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The Catholic Foodie

Where Food Meets Faith!

CF128 – Louisiana Oysters

January 9, 2012 By Jeff Young Leave a Comment

This is Jeff Young, the Catholic Foodie at CatholicFoodie.com and you are listening to episode 128 of the Catholic Foodie: Louisiana Oysters.

Welcome, Folks, to the Catholic Foodie, where food meets faith! I’m your host Jeff Young and today we are going to talk about oysters. You may love ‘em, you may hate ‘em, but one thing is certain… the Louisiana oyster has a certain mystique and a large loyal following. Although many would argue that the best way to serve oysters is in the raw, there are so many ways to prepare them. In this episode we are going to talk about a few of those ways. Drago’s famous Chargrilled Oysters (and our variation of it). I have a few recipes for you too: fresh cocktail sauce for those yummy, slimy raw oysters, and sauces for grilled or BBQ oysters. Oh, and a special recipe for what I call the Bayou Mary Oyster Shooter.

Sarah Reinhard joins us with her Mary in the Kitchen segment. and today Sarah reflects on resolutions, failure, and Our Blessed Lady.

All this and more right here, at the Catholic Foodie, where food meets faith!

As we start this episode I want to thank our sponsor, DivineOffice.org, an awesome Catholic ministry providing top-of-the-line Catholic apps for your mobile devices, and for your Mac. The full Liturgy of Hours, an app of Catholic Prayers, a Bible app, and now an app of the Catholic Encyclopedia. These folks don’t do anything halfway. These apps rock. Check ‘em out at DivineOffice.org.

And if you recall from episode 127, you could win either a Divine Office app or the Catholicpedia app, by calling in your voice feedback. That’s right, I want to hear from you. Where does food meet faith in your life? Call me at 985-635-4974, leave me a message, and your name will go into the hat to win one of these apps. Again, the number is 985-635-4974. I look forward to hearing from you!

Along the lines of news and current events, I have some more news for you. It was announced today that Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin, with his excellent Jimmy Akin Podcast, is now an affiliate of SQPN – The Star Quest Production Network. This news was announced Saturday morning on SQPN’s Catholic Weekend podcast. You can read more about this exciting news over at SQPN.com. And don’t forget, SQPN is in the middle of its annual giving campaign. If you are not already a Friend of SQPN, please go – right now – over to SQPN.com and click on the donate button.  We certainly need to support good Catholic content on the internet. And SQPN is all about producing excellent Catholic content. Become a Friend today. Go to SQPN.com.

The Incredible, Edible Oyster

I didn’t always like oysters. As a matter of fact, my very first encounter with oysters happened when I was a senior in high school. I grew up in Baton Rouge, so oysters were always everywhere. I just never wanted anything to do with them. Then, one Friday night, I was invited to a friend’s house. The occasion? It was just a Friday. Probably in November. But oysters were the reason for the gathering. The host had purchased a goodly amount of shucked oysters and wanted to throw a party and serve oyster po-boys. I remember admitting that I had never eaten oysters, and I confessed that I probably wouldn’t like them. The chef’s response? She told me to add ketchup to my po-boy, and whatever you do, don’t look at what you’re eating. That was good advice. Yes, of course I looked. And it was gross! I mean the fried oysters looked delicious when they’re whole. Crispy golden. But once you bite into one, you see the slimy grey and black interior, which made me reflect on exactly what I thought I was doing. However, I did make it through the meal. I even had seconds. Why? Because it tasted great! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Podcast, Recipes Tagged With: Cajun, Creole, Louisiana, Mardi Gras, Mary in the Kitchen, oysters, Sarah Reinhard

Cocktail Hour with Oysters – #SundaySupper

January 8, 2012 By Jeff Young 4 Comments

I have oysters on the brain.

Maybe it’s just that time of the year. Cooler weather. The holidays. I don’t know. This is just a good time of the year for oyster lovers in south Louisiana.

So, when I was invited to participate in a virtual progressive dinner with several amazing foodies, I offered to bring along the oysters.

Ideally, the oysters used for the following recipes should be freshly shucked. I enjoy shucking oysters, so that wouldn’t be a problem for me. However, to save time (and to avoid a mess) you can always buy your oysters already shucked.

