The FrangloSaxon Cooks

Louisiana Cuisines

Cranberry Orange Relish Sauce

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis is the cranberry sauce for those who like it chunky and not too sweet. Ocean Spray used to make something just like it when I was a kid – came in a glass jar and was a huge improvement over the gelatinous sugary pureed stuff that tastes like the metal can…. Unfortunately, they either stopped making it or I stopped being able to find it anywhere. Which turned out ok since this is much better (than can or jar) and it only takes about 20 minutes start to finish. The orange juice plus rind is a great addition and the fresh bay leaf (which I get from my friend Sharon) adds interest.

The only trick to this is make sure you stand over it till it comes to a boil, then lower the heat, set the timer and don’t let it bubble for more than 15 minutes. If it starts to thicken after 12 or 13 minutes go ahead and cut the heat. You can leave it in the pot to cool, just make sure it’s off the burner.

I once made the mistake of letting it boil too long and somehow through the weird alchemy of pectin congealing, the sauce sets up after 15 and totally falls apart after 20 or 30. I attempted to salvage my runny sauce by adding, not gelatin because I didn’t have any, but cornstarch. This gave it the rubbery consistency of a week old diner pie and of course it was milky and unappetizing.

So the lesson here is that a watched pot will boil to perfection as long as it doesn’t boil too long.

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Cranberry Relish Sauce
Author: 
Cuisine: Southern
 
Ingredients
  • 2 8 oz. bags of cranberries
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 orange
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 small bay leaf
Instructions
  1. Put cranberries, sugar, and water in a pot and give it a stir to dissolve the sugar.
  2. Zest the orange rind & then squeeze the juice into the pot.
  3. Add spices.
  4. Bring to a boil then cut the heat to medium and let cook for exactly fifteen minutes.
Notes
You can halve the recipe and it will make the amount shown in the picture.
If you do halve it go ahead and use the whole orange, juice & zest.
Optional add ins for flavor could be cloves or cardamom seeds.
If you don't have a cinnamon stick add a quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon, not more. A little goes a long way.

 

Oven Fried Chicken

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Oven Fried ChickenWe all (well, almost all) remember the old ads for oven fried chicken starring that obnoxiously sweet little girl saying, “It’s Shake ‘n Bake – ‘N ah hepped…” And guess what? It was pretty good. And not least for the corporate bottom line because what they were selling was basically flavored bread crumbs at a grossly inflated price. The concept of “oven fried” gives you the crunch of fried without the mess or expense of complete immersion in oil so it’s not only tasty it’s healthier. And for the New Orleanians among us it is very similar to Congresswoman Lindy Boggs’ favorite ‘feed the masses’ main dish for political cookouts. I just call it ‘Shake ‘n Fake.’

I’ve seen versions of this that require many ingredients, not to mention marinating etc… Just don’t. This is fast food. Healthy tasty fast food, but fast food none the less. Don’t make it something it’s not because it’s great just the way it is. This is something you can throw together in a few minutes after you come home from work and 45 minutes later it’s done. By the time you’ve changed clothes, checked the mail, fed the dog and screamed at the kids it’s done. Then you can ring the dinner bell.

And when it comes to breading you have options. You can use traditional breadcrumbs or panko (read up on the difference here.) There are seasoned breadcrumbs and panko but I have tried all kinds and prefer the plain panko. The natural taste of the chicken with the lemon juice is delish and usually good enough for everyone.

The other variation on this simple recipe is whether to cook it in butter, olive oil, or a neutral vegetable oil. I like butter or a flavored olive oil but after testing the recipe in safflower oil I was distinctly underwhelmed so I would skip that unless you have nothing else on hand. A garlic or rosemary infused oil not only tastes great but smells wonderful.

To get started you will melt the butter in the pan that you plan to cook the chicken in (that’s it next to the ugly burn mark on the stove) then set that aside then set up a breading station. Next you’ll pat dry the chicken pieces (and leave the skin on. The oil that will render out of the skin will flavor the crumbs and it will make the resulting chicken more tender), salt and pepper to taste, dip in plain flour and set aside.

Oven Fried ChickenBeat the eggs well with the lemon juice and dip the floured chicken in it, then roll it in the panko or crumbs. Lay carefully skin side down in the oil and put in the oven for 45 minutes flipping over when half done and remove when browned.

And as they say in the cartoons, “That’s all folks!” Serve it with a tossed green salad and some boiled buttered potatoes and you’ll win the good old plain cooking award for the week.

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Oven Fried Chicken
Author: 
Cuisine: Southern
 
Ingredients
  • 2.5 lbs chicken pieces of equal size seasoned to taste with salt, pepper & celery salt
  • ½ cup butter (or flavored olive oil)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ⅔ cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups panko
Instructions
  1. Put the butter (or oil) in a 13 X 9 inch baking dish and place in a 350 degree oven to melt. (this may require an extra pan or skillet depending on size of pieces. They should all be lying flat in the butter)
  2. Dry off chicken pieces, salt & pepper to taste, dip in flour & set aside.
  3. Beat eggs well with a tablespoon of lemon juice (or water).
  4. Dip chicken in egg mixture then coat thoroughly with breading.
  5. Place skin side down in the baking dish and cook for 45 minutes, turning once.
Notes
Optional Seasoning for Breading:
1 cup Panko, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. toasted garlic granules, ½ tsp. cayenne.

