Summer Melon Salsa
This salsa recipe is refreshing and light. Serve it with tortilla chips, over grilled chicken or fish or just serve it as a fresh fruit salad.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Cubed Seedless Cantaloupe, Watermelon and/or Honeydew
1 Cup Chopped Seedless Cucumber
½ Cup Chopped Orange Bell Pepper
½ Cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper
½ Cup Fresh Corn Cut From The Cob
4 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Red Onion
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Honey
In a medium bowl combine the melon, cucumber, peppers, corn, cilantro and onion. In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice and honey and toss with the melon mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 4
Crawfish Etouffee
True confession…I have to confess that I used to be afraid of crawfish. It all started when I was about 5 years old riding in the back seat of an Oldsmobile going fishin’. There was an old Folgers’s coffee can on the back floorboard filled with live crawdads for bate. Somehow the crawdads forced the plastic lid off the coffee can and began crawling up the seat toward me. I don’t think I have screamed that loud since then.
INGREDIENTS
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Chopped Onion
1 Cup Chopped Celery
½ Cup Chopped Green Pepper
14 Ounces Chicken Broth
¼ Cup Sliced Green Onions
¼ Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
7 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Bay Leaf
1 Pound Fresh Peeled & Cooked Crawfish
3 Cups Hot Cooked Rice
In a large skillet heat the 1/3 cup olive oil over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Gradually stir in the flour until smooth. Cook the roux over a medium low heat for 20 minutes until the mixture is dark reddish brown. Stir frequently. Next, add the onion, celery and green pepper. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally. Stir in the chicken broth, green onion and parsley, garlic, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Add the crawfish and cook until warmed through. You can substitute crawfish with shrimp if you wish. Just make sure that you use 1 ½ pounds of shrimp that has been peeled and deveined and cook until opaque. Throw away the bay leaf and serve over rice. Serves 6
Homemade Habanero Hot Sauce
This sauce is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!! Get yourself a doctor’s note and proceed with caution!
INGREDIENTS
20 Fresh Habaneros
5 Garlic Cloves
½ Cup Champagne Vinegar
½ Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Raw Sugar
Slice and remove the insides of the habaneros. If you want hotter sauce you can use the insides in the sauce as the seed are the hottest part of the habanero. Peel the garlic and cut into quarters. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Oil a pan and roast the habaneros and garlic for 20 minutes until golden brown on top. Make sure that you keep an eye on them as you don’t want them to burn. Roasting the habaneros and the garlic really adds to the flavor.
After removing the habaneros and garlic from the oven, put them into a food processor and add the champagne vinegar, water, sea salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, raw sugar and puree. If you find that the sauce is too thick then add more vinegar and water in equal parts. Pour into a storage container or bottle and refrigerate. This sauce should keep for quite awhile. Use it on eggs, sandwiches, tacos, burgers, pasta, rice dishes or anything that you want to add a kick to. Makes 1 ½ to 2 cups
Hush Puppies
Great served with fried fish!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Cornmeal
¼ Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Sugar
¾ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Beaten Egg
½ Cup Sour Milk or Buttermilk
¼ Cup Sliced Green Onion
Cooking Oil For Deep Fat Frying
In a medium bowl stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside. In a separate medium bowl combine the egg, sour milk or butter milk and green onion. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened and make sure not to over-mix. The batter should be lumpy. Drop the batter by tablespoons into the deep hot oil. The oil should be at least 375° F. Fry for 3 minutes until golden brown and turn once. Drain on paper towels and serve warm. Makes 15 Hush Puppies
Southern Fried Catfish
Southern Fried Catfish is great Soul Food and great for the soul! The ultimate comfort food!