I am very happy to be sharing this #SundaySupper with these fine foodies. After enjoying my “Bayou Mary” Oyster Shooters and raw and grilled oysters, make sure you progress to the other foodie blogs for a taste of the goodness they are all bringing to the table.

Bon appetit!

“Bayou Mary” Oyster Shooters

This cocktail works best if you first make a batch of Bayou Mary (my twist on the classic Bloody Mary). You could make these shooters to order, but it’s more expedient to make them in batches… especially for a party.

Ingredients for the Bayou Mary

  • 1 quart tomato juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated horseradish
  • Dash of cayenne
  • Dash of kosher salt
  • Dash of freshly cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients to taste. Then chill until ready to use.

Bayou Mary Oyster Shooters

  • 1 freshly shucked raw oyster (with its liquor)
  • 1/2 to 1 ounce of quality vodka (store in freezer until ready to use)
  • 1/2 to 1 ounce Bayou Mary
  • Squeeze of lemon

In a chilled shot glass (or a martini glass), add the Bayou Mary, then the vodka. Top with the oyster and its liquor. Finish it off with a squeeze of lemon.

Cheers! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: #SundaySupper, cocktails, grilled, oysters, raw, Sunday Supper, Twitter

Puree of Pumpkin, Kale and Italian Sausage Soup

November 8, 2011 By Jeff Young 2 Comments

Adapted from a recipe for Puree of Pumpkin, Kale and Italian Sausage Soup from one of our favorite restaurants, Ristorante Del Porto in Covington, LA.

Another cold front is moving in. That means that we thin-skinned southerners are going to “freeze” for a few days. So, to keep my family warm, I’m pulling out a fall favorite. Give this one a try and you’ll see why we love it so much.

This recipe comes from one of our favorite restaurants, Ristorante Del Porto in Covington, LA. I interviewed David and Torre Solazzo, the owners and chefs of Del Porto, back on episode 89 of the Catholic Foodie (Happy Chefs). Incidentally, I shared this very recipe on episode 99 (Just in the Nick of Time).

In general, I’m not a fan of kale. But I love it in this soup. This certainly is good eats!

Ingredients

  • 2 med Yellow Onions, diced
  • 4 ribs of Celery, diced
  • 1 med Pumpkin, cleaned, peeled, and cut into 2-3” pieces
  • 2 Tbs Garlic, chopped
  • 1 gallon Chicken Stock
  • 2.5 lbs. Loose Italian Sausage
  • 1-2 Heads of Kale, cleaned and chopped into 2” pieces
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Cayenne to taste
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil

Directions

  1. Saute onions and celery until translucent. Add the garlic and the pumpkin. Saute for 5 minutes. Cover with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook until pumpkin is soft. Puree with a hand blender or a regular blender. Please note that if you are using any blender other than a vita-prep (or Cuisinart), the soup must be totally cooled.
  2. Return the soup to the pot and add the sausage and kale.
  3. To prepare the sausage, make 2 inch patties out of the sausage and fry them hard on high heat until they are brown on both sides (they don’t have to be cooked all the way). Remove from grease. Let cool. Then chop into 1 inch chunks.

Many thanks to Ristorante Del Porto in Covington, LA for the original recipe. I have changed a few things here to make it according to our tastes.

***Image courtesy of DrBacchus on Flickr.com.***
Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: covington, favorite restaurant, food and drink, italian sausage soup, italian sausages, kale, pumpkins, puree, sausage, sausages, soup, soups

Shrimp Bisque: The Catholic Foodie’s Recipe

October 21, 2011 By Jeff Young 1 Comment

A couple of months ago I produced an episode about shrimp. It was episode 118: Shrimp… The Fruit of the Sea. We were in Florida at the time and we were ecstatic to have our “Ruby Reds” again since it had been about a year since our last visit.

In that episode I talked about the difference between Ruby Reds and the regular shrimp that we get here in south Louisiana from the Gulf of Mexico. There’s just nothing like fresh Gulf shrimp.

Honestly, I find seafood so fascinating! If it wasn’t so expensive I would live on seafood. And coffee. And beer. And…. Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about that because seafood does tend to be on the expensive side.

But I love shrimp! Yesterday I posted my recipe for shrimp stock. We have been buying shrimp lately. I can’t help it. I’m at the grocery store and I pass by the seafood section (all VERY fresh down here in swamp country!), and there they are…. big, bluish, juicy-looking SHRIMP!!!! And they are usually less than $5.00/lb. We’re talking big-uns here. 12 to 15 count.

