POULET YASSA

Poulet Yassa
This is one of the most venerable and simple of African dishes; simplicity, rich flavor and results that are predictably excellent no matter the experience or skill of the cook.

1/4 cup lemon juice
4 large onions, sliced
salt and pepper
5 Tbsp peanut oil
1 habanero chile
1 frying chicken in pieces (about 3-4 lbs)
½ cup water

The night before, prepare a marinade by mixing lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper and 4 Tbsp. Of the peanut oil in a deep bowl. Prick the habanero with the tines of a fork and add it to the marinade as well. When the marinade has reached the desired degree of hotness, remove the chile and reserve (it can be minced and served separately as a garnish).

Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, preheat the broiler. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade and the onions. Place the pieces on the broiler rack and grill them briefly, until they are just lightly browned on both sides. Set aside.

Drain the onions from the marinade. Heat the remaining Tablespoon of oil in a deep skillet and fry the onions over medium heat until they are tender and transluscent. Add the remaining marinade and cook until the liquid is heated through. Add the chicken pieces and the water and stir to mix well.

Lower the heat and simmer covered, until the chicken pieces are cooked through-about an hour.

Serve over white rice.

MAKE AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy

4 (about 3 to 4 lb) turkey wings
2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup(s) water or Marsala wine
8 cup(s) chicken broth
1 chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon(s) dried thyme
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) butter
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400F. Put wings in a single layer in roasting pan; scatter onions on top. Roast 1 1/4 hours or until wings are browned.

Put wings and onions in 3-qt saucepan. Add water to roasting pan; stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom. Add to saucepan. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups), the carrot and thyme. Simmer, uncovered, 1 ½ hours.

Remove wings. When cool, pull off skin and meat. Discard skin; save meat for another use. Strain broth into saucepan; skim fat off broth.

Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until mixture is well blended and smooth.

Bring broth in saucepan to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture; boil 5 minutes to thicken gravy. Stir in butter and pepper.

Freeze gravy up to 1 month. Reheat. You can add fat-skimmed drippings from a freshly roasted turkey to enhance, augment and intensify this creation.

BLACK EYE PEA SALAD

Black Eye Pea Salad

5 cups cooked and drained dried black-eyed peas (see Note)
4 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled, fat reserved separately
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onions (1/2 medium onion)
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapenos
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the black-eyed peas, bacon, 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat, and all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight, stirring occasionally.

Allow the salad to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Toss well just before serving.


Makes 6 cups, 8 servings


Note: To make 5 cups cooked black-eyed peas: Soak 2 cups dried black-eyed peas for 4 hours. Drain the peas and place them in a large saucepan. Add water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until just tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl to cool.

SHRIMP de JONGHE

Shrimp de Jonghe

4 cups shrimp, cleaned about 2 lbs.
3/4 cup butter (1 ½ sticks)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
½ tsp. Minced parsley
½ tsp. Minced green onion
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 cup sherry
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup (½ stick) butter

Saute shrimp in butter until very lightly browned. Divide shrimp into 6 individual scallop shells or a glass baking dish. (9 x 12). Saute garlic in butter over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove and discard garlic. Stir in parsley, green onion, seasonings and sherry. Pour over shrimp. Combine crumbs and melted butter; spoon over shrimp. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 350 oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

6 servings.

RHUBARB PIE

Rhubarb Pie

1 recipe basic pastry (two crust)

4 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups sugar
Grated rind of 1 orange
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup orange juice
½ tsp. Cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Heavy cream
Preheat oven to 450.

Roll out half the pastry and place it in the bottom of the pan. Add the rhubarb. Sprinkle on the sugar and orange rind. Mix the cornstarch with the orange juice and pour it over the fruit. Sprinkle on the cinnamon. Dot with small pieces of the butter. Roll out the rest of the pastry and fit over top of the pie. Trim off the excess pastry. Crimp the two edges of the pastry together with a fork or the fingers. Brush the pastry with egg yolk combined with the milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until the crust is golden. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a jug of heavy cream.

NOTE: I always cut up my rhubarb and mix it with sugar and orange zest at least a few hours before baking the pie, preferably overnight. It makes a noticeable difference (to me anyway).

PEACH GLAZED EASTER HAM

Peach Glazed Easter Ham

A welcome change from the traditional adornment of pineapple slices and marashcino cherries.

Serves 10 to 12

2 Tablespoons whole cloves
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1 16-oz can peaches with their juice
1/4 cup Creole mustard
½ cup peach or apricot preserves
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Allspice
1 tsp. Ginger
1 10-14 lb. Ham
1 large plastic marinating bag with twist tie

Mix 1 Tbsp. Of the cloves with brown sugar, butter, orange juice, liquid from peaches, mustard, preserves, cinnamon, allspice and ginger together in a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat until mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and let cool. Rinse ham and pat dry. Press the remaining cloves evenly all over the ham. Place ham in the plastic roasting bag and pour the cooled peach glaze over the ham. The glaze will be very thick. Close the bag tightly with a twist tie and leave the ham in the refrigerator overnight.

Next day, dremove it from the refrigerator and put peaches on top, securing with toothpicks. Place ham on cooking rack and put n a baking pan. Pour the glaze from the marinating bag all over ham. Cover the ham tightly with foil and place in a preheated 325 degree oven. Bake 18 minutes per pound. Cook the ham 1–1 ½ hours covered, then remove the foil and finish cooking. Baste ham with the pan drippings every 20 minutes.

You may add 2 Tbsp of peach liqueur, schnapps or vodka to the peach glaze before baking.

CATFISH LOAF

It's just a plain good, humongous po boy really. Casamentos on Magazine calls all it's sandwiches "loaves"

1 big loaf of french or italian bread or two normal sized loaves, a 2-lb loaf is perfect
2 lbs. of catfish fillets (guess what, nuggets are perfect for this)
Cornmeal
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce
2 cups catsup
Butter
1 Bermuda onion
6 small, sour pickles
1 small jar olives

Visit your favorite seafood store or deli and purchase 2 lbs. of catfish fillets. Cut the fillets into small pieces, about 1 1/2 inch cubes. Roll in cornmeal and fry in deep fat until brown. When cooked, drain on paper towels and keep in a warm place.
Combine Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and catsup.

Cut the bread in half lengthwise. And pull out the soft part of the bread, leaving only the crust. Use the excavated bread for whatever. Butter the bread on the inside-both top and bottom. Toast, cut side up in a 350 degree oven. Coat inside of toasted loaf and inside of top crust with the sauce mixture.

Slice the Bermuda onion and small, sour pickles. Open the jar of olives. Layer the bottom of the loaf with fish, onion, sauce, pickles, and olives. Repeat layers until everything is used. Replace the top crust.

Wrap in parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from paper and serve hot.