Eeek, I'm late, but here goes anyway. The Four Foods on Friday excellent meme, brought to you with aplomb by Val at Fun, Crafts and Recipes. This week, FFoF turns 50 -- still looks as good as ever, too!
#1. Pasta. How do you tell when it’s done? Do you cook on medium or high?
I usually use PSP (Pastextra Sensory Perception) which is my psychic ability to tell doneness of pasta just by passing a wooden spoon through it after sufficient cooking time. For failsafe, I'll fish one of those puppies out, blow on it profusely and bite.
#2. Deep frying. What kind of oil do you use?
Deep frying doesn't occur in my house except once in a blue moon, so I don't have a good answer for that. I usually have canola oil in the cabinet, so I guess it would be that.
#3. Grilling. Do you grill on foil or directly on the grill?
I grill naked, that is, directly on the grill.
#4. Share a recipe that involves cooking something two different ways.Example, for lasagna you might fry the meat and bake the whole dish.
How 'bout some gumbo, since I will be up at all hours tomorrow morning making a roux and then 60 quarts of chicken and sausage deliciousness?
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (the regular recipe, makes 6-8 servings)
1 cup flour
1 cup oil
2 onions, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
3 toes garlic chopped fine
1 quart chicken stock
3 - 4 LBS chicken legs/thighs, skin off, trimmed of visible fat
1 pound smoked sausage or andouille, in bitesized pieces
1/4 -1/2 cup dry white wine
bunch scallions, chopped
fresh parsley chopped
Cajun seasoning
Tabasco
bay leaf
oregano
thyme
file for serving
3 cups cooked rice
First you make a roux. In a large pot with heavy bottom, heat oil. Stir in flour, this will make a paste. Over medium high heat, stir and stir and stir. The mixture will gradually begin to brown. keep it stirred up until it is a chocolate brown. Some folks around here put a penny next to the stove, and when the roux get to the color of the penny, it is time to turn off the heat and stir the chopped vegetables and garlic into the pot. They will saute with the heat of the roux and the roux will also get one or two shades darker during this process. This is the part of the cooking that will bring the other people in your family (most notably, my husband, a good Cajun boy!) into the kitchen, declaring how good everything is smelling.
After the veggies are in, then it is time to add the chicken stock, wine and about 4 cups of water to the pot. Stir it around for a minute, and get the fire back up to about medium and drop the chicken in. I used to brown it, but I've done it this way for a while and it works well. in another skillet, brown the sausage a bit to render some of the grease, then plop that in as well. Season with Cajun seasoning, a generous shake of Tabasco, add a bay leaf or two and 1/2-1 teaspoon each of oregano and thyme. Cook for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally. as the chicken cooks, you may want to fish out the bones. Before serving, skim off any grease that accumulates on the top, and stir in your parsley and green onions. Adjust seasonings, serve over rice with file available for last-minute sprinkling.
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