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Fresh Catfish Fillets
¼ Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Beaten Egg
3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Milk
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Coarsely Crushed Pretzels
2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
1 Lemon Sliced Thin
Please use fresh catfish for this dish! Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into four serving sized pieces in need be. Place the flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish combine the egg, mustard, milk and pepper. Beat with a whisk until smooth. In a third shallow dish (yeah, I know, lots of dishes) place the coarsely crushed pretzels. Coat both sides of the fillets with flour. Dip the fillets in the mustard mixture and coat with crushed pretzels. In a large skillet cook the fish in the hot oil over a medium heat for 4 minutes per side until golden brown and the fish begins to flake when tested with a fork. Reduce the heat if necessary to prevent burning. Serve with lemon slices. Serves 4
Mini Blueberry Breads
INGREDIENTS
1 ¾ Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 Beaten Eggs
¾ Cup Butter Milk or Sour Milk
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Blueberries
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease 6 mini bread pans and set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and set aside. In another bowl combine the eggs, milk and olive oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. The batter should be lumpy. Add the blueberries until combined. Fill each mini bread pan two thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and serve warm. Makes 6 mini breads
Victoria’s Mojo Burritos
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Ground Sirloin
1 Large Chopped Onion
1 Small Chopped Green Sweet Pepper
1 Clove Minced Garlic
¼ Cup Beer
1 Tablespoon Hot Chili Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Cup Cooked Rice
4 Ounce Can Diced Green Chile Peppers Drain or
4 Ounces Fresh Diced Green Chile Peppers
1 Large Chopped Tomato
8 Ten Inch Flour Tortillas
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese
2 Cups Shredded Lettuce
Guacamole
Salsa
For the filling: In a large skillet cook the ground sirloin, onion, sweet pepper and garlic until the meat is brown and the onion is tender. Drain off the fat. Stir in the beer, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook for 5 minutes until most of the beer has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked rice and chile peppers. Meanwhile, wrap the tortillas tightly in foil. Heat a preheated 350° F oven for 10 minutes to soften. When you are ready to fill the tortillas, remove only half of them from the oven at a time. Keep the remaining tortillas warm in the oven. Spoon about ½ cup filling onto each tortilla just below the center. Top the filling with cheese and tomato. Fold the bottom edge of each tortilla up and over the filling. Fold the opposite sides in and over filling. Roll up the bottom and secure with wooden toothpicks if needed. Makes 8 delicious Mojo Burritos!
Chunky Guacamole
Don’t buy that horrible premade guacamole that you find expiring in the grocer’s refrigerated section. It’s easy to make your own and so much better. The secret to what makes my Chunky Guacamole so good is the lime juice. Lemons and limes are kitchen essentials.
INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Chopped Roma Tomatoes
1/4 Finely Chopped Red Onion
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Seeded & Chopped Jalapeno Chile
1 Tablespoon Sour Cream
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Clove Minced Garlic
2 Ripe Mashed Avocados
Tortilla Chips
In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, jalapeno and sour cream. Gently stir in the mashed avocados. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 2 cups
Rainbow Cookies
These cookies are also called Venetians because the colors remind people of Venetian glass. Some call them Neopolitans. I love these Italian cookies! They are full of almond flavor and surprisingly easy to make.
INGREDIENTS
One 8 Ounce Can Almond Paste
¾ Pound Unsalted Butter That Has Been Cut Into Small Pieces
1 Cup Sugar
4 Large Eggs Separated
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
6 Drops Red Food Coloring
6 Drops Green Food Coloring
1 Cup Seedless Raspberry Jam
8 ounces Semisweet Chopped Chocolate
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line three 13x9x2 inch baking pans with parchment paper. Crumble the almond paste into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, ½ cup of sugar, the egg yolks and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour just until blended. In another large mixing bowl (with clean beaters), beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually beat in the remaining ½ cup sugar and beat on high until the egg whites foam soft peaks when the beaters are lifted. With a rubber spatula, fold one third of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Gradually fold in the remaining whites. Scoop out on third of the batter and spread it evenly in one of the pans. It will be about ¼ inch thick. Bake for 10 minutes until the cake is just set and very lightly colored around the edges.
Next, scoop half of the remaining batter into another bowl. Fold the red food coloring into one bowl of batter and the green into the other. Spread the batter in the two remaining pans and bake as for the first layer. Let the cake layers cool in the pans for 5 minutes.
Transfer the cake layers to cooling racks, leaving the parchment paper attached. Let cool completely. Using the parchment paper to lift it, place the green layer paper side up on a tray. Carefully peel off the paper. Spread the cake with half of the jam. Place the white layer paper side up on top of the first. Peel off the paper and spread the cake with the remaining jam. Place the red layer paper side up on top. Peel off the paper. Wrap the cake in foil or plastic wrap. Place a weight such as a cutting board on top to compact the layers. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a small heatproof bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water and let stand, uncovered, until the chocolate is softened. Stir until smooth and then remove from the heat. Remove the weight and unwrap the cake. Pour the melted chocolate onto the cake and spread it smoothly over the top with a spatula, leaving the side uncovered. Refrigerate 30 minutes until the chocolate is lightly set. Using a ruler as a guide, cut the cake into 1 ½ x 1 inch rectangles. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes 6 dozen cookies
Gelato Affogato
Gelato Affogato means “drowned” gelato in Italian. A coffee based dessert that consists of a scoop of vanilla gelato topped with a shot of hot espresso. Some people also include a shot of Amaretto or dark rum.
INGREDIENTS
2 Pints Vanilla Gelato (or Ice Cream)
1 Cup Hot Espresso
3 Tablespoons of Amaretto or Dark Rum
Scoop the gelato or ice cream into six small goblets. Stir together the hot coffee and liqueur. Slowly pour the coffee over the gelato and serve immediately. Serves 6