Incidentally, they way they measure shrimp down here is by how many it takes to make one pound. So 12-15 count are jumbos. 20-30 count are medium, etc.

So, what to do with the shrimp after I buy them? I’m sure we all recall Bubba from Forrest Gump talking about shrimp. The list goes on and on. For us, fried is out of the question. I’m a terrible fryer. If I want fried shrimp, I go to a restaurant. No frying here.

Usually, I do something like a shrimp étouffée. Or maybe a shrimp creole. Seafood gumbo is ALWAYS a possibility, even in hot weather. But recently I’ve been trying my hand at shrimp bisque. Bisques are thick and delicious. And this shrimp bisque has a kick of brandy. It adds a wonderful “something extra” (a.k.a.lagniappe down here in Louisiana) to this soup.

If you decide to try it, let me know how it turns out. You can call the feedback line at 985-635-4974 or leave a comment below!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 3 to 4 yellow onions, chopped
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt (to start… always to taste!)
  • 3/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more… to taste!)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup of brandy
  • 4 quarts of shrimp stock
  • 1/2 stick of butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 8 oz heavy cream
  • 3 lbs medium-size shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup of more of chopped parsley, to be added to bowls when served
  • 1/2 cup or more of chopped green onions, to be added to bowls when served

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat a large heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the olive oil, followed by the onions, celery, carrots, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft. About 6 minutes.
  3. Add the herbs, tomato paste, and brandy, and cook, stirring, for another 2 or 3 minutes.
  4. Add the shrimp stock and bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour.
  6. Meanwhile, combine the butter and flour in a bowl and mix with your fingers until you have a smooth paste. After the bisque has simmered for one hour, begin adding this mixture to the pot one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each time. [You're really making something of a roux here.]
  7. Cook for another 5 minutes, then slowly pour in the cream, continually whisking.
  8. Add the shrimp. Stir the pot, and allow it to cook for another 15 minutes.
  9. Remove from heat and serve.
  10. Ladle into bowls and top with parsley and green onions.
 Photo courtesy of Jaxxon on Flickr.com.
Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: ??touff??e, bisque, buy shrimp, cuisine, delicious, food and drink, fresh gulf shrimp, fried shrimp, meat, other, recipe, Ruby Reds, Shrimp, shrimp bisque, shrimp creole, shrimps, spicy

Shrimp Stock: The Catholic Foodie’s Recipe

October 20, 2011 By Jeff Young 2 Comments

I love me a good seafood gumbo, that is for sure. Especially now that it is getting somewhat cooler down here in New Orleans (at least for this week!). Fall is good gumbo weather. And one of the essential ingredients for a warm and delicious gumbo is a good stock.

I make chicken stock from chicken bones almost weekly throughout the year. We use chicken stock for soups. And every year, after Thanksgiving and Christmas, I make a turkey stock in preparation for my turkey-bone gumbo. YUM! And a couple of times a year, I make beef stock from the bones of grass-fed cows.

When you want to make ANY kind of soup, stock is the way to go. It’s so much more flavorful than water.

So, when it’s time to start making gumbos (when the weather down here becomes just mild enough to chase away the mosquitos in the evening), I start buying fresh gulf shrimp and making shrimp stock!

Stock is such an easy thing to make. And shrimp stock is not only easy, it’s quick too. My weekly chicken stock simmers for 24 hours. But my shrimp stock simmers for only one hour!

And it can be used right away if your itching to make a seafood gumbo or a shrimp bisque or a crawfish étouffée. It can also be cooled and reserved in resealable plastic bags and stored in the fridge or freezer (just in case you have to wait a day or week or month before making that gumbo!).

Anyway, here’s the Catholic Foodie’s recipe for shrimp stock. If you make it, let me know what you think! Call the feedback line at 985-635-4974 and leave a message (I’ll play it on the show!). Or email me at jeff@catholicfoodie.com, or leave a comment below!