 

 

 

 

Red Bean Salad

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Red Bean SaladIt’s still hot, you don’t want to cook, you probably don’t even want to read – especially not about cooking so we’ll make it short here. In three words: Red Bean Salad.

Three bean salad was all the rage back in the fifties. It powered through the decades and even now shows up at pot lucks and church suppers. And why? Because it’s good and easy. Open cans, throw in some seasonings and oil and you’re good to go. And it also keeps in the fridge for more healthy than Doritos late nite snacking.

This is the Louisiana One Bean Salad version using Louisiana’s favorite bean. I specify cans here but you can cook your own beans and the best way to do that in hot weather is to pre-soak them and then do a quick boil or even quicker prep in a pressure cooker. And don’t forget to add a tablespoon of oil to the water as it will keep the foam created by the beans to a minimum. If you go the canned route you’ll probably use Bush’s or Blue Runner. If so, drain them because you’ll be making the dressing and you don’t want it to be diluted or cloudy.

Red Bean SaladAs you can see from the photo above I went the dried bean route and even used Rancho Gordo’s red bean for a change. It’s a smaller less creamy version of the classic Camellia Red Bean (as featured below). They’re both good so try them both!

Red Bean SaladFor the seasonings I like to keep it simple but the thyme is a classic Louisiana herb and adding it fresh really puts the flavor over the top. The dressing has lemon juice instead of vinegar but if lemons are in short supply use whatcha got! If it’s white vinegar go for it.

C’est fini! Et la salade est servi.

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Red Bean Salad
Author: 
Cuisine: Creole
 
Ingredients
  • For the salad:
  • 3 15 oz. cans of red beans*
  • 1 tsp. celery salt**
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • ¼ cup celery, diced
  • ¼ cup bell pepper (any color), diced
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves (or one tsp. dried thyme)
  • ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ cup chives (or green onions), sliced thinly
  • For the dressing:
  • ⅓ cup oil (olive oil if possible)
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, scant
Instructions
  1. Mix all dry ingredients making sure that the thyme leaves are stripped from the branch before mixing.
  2. Whisk together the oil and lemon juice (or white vinegar) and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. If possible it's nice to make a couple of hours before serving to let the flavors marry.
Notes
* Or equivalent amount of dried red kidney beans cooked according to package instructions.
**I usually use Cambridgeshire Seasoning from Savory Spice.

 

Grillades & Grits

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Grillades & GritsGrillades is the breakfast dish you make at night. Wake up, put the pot on to warm and start making the grits. In less time than it takes for people to stumble into the kitchen you will have prepared a delicious, complex and filling meal that will keep family and/or guests full for hours.

Although a classic brunch dish usually eaten out, it can be a lifesaver on holidays when you have lots of people but need something to feed the masses which can be served stoveside.

To start you must flour and saute the meat in batches like this: And note that you can also slice it into strips as I did before adding it to the gravy.

GrilladesThe meat can be beef, veal or pork but since it is a low and slow cooking dish I would opt for the cheaper cuts of beef or pork as veal’s delicate flavor would be really swallowed up in the sauce, or should I say gravy….and we know how southerners like their gravy. After you have browned all the meat set it aside and add the vegetables to the pot:

GrilladesCook for a few minutes until softened then add the beef broth. Stir well and to enhance the gravy I make a paste of the dredging flour and some balsamic vinegar like this:

GrilladesOnce everything is well mixed lay the meat into the gravy making sure it is covered then put the top on and cook until the meat is fork tender. When it’s done you can either serve or refrigerate for the next day.

The other critical component is the grits. Grits are simple as long as you follow a few simple rules. They should be stone ground, stirred well, and salted & peppered thoroughly…and fresh pepper too. The liquid can be water but for really delicious grits I use chicken broth and heavy cream. The heavy cream suggestion came from the owner of the Refuel Café on Hampson Street. He has the best grits in town and that’s why.

And even though the grillades are swimming in gravy, don’t forget to add some butter to the grits (as seen below, pooling around the edges). Eat this for a late breakfast and it’ll last you to mid afternoon. Happily!

Grillades & Grits

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Grillades
Author: 
Cuisine: Creole
 
Ingredients
  • For the Meat Sauce:
  • 2 lbs beef round
  • 1 cup flour
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (or rendered bacon fat)
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • ½ cup green bell pepper, diced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 tsp. ground fennel
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp. ground
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 10 oz. can of beef consume
  • 1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of the dredging flour
  • 1 tablespoon of red balsamic (or wine) vinegar
  • For the grits:
  • 2 cups grits
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt and fresh black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. For the grillades:
  2. Pound out meat until about ¼ inch thick, then dredge in flour.
  3. Heat to medium a large pan and pour in oil.
  4. Place in pan to brown on each side. Prepare in batches and set aside.
  5. Add onion, green & red bell pepper, garlic and celery and saute for 5 minutes or until softened.
  6. Add beef consume, diced tomatoes, fennel, thyme, paprika and bay leaves and give it a good stir.
  7. Take the flour from dreadging & enough wine vinegar to make a thick paste then stir into sauce slowly to thicken.
  8. Lay in the meat & make sure it's submerged in the sauce. Cover & cook on low for 2 hours or in the oven at 225 for the same amount of time. If you cook on the stove top check to make sure the bottom isn't burning.
  9. For the grits:
  10. Combine all ingredients, cook over a medium flame and stir continuously until done.
Notes
Be careful when adding salt if you use canned beef consume. The canned soup is very salty.