Cajun Shrimp Linguine

Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
6 ounces whole-grain linguine or fettuccine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's)
1 pound large shrimp, peeled (deveined)
2 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (divided)
3/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
5 garlic cloves (minced)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes (undrained you want the liquid))
1/2 cup half-and-half
Directions
   Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup pasta cooking liquid.
   Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine Cajun seasoning and shrimp in a medium bowl; toss to coat.
   Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan swirl to coat  add shrimp mixture to pan; cook
(2 -3 min) or 'til shrimp are done remove mixture from pan. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.
   Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, with 1 tablespoon thyme; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  Add red pepper and garlic; cook 3 min. then add reserved 1/3 cup cooking liquid salt bay leaves and tomatoes bring to a boil.
  Reduce heat, and simmer 5 min. or until thickened. Discard bay leaves. Remove pan from heat; stir in shrimp and pasta. Stir in half-and-half. Cook 1 minute over medium heat or until thoroughly heated.
  Sprinkle with remaining  thyme. You can add spinach for an additional veggie                                                as shown in the last picture

Crawfish Monica

I said in a prior recipe I worked most Jazz Fests they served Crawfish Monica which was the invented/created by Chef Pierre Hilzim known as Chef Pierre of the Kajun Kettle Kitchen

After he created it in In 2007 it became one of the best-known dishes at Jazz Fest. It celebrates crawfish season and Jazz Fest with a creamy and saucy sauce served over pasta

Prep Time (15 min) Cook Time (25 min) Total Time (40 min)
                           Servings 6

6 oz whole grain fettuccine or rotini
2 TBSP unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions diced (4 cups)
6 cloves garlic minced                       
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup white wine (Chardonnay)
1 tsp cornstarch
2 cups 2% milk or whole milk, divided
1 lb peeled crawfish tails
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente, and drain. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat butter over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add onion to melted butter, and saute for 5-7 minutes until softened.
Stir in garlic, paprika, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Stir constantly for 30 seconds then add in wine. Cook until almost all of the wine has evaporated.
Whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk in a small bowl. Add into pot and slowly stir in remaining milk. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Stir in crawfish tails and cook for 2 minutes. Add in lemon juice, green onion, and parsley, and stir well to combine. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.
Serve sauce with cooked pasta. Enjoy!

Cajun Shrimp Chowder

Yields: 6 servings             
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon (chopped)
1 lb. shrimp (tails removed)
2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 lb yellow potatoes (chopped)
4 c low-sodium chicken broth
3 thyme sprigs
2 green onions (plus more for garnish)
3 c. sweet corn
3/4 c heavy cream
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:
Season shrimp all over with Cajun seasoning sal, and pepper. In a large pot over medium hea, cook bacon until crispy (about 6 minutes)
Drain bacon pieces on a paper towel-lined plate.  Add shrimp to bacon fat and cook until pink (about 2 minutes per side) Transfer shrimp to plate with bacon. Drain bacon fat then melt butter in pot scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.
Add onion and cook until soft (about 5 minutes) Stir in garlic and flour and cook 30 seconds more. Add potatoes broth thyme and green onions and bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes)
 Stir in corn and cream simmer 5 minutes more. Turn off heat while stirring in cooked shrimp, season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.
 Garnish each serving with bacon.

Sweet Potato Pone/Pain Patate

Have you ever heard of pain patate? Sweet potato pone is the same as "pain patate", an old New Orleans street food. It turns out that pain patate was sold on the streets of New Orleans back in the day.  The 1902 New Orleans Guide describes it as a kind of pie or cold pudding made of sweet potatoes" sold at the French Market by women who also sold calas (rice fritters) and pralines. Pain patate/sweet potato pone recipes can be found here and there in classic New Orleans cookbooks, including Leon Soniat's La Bouche Creole and "Mme. Begues Recipes of Old New Orleans Creole Cookery.

One of many street foods of old New Orleans, along with ginger cake, calas, almond sticks, pralines supplemented the first foods of the banquette. (sidewalk) Such as while the levee oyster men were kept busy opening fresh oysters for customers; another favorite Sunday pleasure was candied fruit. These edible wares were usually sold by Negro women wearing bright tignons and balancing on their heads large baskets of their wares, products. The custom on Sunday was to parade around the Place d'Armes or Jackson Square where small stands sold fruit, sweet cakes and ginger beer.