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 to 4 medium yellow onions, quartered
  • 2 green bell peppers, quartered
  • 2 ribs of celery, cut into large pieces
  • 1 head of garlic, cut in half
  • Stems from 1 bunch of parsley
  • Shells and heads from 3 to 4 pounds of shrimp
  • 2 gallons of water
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Dash or 2 of ground cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, parsley stems, and 2 gallons of water into a large stockpot.
  2. Add salt, cayenne, black peppercorns, and bring to a boil. Allow the pot to boil for about 45 minutes.
  3. Add the shrimp shells and heads, then reduce heat to medium-high, simmer for 1 hour.
  4. Strain well. Stock can be used immediately, or it can be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer.

This recipe will yield approximately 1.5 gallons of stock.

Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: ??touff??e, american cuisine, beef stock, bell pepper, bisque, cajun cuisine, Catholic, celery, chicken bones, chicken stock, crawfish, crayfish, cuisine, etouffee, food and drink, gumbo, kosher salt, recipes, seafood gumbo, Shrimp, shrimp shell, shrimps, soups, spices, stock

Hot Sauce: 4 Mouth-Warming Hot Sauces To Keep You Warm This Fall

October 4, 2011 By Jeff Young 3 Comments

I won’t do this all the time, but since I just relaunched the Catholic Foodie newsletter last week, I want to give you a sneak peek at what it is like. Below is the newsletter I sent out last week. I hope you enjoy it! And if you haven’t done so already, click here to sign up for the weekly newsletter! The next issue comes out in just a couple of days!

I love hot sauce.

That’s not surprising if you know that I’m a Louisiana boy. I grew up with hot sauce.

As a matter of fact, when I talked back to my momma as a child, I was “rewarded” with a dash of hot sauce on my tongue. At the tender age of 7 I couldn’t really appreciate the finer points of hot sauce. At that time, it was only a harsh and agonizing punishment. I remember those tears!

I learned my lesson though. [I love you, Momma!]

And today I love hot sauce. I can’t tell you exactly when the change took place, but at some point I moved from fear to infatuation… then to love.

I love hot sauce.

Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Sriracha
  • Tabasco
  • Crystal
  • Louisiana

Sriracha is affectionately known in these parts as “Rooster Sauce” because there’s a rooster depicted on the front of the bottle. Really good stuff. Not so hot that it will incinerate you, but it will definitely clear out the sinuses.

In our house we love to make what we call “Sriracha eggs.” [I'll give you that recipe in a minute.]

I should also tell you that  we also like to call it “Shah-Ra-sh” or “Shah-Ra-She.” So, really, we make “Shah-Ra-She eggs.” They have a bit of a bite. ;-)

Tabasco is a Louisiana staple. It’s been made on Avery Island since 1868. I love that hot sauce too. In recent years they have branched out. Tabasco now makes a garlic sauce, a jalapeno sauce, a habanero sauce, a chipotle sauce and several other products. But, personally, I like the original.

Did you know that Tabasco was an ingredient in the original Bloody Mary recipe made in Harry’s New York Bar in Paris? It’s true! We Louisiana folk get around! You can find the full Tabasco-Bloody Mary story in episode 118 of the Catholic Foodie. I produced that episode when I was at the beach this summer. Fun!

Crystal is probably our all-time favorite. It’s so versatile! It’s not as hot as Tabasco, and it has more of a tang to it. We love that tang! We love to add Crystal to our red beans and our white beans, and… Goodness! We like to add it to just about everything!

Louisiana Hot Sauce, in my mind, is somewhere between Crystal and Tabasco. It’s hotter than Crystal, but not as hot as Tabasco. It does have tang though. Did I mention that I love that tang?

I just read something the other day about the health benefits of hot sauce. I don’t remember all the details, but I like the idea. Maybe I should dedicate an episode of the Catholic Foodie to this question: Does hot sauce make us more healthy?

Here’s our recipe for “Shah-Ra-She eggs” (it’s crazy-simple!):

Ingredients:

  • 4 to 6 eggs
  • Whole milk
  • Butter
  • Sriracha
  • Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat.
  2. Crack eggs and add to a mixing bowl.
  3. Add a splash or two of milk.
  4. Add Sriracha to taste (we usually start with one “circle” around the bowl).
  5. Beat until well mixed.
  6. When the skillet is hot, add enough butter to coat the bottom.
  7. Immediately add the eggs.
  8. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  9. Stir eggs around in skillet for about a minute. DO NOT overcook. If they look like they are cooked, then they are over-done.
  10. Remove eggs from pan and place on serving plate. This allows them to finish cooking on the plate. You can then plate them and serve. (Or, of course, top with a bit more Shah-Ra-She…. And green onions, if you’re really adventurous!)

