So, I’ve been reading more about Cajun/Creole spices, spices for blackened cooking, etc. There are many more recipes that I thought and I have no real idea which are the ones that would most duplicate the flavors we had down there. I remember we brought back some spices from Ralph & Kakoos when we ate there and they seemed true to the flavors we encountered. Anyway, is anyone here into this type cuisine and if so, do you have your own recipes that you feel are authentic to that New Orleans taste? I’d like to see what folks are doing. Maybe after we get moved, we can start back on this. I sure do miss it.
I have an old Ralph and Kacoos cookbook from the 1980s that I rely on for authentic cajun foods. When I see some TV chef making gumbo I cringe. If you want spices, look for brands like Tony Chachere's or others that are manufactured in Louisiana. Which reminds me, I also have a copy of the old original Tony Chachere cajun cookbook from 1972 (written by Tony). We lived in Baton Rouge for a few years and I learned a lot about authentic cajun cooking. The original Ralph and Kacoos was sold to Picadilly (cafeteria chain) in 1988 and has subsequently been sold to some other restaurant chain, so I have no idea how "authentic" they are anymore.
It is a chilly, windy day here in the South, and it seemed like a good day to make Bobby’s favorite, red beans and rice. I asked him what all I should put in it, followed his instructions, and now the red beans are on the stove simmering along for later on today. Once they are almost done, I will cook some rice to go along with it and maybe make some cornbread. Bobby used to cook the red beans and rice every day when we had our restaurant up in Idaho, and people really loved eating them, so they were always on the buffet. Leftover buffet is what we usually had for dinner; so we ate beans a lot back then. Bobby made the main food dishes, and my job was to take care of the salad bar and make the iced tea, as well as being the waitress.
I am a bean freak. Everyone who knows me,knows my saying..gimme a bean and a tater, will never go hungry. Grew up on pinto beans,and corn bread. i like all the bean family..except garbanzo beans- yuck. Due to um gas- we do not eat as much of them now. But we love pinto beans, cooked with hamburger and onions and spices. Red beans with rice is really good. Um yummy on the bean family
@Yvonne Smith and Bobby. How do you eat your cornbread ? On the side or in the beans? I crumble and put in my beans, he butters his and eats on the side. I usually have a small buttered piece to eat with honey afterwards. Tasty
We do all of those, @Hedi Mitchell ! We both put cornbread underneath the beans, but often also just eat a piece of cornbread and butter. After I have had my bowl of cornbread and beans, then I like a small piece with butter and either honey, jam , or cranberry sauce on it for dessert. We also love just about every kind of beans, and I do like garbanzo beans, either cold in salads or made into hummus with a side of tortilla chips.
I make my own spice blends...it uses the spices I've already paid for, I can cut back on the salt, and I save money. I mostly use ALLRECIPES.COM for my recipes and as a source for spice blends. I copy/paste the recipe into a Word document, arrange it to suit my style, and then incorporate any changes I might find n the Comments section. Using that method and my own experimentation, I've come up with a pretty good Blackened Seasoning and a Cajun Spice, both influenced by commenters claiming to be from Louisiana. I posted recipes here.
I just uploaded a great recipe for Cajun Creole Spiced Chicken Fettuccine. I used to make this a lot.
I wish folks would go toward the finer Cajun recipes instead of thinking that blackening fish or meat was somehow common in Louisiana. Yes, we do blacken seafood and meats but when doing so, the seasonings have to be very well balanced. Paul Prudhomme, a gin swilling chef who, after having to close 6 restaurants, finally got some good backing and opened K-Pauls in the French Quarter which featured the blackening method that became so famous. To me, the cayenne was way overbearing and gave the tourists the idea that Cajun food is all HOT rather than well seasoned. To be fair, Paul was a great sauce man and yes, he became rich not only from his restaurant but from TV interviews and a couple of cook books. *Note: I beat Paul at the 1981 New Orleans Food Festival. I took first place in sales with Paneed Frog legs and stuffed crab and he took 2nd place with his blackened stuff.*. Yeah, I know. I’m being rather catty in a large way but to be truthful, it was often said in certain circles that Paul became famous for blackening because his mother, sisters and he stayed so polluted that they burned everything. Do something enough times in the Restaurant business, somebody is bound to like it.