add remaining cheese on top and return to the oven just until cheese has melted. Serve as a side dish with pork or ham.

Cook's Notes: Three or even four layers makes this casserole even better, so feel free to double it, or if you have an appropriate dish that will allow you to do 3 or more layers, use it. Instead of layering, you may mix together the drained pineapple with all of the cheese, transfer to the casserole, and pour the cooked pineapple juice syrup all over the top. Top with the crushed crackers and scatter the thinly sliced butter all over the top. To add some holiday color, add in a well drained, small jar of maraschino cherries.

Variation: This version is really almost like a crisp but it is also good. In a medium sized saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with a small package of pineapple flavored Jello and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add 1 cup of water and heat over medium to medium high until mixture is smooth and has thickened. Stir in 2 cans of drained pineapple tidbits and transfer to prepared baking dish. Top with the shredded cheese, sprinkle the crushed Ritz crackers on top, melt the butter and pour all over the top.

BAKED HAM

Ingredients

• 1 (6 to 8 pound) fully baked bone-in ham
• 1/4 cup of apple cider or juice
• 1/2 cup of Creole mustard
• 3/4 cup of light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of cane syrup
• 1 tablespoon of freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a roasting pan by double lining it with heavy aluminum foil. Place two to three additional pieces in the pan to form a tub for the ham. Place the ham cut side up in the pan. Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients and pour about 1/4 of the mixture over the ham. Turn the ham over, cut side down and pour the remaining glaze mixture all over the ham. Pull foil up the sides of the ham, but do not cover. Bake at 325 degrees F. for about 15 minutes per pound, or according to the package directions, basting about every half hour. Slice ham around the natural seams, and spoon the pan sauce over the slices.

Cook's Notes: I used Steen's pure cane syrup and Zatarain's Creole mustard. You can substitute pure maple syrup, sorghum syrup, molasses, loosened with a bit of corn syrup, or in a pinch, you can even use regular ole pantry pancake syrup. During the holidays add 1/8 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves and ginger. This ham can be served as is, or you can also decorate with the traditional garnishes of pineapple slices, cherries, and stud it with whole cloves or star anise if you like! 

CLASSIC CORN CASSEROLE

• cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
• 1 cup crushed saltine crackers
• 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup finely minced onion
• 1 (2 ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-1/2 quart baking dish; set aside. Beat together milk, eggs and melted butter; add corn, cracker crumbs, sugar, onion, pimentos, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and 1/2 of the paprika. Mix well and pour into prepared casserole dish; sprinkle top with remaining paprika, and a dusting of additional Cajun seasoning, if desired. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 40 to 45 minutes or until firmed up in the center.

Cook's Notes: I use unsalted butter, but add classic saltine crackers and Cajun seasoning, both of which include salt. If you make adjustments to the recipe, you may need to increase the added salt.

SEVEN LAYER SALAD

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups of real mayonnaise
• 1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 4 tablespoons of half and half or milk
• 1 large head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 8 Roma tomatoes, cleaned, seeded and dried well, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 7-8 boiled eggs, reserve a couple for slicing
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups of frozen green peas, lightly steamed
• 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped celery
• 8 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
• Sliced green onion or chopped fresh herbs, to garnish

Instructions

Mix the mayo, ranch dressing mix, sugar and half and half together; set aside.

In a small, clear glass bowl, add half of the shredded lettuce. Lightly squeeze the chopped tomato in layers of paper towels. Sprinkle the tomatoes on top of the lettuce layer, sprinkling all around the outside edges first and working toward the middle. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Slice enough of the boiled eggs to line completely around the outside of the dish first, then chop the remaining eggs and sprinkle all around the inside on top of the tomatoes. Add the peas, again starting from the outside edges and toward the middle. Repeat with the chopped celery. Sprinkle lightly with more salt and pepper. Add the remaining shredded lettuce, top with the chopped bacon and the shredded cheese. Drop the dressing over the top in dollops and spread evenly across the top all the way to the edges, sealing the salad. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  

Before serving add sliced green onion, bring to the table and either use salad tongs to extract servings, or toss entire salad before serving, if desired.

Cook's Notes: Ingredient amounts are estimates and depend on the size container you are using. Iceberg lettuce is traditional in this dish, but feel free to mix it up a bit. Use romaine, butter, spinach, or other salad greens, alone or in combination with the iceberg. One packet of dry ranch dressing mix is equal to about 3 tablespoons. Feel free to substitute a commercial dressing for this salad also. 

Other layers to consider: Chopped red, yellow or green bell pepper, sliced, grated or shredded carrots, chopped broccoli, chopped cauliflower, chopped or sliced sweet yellow or red onion, sliced radishes, water chestnuts, sliced jalapeno, sliced mushrooms, cucumber, seeded and chopped - to name a few. Substitute or add in a layer of bow tie pasta, or your favorite pasta, tossing it in a few tablespoons of the dressing. Make it your own!

GREEN PEA SALAD

Recipe: Old Fashioned Cold English Pea Salad

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 15 min |

Yield: About 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3/4 cup of sour cream
• 1/8 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of white or black pepper, or to taste
• 1 (18 to 20 ounce) bag of frozen petit pois or baby sweet peas, thawed
• 1-1/2 cups of chopped celery
• 1/4 cup of sliced green onions
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of minced fresh dill
• 1-1/2 cups of whole cashews, or pecan or walnut halves, roughly broken, optional
• Reserved crumbled bacon & sprig of dill for garnish

Instructions

Cook the bacon, crumble and set aside. Reserve a teaspoon for garnish. Beat the sour cream with the mayonnaise to loosen it, adding the sugar, salt and pepper; set aside. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the peas, celery and green onion. Reserve a sprig of dill for garnish. Add chopped dill to the salad along with the crumbled bacon. Add the sour cream mixture, toss, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, allowing 30 minutes for salad to come to room temperature. Just before serving, toss in the nuts, if using, transfer to a pretty serving dish and garnish.

Cook's Notes: I used Pictsweet Deluxe brand frozen baby sweet peas. May also substitute two well drained cans of peas; I recommend Petit Pois or LeSueur peas though common green peas are also fine. If using canned, drain well and wait to add them at the end instead, tossing gently so as not to mash the peas. May substitute chopped yellow onion for the green onion and can also substitute all mayonnaise or all sour cream. Substitute chopped water chestnuts for the nuts, or eliminate altogether.

Optional Add-ins: Diced apple, chopped boiled eggs, grated or cubed cheddar cheese, chopped pickles or pickle relish, diced firm tomato, chopped bell pepper, and/or chopped pimento.

Optional Sweet and Sour Dressing: Combine 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar, with 1 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan. Bring to a boil until sugar is well dissolved. Pour dressing over the salad, mix well and chill several hours or overnight.