Showing Several Different Versions 

In Mary Land's 1969 New Orleans Cuisine one of the wares is listed as pain patate, or sweet potato cake. The Queen of Creole Cuisine, chef Leah Chase of Dooky Chase's Restaurant, remembers as a child the calas ladies and praline vendors when she came to New Orleans from rural Madisonville to visit her grandmother.

Although she doesn't remember pain patate vendors, she knows the dish. "It's like a potato bread, a sweet potato pone that they call Pain Patate." Chase said. "You work with the sweet potatoes raw." Her recipe in The Dooky Chase Cookbook does not call for black pepper. However, she says, "You know people always put a little black pepper in sweets,for some uncanny reason? Like when they whipped cream with black pepper for strawberries." (Her sweet potato pone recipe comes with a story as a lot of recipes do)

Chase's recipe includes sweet spices: cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and nutmeg. The recipe in the 1932 New Orleans Creole Recipes by Mary Moore Bremer has nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and the zest of lemon and orange; it also states, just as Chase did, that "Old Creole cooks add a dash of black pepper. So when baked, the pain patate had a wonderful moist dense texture and a slight "bite" to the flavor. (thanks to the pepper)

Here is Leah Chase's version, from The Dooky Chase Cookbook. It is listed in the chapter on breads and breakfast foods.

Sweet Potato Pone (Makes 6 to 8 servings)

Version Two

4 large sweet potatoes
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup Pet milk
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon vanilla
Grated nutmeg

Peel and grate sweet potatoes. Mix butter and sugar together. Slowly add eggs to mixture and mix well. While stirring, rapidly add milk and water. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and grated sweet potatoes.

Grease a glass baking dish. Add sweet potato mixture to baking dish and sprinkle top with grated nutmeg. Bake at 300 degrees until pudding is set.

An adaptation of the Ursuline Cookbook recipe (Recipes & Reminiscences of New Orleans by The Ursuline Alunmnae Association, author)

Sweet Potato Pone/Pain Patate  (Makes 4 servings)

Another Version  

1/2 cup butter, softened   
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
2 cups peeled, grated sweet potatoes (two extra large)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup molasses
Grated rind of 1/2 orange and 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardomom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 (or more) teaspoon black pepper
Cream butter and sugar together and blend in eggs. Add potatoes, milk and spices. Stir in molasses, orange and lemon rind.
Pour into buttered loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp on top.

Thanks to Susan Tucker and archivist Mary-Allen Johnson of the Newcomb Archives, Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, for the recipes by Land and Bremmer.

For several years I worked the professional chef's booth at JazzFest, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; here's their version,
2-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup light molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (do not include the white pith, which is bitter)

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cook the potatoes unpeeled until tender throughout. Let cool. Peel and mash the potatoes, then stir in melted butter.
In a bowl, beat the eggs, add sugar and beat thoroughly. Add milk, vanilla, molasses, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and orange zest. Beat until well blended. Stir into mashed sweet potatoes, then mix until well blended.
Place the mixture into a buttered 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Optionally, you may sprinkle the top of the pone with additional brown sugar. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes; uncover, then bake for 10 minutes. Allow the pone to cool completely before serving.

Cajun-Stuffed Chicken

Yields: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:                           
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 
1 c. medium onion, diced
1 c. red and green bell pepper (diced)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c cheddar (shredded)
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat oil.
Add onions and peppers and cook until soft  (5 minutes)
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
With a sharp paring knife create a pocket in each chicken breast.
Stuff each with vegetable mixture, then top with cheddar.
Lastly season chicken with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper,
Then place chicken in skillet and bake until cooked through (about 25 minutes)

Cajun Shrimp Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa

Here is an example of taking a dish & Creole/Cajunizing (word?) it

Yields: 4        Prep Time: 15 mins   Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. butter
2 mangos, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 avocados, diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped (seeded for less heat)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
8 small corn tortillas
2 c. shredded red cabbage (1/4 head)
Lime wedges, for serving
Directions:
In a large baking dish, combine shrimp, Cajun seasoning, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss until shrimp is fully seasoned.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add shrimp and cook until pink, 3 to 4 minutes, flipping once.
Make mango salsa: In a medium bowl, combine mango, avocado, lime juice, red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. Season with salt.
Make tacos: Top tortillas with red cabbage, shrimp, and mango salsa. Serve with lime wedges.