We love “Shah-Ra-She eggs,” and I hope that you do too!

If you decide to make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out! You can email me at jeff@catholicfoodie.com, or you can call the listener feedback line at 985-635-4974. I love to play voice feedback on the show!

And, until next time…

BON APPETIT!

Photo courtesy of ilovememphis on Flickr.com.

Disclosure:

Any links in this email may very well be affiliate links, which means that I get a small commission if you decide to purchase something you discovered here. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support the work that I do here at the Catholic Foodie. Thank you! By the way, if you do buy some hot sauce, email me and let me know. I would like to thank you personally. 

Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: bloody mary, chili pepper water, chipotle sauce, egg, Fall, food and drink, garlic sauce, habanero sauces, hot, hot sauce, hot sauces, keep, louisiana gold hot sauce, louisiana hot sauce, sauce, sauces, soul food, Sriracha, sriracha sauce, Tabasco

Crawfish Etouffee

September 15, 2011 By Jeff Young Leave a Comment

On episode 122 of the Catholic Foodie, I shared a recipe for Crawfish Etouffee. Our recipe is a variation of the one found in our favorite cookbook: Emeril Lagasse’s Louisiana Real & Rustic. I talked about this dish on the show, but I think it also deserves a post all its own.

Please note: There are variations for Chicken Etouffee and Shrimp Etouffee. You’ll find those variations toward the bottom of this post.

Ingredients

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1pound peeled crawfish tails (with the fat)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (plus additional for serving)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped green onions (plus additional for serving)

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and saute until soft and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the crawfish tails and bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium. Stirring occasionally, cook until the crawfish begin throwing off a little liquid, 10 to 12 minutes.
  2. Dissolve the flour in the water. Add to the crawfish mixture and season with salt and cayenne. Stir until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add the parsley and the green onions and cook for about 2 minutes.
  3. Remove the bay leaves and serve over hot rice.

Our Variations

We add a bit more salt and cayenne (to taste, of course). The original recipe calls for chopped celery in addition to the onions and bell pepper. We drop the celery. We add chopped parsley and chopped green onions to the plates or bowls when serving.

Chicken or Shrimp Etouffee

In addition to crawfish, you can also make etouffee with shrimp or chicken. When using shrimp, be careful not to overcook the shrimp. Shrimp do not take long to cook. You would probably want to add them about 5 or 6 minutes before serving. Chicken Etouffee is economical and delicious. That’s what we made last Saturday night. And since we had two pounds of boneless chicken thighs, we doubled the recipe. To prep the chicken, Char added just a bit of salt, cayenne and EVOO to the thighs in a bowl, then mixed it up really well. I then cut the thighs up into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks. We LOVED the Chicken Etouffee.

If you decide to try this recipe, please do let me know how it turns out. You can give me a call at 985-635-4974. Or send me an email at jeff@catholicfoodie.com.

Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: bell pepper, Cajun, chicken, crawfish, Creole, Emeril, etouffee, Louisiana, New Orleans, rice, seafood, Shrimp

Spinach Pizza Crust

September 14, 2011 By Jeff Young Leave a Comment

On episode 122 of the Catholic Foodie, I shared with you a recipe for spinach pizza crust. I got it  from Pizza Pizzazz by Richard Erickson. I’ve had that little cookbook for a long time. I bought it probably 20 years ago. Or longer. Amazingly, you can still find a few copies over at Amazon.com.

We really enjoyed the spinach crust, and I thought I would share it with you here.

Here is a crust to make your pizza uniquely yours. It requires no rising time, and it can be made in less time than it takes to defrost the spinach.

  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen, thawed chopped spinach
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Preheat oven to 450.
  2. Drain spinach in a colander and squeeze in paper towels or with hands to remove all moisture.
  3. In a small pan melt butter, stir in spinach and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in milk and egg.
  4. In a large bowl combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour with the baking powder and salt, mix well and add the spinach mixture. Reserve 1/4 cup of the flour to make a firmer dough, if needed.
  5. Grease a 12-inch pizza pan or a 10×14-inch cookie sheet. Place dough on pan and cover with wax paper. Roll out to an even layer pushing up around the edges to form a border. Remove the wax paper.
  6. Bake crust in a preheated 450 oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, then add toppings and bake until done.
Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: pizza, pizza crust, pizza dough, spinach

Cathy LeBlanc’s Pizza Crust Recipe

September 13, 2011 By Jeff Young 1 Comment

Cathy LeBlanc, from CatholicMomintheCountry.blogspot.com, shared this recipe with me for episode 122 of the Catholic Foodie. Since then, I have used it three times! The crust comes out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Good eats, folks!

