Scallop Pie

This recipe is absolutely fantastic, and may win over even people who don't care for scallops.

Scallop Pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

12 oz scallops

10 oz milk

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

8 oz mushrooms

4 tbsp white wine

1 lb mashed potatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Clean the scallops, remove the tough muscle from the center of the scallop if it is still intact. Cut them in falh, and simmer in the milk for fifteen minutes. Remove from heat, set aside the scallops and reserve the cooking liquid.

Make a white roux:

Melt the butter in a pan over very low heat, and mix in the flour. Cook very slowly, stirring constantly. There's an art to this, and it takes patience. If you burn it, throw it out and try again. Cook for one minute, and mix into the reserved cooking liquid from the scallops.

Cooking:

Season wit salt and pepper to taste, add the sliced mushrooms, and simmer for ten minutes.Add the wine and scallops, heat, and then transfer to an overproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes, being sure they cover the scallops completely. Dot with remaining 1 tbsp butter and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Chapter 17 : Sindh (Pakistan)

The division between Indian and Pakistani cuisines is blurry, at best, due to the partition of India. Muslims and Hindus lived side by side in Sindh, where historically there had been no violence between the two groups. After the partition of India, however, the Sindhi Hindus found themselves increasingly the target of violence, relocating into India.

Sindhi cuisine is not vegetarian, although Muslim Sindhis observe Halal meat guidelines, so pork isn't common. Certainly, beef, lamb, fish, and chicken would be consumed, although in researching Sindhi cuisine we found a wealth of vegetarian recipes and eschewing meat seemed easier than not.

Curry, of course, had become well known worldwide, whether it be Indonesian Gulai, Japanese Curry Rice, Jamaican Curry Goat, or even German Curry Ketchup. But of course, it is originally from the subcontinent of India. Less well known is the Curry Leaf, which is commonly used to make curry in Southern India especially. This Sindhi recipes makes use of the enigmatic leaf.

This also uses Gram Flour, otherwise known as Besam/Besan. Gram flour is made from chick peas, and its unique flavor is used to make a sort of chickpea/butter ghee roux in this recipe. You might be able to replace it with white flour, although the flavor would certainly be very different.

Fenugreek can be found in most ethnic groceries, though not in mainstream groceries. It has a maple-like scent, and nothing else seems even vaguely like it.

Asafoetida is an allium that is found powdered, usually in Indian groceries.

Sindhi Curry

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time 1 1/2 hours

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

3 tbsp ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

a pinch of asafoetida

4 tbsp gram flour

salt, to taste

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 green chillies, minced

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red chilli powder

20 curry leaves

1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp mint, chopped

2 tbsp tamarind pulp

1 1/2 chopped vegetables (carrots, okra, and potatoes, though you may need to pre-boil the carrots and potatoes)

Produce a Roux:

Heat the ghee, then add the cumin seeds, fenugreek, and asafoetida. Fry until lightly borwn, and then sift in the gram flour, stirring constantly. When the gram flour becomes golden brown in color.

Cooking:

Slowly add 4 cups of warm water to the gram roux., stirring in a little at a time. Add salt, ginger, green chillies, turmeric, and red chilli powder. Add vegetables and curry leaves and bring to a simmer. When vegetables are nearly done, Add the mint, cilantro, and tamarind pulp.

Serve with aloo tuk.

Curry Rice

"Curry", despite its origins in India, has manifestations in every country. Perhaps especially unique is Japanese curry, or curry rice as it is uaully known, as it's always served with rice.

The Japanese don't especially care for spice, so Japanese curry tends to be toned down quite a bit form its Indian counterpart, and unlike curry, which is thickened through yogurt, cream, or coconut milk, curry rice is thickened with roux, more like a stew or etouffee.

Japanese garam masala isn't exactly like Indian garma masala, although you can use the latter for a slightly spicier mix.