Seafood Gumbo

Seafood gumbo, packed with shrimp, oysters, red snapper, and, especially Louisiana blue crab, is a classic South Louisiana dish. Our warm, waters help our crabs get nice and fat, that lends a sweetness to the seafood gumbo. (I think blue crabs really are the very best) For gumbo, when the roux reaches a deep dark chocolate brown color it is done. At that point you would add your seasonings, such as onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery etc. (you can make the roux ahead of time kept tightly covered in the frige or freezer)
                Recipe for Gumbo makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil                           

1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups chopped okra
6 cups seafood stock
2 tablespoons filé powder
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 (8-ounce) container crab claw meat
   (picked free of shells)
2 (8-ounce) containers shucked oysters
   (not me I don't do bi-valves)
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound red snapper fillets, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley hot cooked rice
Garnish: chopped green onion
Directions:
In an 8-quart stockpot, heat oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes; add flour, and stir together to form a roux. (Here's where I get into rouxs on a page by itself) Cook, stirring often, until roux is the color of peanut butter, about 20 minutes.
Add onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and okra. Cook vegetables, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add beer, stock, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, crab claw meat, Worcestershire, salt, and cayenne. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 1 hour.
Add shrimp, fish, oysters, and lump crabmeat to mixture. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until seafood is cooked through; add parsley.
Serve with rice, and garnish Withgreen onion, if desired.

Roux

Roux is flour and any edible fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces. A Roux is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat. The flour is added to the melted fat or oil on the stove top (typically a cast iron pan) blended until smooth, then cooked to the desired level of brownness. (the description under *types) Clarified butter, vegetable oils, bacon drippings or lard are commonly used fats. Roux often is used as a thickening agent for gravy, sauces, soups and stews is, more often than not the base for a dish, other ingredients are added after the roux is complete.
The fat is most often **butter (see types below if clarified butter is not available) is used in French cuisine, but may be lard or vegetable oil; this gave rise to an expression when answering how to make whatever recipe desired as well as the title of a cook book I've used many times "First You Make a Roux".  Roux being the base in three of sauces in classical French cooking: Béchamel sauce, Velouté sauce, and Espagnole sauce. Central European cuisine uses lard in its rendered form (I was brought up on this method our culture being heavily influenced by Europe)
** More recently vegetable oil instead of butter in the preparation of roux vegetable oil is used when producing dark roux, for it does not burn at high temperatures, as butter would (believe you me ya don't wanna burnt roux) In Cajun cuisine, roux is made with bacon fat or oil instead of butter and cooked to a medium or dark brown color, which lends much richness of flavor, albeit less thickening power.
The fat is heated in a pot or pan (melting it if necessary) then the flour is slowly added stirring until there no raw flour taste and the desired color has been achieved. (the final color can range from nearly white to almost black, depending on the length of time it is heated and its intended use. (end result being thickening as well as flavoring)
For meat gravies, fat from whichever meat is often used when rendering. In some regional American cuisines, bacon is sometimes rendered to produce fat to use in the roux.
*Types
Light (béchamel or "white") roux provides little flavor other than a characteristic richness to a dish is used in French cooking and other styles throughout the world. Darker roux is made by browning the flour in oil for a longer time, which adds a nutty and the richer the flavor to the dish .
Dark roux is often made with vegetable oils, which have a higher smoke point than butter, these are used in the making for gumbos and stews. The darker the roux, the less thickening power it has; a chocolate roux has about one fourth the thickening power, of a white roux. A very dark roux, just shy of burning and turning black, has a reddish color and is sometimes referred to as "brick" roux.
                Here are some Youtube videos tutorials  on Roux
How To Make A Roux
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGS89KtrBnM
How To Make A Roux From Scratch - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8rWFSbBtak