A big THANK YOU to Cathy for this recipe!

This is our go-to pizza crust recipe:

  • 1 c warm water
  • 2 T oil (olive)
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 c whole wheat flour (stone ground)
  • 1 1/2 c bread flour
  • 1 t active dry yeast

I mix it all in my bread maker on the pizza dough cycle…you could knead by hand, then let rest for an hour before shaping. I also add a couple tablespoons of fresh herbs from our garden: basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, sage…whatever I have on hand…dried herbs work, too. Once the dough is ready, I roll it out/shape by hand on a pizza pan (I wish I had a pizza peel!) sprinkled with corn meal….sometimes I hand toss it for the kids’ enjoyment, but I don’t think that really helps anything, except to help make a mess ;) I make the crust thicker on the edges by kind of rolling them up all the way around. Then, I prick the dough with a fork, brush with olive oil, then sprinkle fresh grated parmesan cheese, corn meal, and garlic salt…I tend to go a little heavy with the sprinkles on the rolled edges of the crust. Pre-bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust *just* starts to turn a golden color and starts to bubble a little (in a 425 degree oven). Then, add sauce and toppings and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is nice an melted…the more toppings you have, the longer it takes. BEST.PIZZA.EVER! I have never made a spinach crust, but I’m sure you could just add chopped spinach or spinach puree to the dough when you first mix it…if you puree it, you may need to add a touch of flour to compensate for the extra moisture. Not sure why, but it has taken me YEARS to perfect this dough, but it is now by far our favorite. The first (ok, many!) time I made it, it was not so hot. Our favorite toppings these days are thin purple onions, fresh tomatoes, basil, bacon, and mushrooms. It should make about 1 lb. of dough, which is good for 2 thin crusts, or 1 thick. Good luck!

Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: pizza, pizza crust, pizza dough

Shrimp and Grits

September 5, 2011 By Jeff Young Leave a Comment

Here’s another recipe that I have never tried. However, I did talk about it on episode 121 of the Catholic Foodie. And the truth is that I LOVE Shrimp and Grits! Whenever I go out to eat at a restaurant that has Shrimp and Grits on the menu, they had better have something else that looks pretty darn good… or you know exactly what I am going to order! Know what I mean?

This recipe here was one of the ones that Michele Montalbano rescued from Hurricane Katrina. On episode 121, I shared an article that my friend Marcelle Bienvenu wrote recently. The article was about a determined cook who rescued her recipes from her devastated home in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It’s been six years since Katrina, and Michele Montalbano has been hand-writing her treasury of family recipes into notebooks.

This particular recipe was their “last meal” in their home the evening before they evacuated Chalmette, fleeing Hurricane Katrina. This recipe is in the queue here at the Catholic Foodie headquarters. It is destined to be tried soon. If you happen to make it before me, please let me know what you think!

Crook’s Corner Shrimp and Grits

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup half-and-half
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup regular grits
  • 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 3 bacon slices
  • 1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
  • Lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS

  1. Bring the water, broth, half-and-half and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add Cheddar cheese, Parmesan, butter, hot sauce and white pepper. Keep warm.
  2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in the skillet. Crumble the bacon.
  3. Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.
  4. Saute the mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.
  5. Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve with lemon wedges.

A NOTE ABOUT THE PHOTO

The photo that I used for this post was taken toward the end of summer 2009. My friend Lisa Hendey was passing through New Orleans. We were able to get together to share a wonderful meal together. We met up at one of Emeril’s restaurants: NOLA. [Incidentally, NOLA stands for New Orleans, LA] Not only was it a delightful meal, it was also a tremendous blessing to be able to share that meal with Lisa and her parents. Here’s a bonus pic from that day…

Filed Under: Blog, Recipes Tagged With: grits, Hurricane Katrina, Marcelle Bienvenu, New Orleans, seafood, Shrimp
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