Curry Rice

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 1/2 hours

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 lb beef stewing chunks

6 large onions, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger

1 can crushed tomatoes (2 cups)

1 beef stock cube

1 bay leaf

1 star anise

2 tbsp garam masala

3 large carrots, chopped

1 medium apple, peeled and grated

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp oil or ghee

Roux:

4 tbsp butter ghee or oil

4 tbsp white flour

2 tbsp curry powder

Ingredients:

Heat 3 tbsp oil or ghee in the bottom of a large pot. Brown beef chunks, and then set aside on a paper towel.

Add onions and a pinch of salt. Slowly sautee onions until caramelized. Be patient, as this proces may take a long time.

Once the onions are soft and browned, add ginger and garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the canned tomato, 6 cups of water, beef cube, the bay leaf, star anise, and apple. Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for an hour.

While this is happening, dry roast 1 tbsp garam masala about 30 minutes into simmering.

Produce a Roux:

Melt the 4 tbsp ghee or oil in a pan over very low heat, and mix in the flour. Cook very slowly, stirring constantly. There's an art to this, and it takes patience. If you burn it, throw it out and try again. In about five minutes the mixture will be peanut butter colored. This mix, known as a Roux (pronounced "roo") will thicken your curry rice.

Remove the roux from heat and add the curry powder to the roux.

When the meat is about as tender as you'd like add the potatoes, and continue slowly simmering until potatoes are soft.

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the roux. Return it to heat and simmer for a couple more minutes. Dry roast the rest of the garam masala and add it to the curry.

Serve over sushi rice.

Odyssey

I can't rave enough about how fantastic this soup is.

Lemon Chicken Soup

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 chopped onion

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 tbsp chicken base

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup white flour

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup diced, cooked chicken meat

16 slices lemon

8 egg yolks (you don't need to white for this, go make some meringue or something)

Cooking:

In a large pot, combine the chicken stock, lemon juice, carrots, onion, celery, and chicken base, and bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for twenty minutes.

Produce a Roux:

Melt the butter in a pan over very low heat, and mix in the flour. Cook very slowly, stirring constantly. There's an art to this, and it takes patience. If you burn it, throw it out and try again. In about five minutes the mixture will be peanut butter colored. This mix, known as a Roux (pronounced "roo") will thicken your lemon chicken soup.

Add it Together:

Gradually mix the roux into the soup, and simmer it for 10 minutes more. Then beat the egg yolks seperately, and slowly pour a few spoonfuls of soup into the mixture, stirring constantly. Slowly bring the yolks up to temperature this way, and then mix them into the lemon chicken soup. Add the rice and the chicken.

Garnish with lemon slices.

Royal Garden Blues

Alonside wonders such as Alligator and Crawfish, it's easy to underestimate the more... normal ingredients. Take chicken, for example: half of every weird meat you'll ever try "tastes like chicken", yet all too often we underappreciate this cheap little gem.

Chicken Creole is a simple dish, and takes chicken into the forefront.

Chicken Creole
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour, ten minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter
3 lbs chicken, mixed light and dark meat
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
several stalks celery
2 tbsp flour
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 1/2 cups chicken stock

Prep:

Chop the onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Mince the garlic.

Cook:

In a large pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter over medium heat, and sauté the chicken, until browned. Then remove the chicken and set aside. Place onions, bell peppers, and celery and sauté for five minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper, and chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Produce a Roux:

Cook very slowly, stirring constantly. There's an art to this, and it takes patience. If you burn it, throw it out and try again. In about five minutes the mixture will be peanut butter colored. This mix, known as a Roux (pronounced "roo") will thicken your chicken creole.

Finish:

Add the roux and parsley and cook for an additional five minutes. Serve over rice.


And with that, we're done with Cajun/Creole food. We stepped out from Acadia richer, or at least fatter, and we're off to somewhere far away. Cajun and Creole cooking is certainly quite unlike American, as you might think of it in the midwest, and despite hurricanes and oil spills, it is unlikely to go away anytime soon.