Shrimp Gumbo Casserole

This Mardi Gras take a page from our latest book (page 44 to be exact) and celebrate with this gumbo inspired casserole! The Creole-spiced shrimp filling and satisfying biscuit topping will have your guests partying in the streets in no time!

Shrimp Gumbo Casserole

Serves 8

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

3 celery rib with leaves, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 pound fresh okra, sliced

1 pound shrimp (31/35), peeled and deveined

2 teaspoons gumbo file

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

5 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, then add the onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 6 minutes until soft.  Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon of the salt, pepper, chili powder, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover and cook slowly for 20 minutes. Add okra, shrimp and the gumbo file and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, sugar, baking soda, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Using a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in the buttermilk until the mixture just comes together. Knead until a soft dough forms.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick.  Using a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, stamp out 12 biscuits.
5. Pour the hot gumbo into a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Arrange the biscuits on top of the gumbo. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Lessons from Mamaw Maggie: How to properly season and care for your cast iron pan

My Mamaw Maggie passed when I was only six months old. I didn’t get to create my own memories with her, but I felt as though I knew her as everyone I met had a fond memory of her and a story to share. One of the very few items I have of my Mamaw Maggie’s is her cast iron skillet. When I was younger I only really used it when I was feeling nostalgic, and would bake up some cornbread. When I was little my Mom always said cornbread, soup beans and buttermilk was her favorite meal. But as I got older, I began to discover the pan’s varied uses.

If you are not familiar with cast iron pans, they can seem intimidating. All that talk of properly seasoning it, how to wash it (or not wash) it, seems like too much work. But trust me, the benefits of the cast iron pan far out way any care concerns. When seasoned correctly, a cast iron skillet will work better than any non-stick pan in your cupboard. They heat evenly and beautifully, and when properly cared for, they will last a lifetime. In fact, Mamaw Maggie’s pan has lasted several lifetimes!

For Christmas, I received another vintage cast iron skillet from my boyfriend’s family. Since I need to season it, I thought that I would just share with you all the secrets I learned from my Mom – who just happened to learn from her mom- Mamaw Maggie!

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• If you have purchased a brand new pan, chances are it will contain a coating of wax. To remove the wax, you will want to thoroughly wash the inside of your skillet with warm soapy water to remove the coating, and rinse it extremely well. Please note that this will be the ONE and ONLY time that you will ever use soap on your pan. After you season it, you will only want to wash with hot water. Since my pan is vintage, and does not have a wax coating, I am just going to wash the pan under hot water for several minutes. It is imperative that you understand that a cast-iron skillet is not dishwasher safe, nor is it made for soaking. For best results, always rinse the pan with hot water immediately after cooking. If you have some stuck on food, try scrubbing with coarse salt or a nonmetal brush.

• Be sure to dry your skillet thoroughly with paper towels, or if you want to dedicate a kitchen towel to your pan, you can. The main thing is to get it completely dry immediately. Never let it air dry or it will rust.

• Dampen a paper towel with a vegetable oil such as canola oil, lard, or a shortening such as Crisco, and wipe your skillet thoroughly. I always use Crisco, because that is what my Mamaw always did, and I rub the entire thing down with a nice even layer. Note: You don’t want the grease to pool up, but you will want to create a nice sheen or glisten to the pan.

• Place the pan upside down on the top rack of a preheated 350° oven. Set a baking sheet, or spread a piece of heavy aluminum foil on the lower rack to catch any grease drippings.

• Let the pan bake for 1 hour.
• Cast iron skillets get very hot so use caution and oven mitts when removing and place on a safe surface for cooling. (In fact, another awesome present they got me was my Lodge Handle Mitt.  I love it!)  Cool for 30 minutes or more until the pan is cool to the touch.

• You will reinforce the nonstick coating every time you heat the Crisco in the skillet, so I like to repeat this process two or three times.
• Rinse and dry skillet thoroughly like mentioned above (no soap).
• Before putting your pan away, be sure to give it another light coating of oil or shortening to protect it from rust and corrosion. I also like to cover it with a paper towel to protect it from dust.

Some other important things to note:

• After you have seasoned your pan, you should avoid cooking anything acidic the first couple of times. In fact, you should try cooking up some bacon, or some other high-fat food, to help build up the surfaces high gloss.

• Once you have achieved that ultimate gloss, you can cook up just about anything. The only thing you should never try is to boil water. That will cause your pan to rust.

• Don’t let the cast iron sit too long without using it, if you do it may become a bit rancid. If this happens, clean and re-season the pan (no soap).

• Always remember to give the pan a light coat of grease after cleaning the pan and storing.

Mamaw’s Stuffed Peppers

I always miss my Mamaw Cook, but the holidays make me miss her even more. Lately, I haven’t been able to get her off my mind, so I wrapped myself up in this Christmas apron she made for me and got to cooking! It never ceases to amaze me how the smell of these stuffed peppers can instantly transport me back in time to the comfort of her kitchen.  Smells are magical like that. Happy holidays Mamaw,  I miss you so much!

Mamaw’s Stuffed Peppers

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 (14 3/4-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp. ground allspice
• 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice
• Cooking spray
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 cups tomato sauce( recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Make the tomato sauce. (Recipe below)

3. Cut off the top of each bell pepper and remove the seeds. Put the peppers in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

4. Set a skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, onion, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up any lumps with the back of a spoon, until the beef is browned thoroughly, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, allspice, and rice; stir well.

5. Coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Stuff the peppers with beef mixture and place them in the prepared casserole dish. Pour tomato sauce over the peppers.

6.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bread crumbs. Scatter the bread crumbs over the peppers and place the dish in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the meat is heated thoroughly.

Tomato Sauce

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cups diced canned tomatoes
• ½ cup finely minced celery
• 1 ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoon minced parsley
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly black ground pepper

 Directions

1. In a sauce pan set over low heat, melt the butter.

2. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes or until tender.

3. Add the tomatoes, celery, vinegar, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper and cook about 10 minutes.

4. Pour the sauce over the peppers before baking.

Kitchen Tip:

Keep your stuffed peppers upright in the oven! When you remove the pepper tops, put them between the stuffed peppers for extra stability. (Yep, my Mamaw taught me that!)

 

Daddy’s Dumplings

People are continually asking us all kinds of food-related questions and we never tire of answering them because, well, we just really love food. Things like, “What is your favorite casserole?” or “Can you make a cookbook where the main ingredients of every dish are butter and sugar?” or “Do you dress up as 50’s housewives when you’re alone at home doing your taxes?” But the one that always tends to stump me is “What would you want your last meal to be?” The problem I always have with that question is it depends on who is making the food. For example, Chicken and Dumplings is my favorite meal in the world, but if and only if my Daddy is making them. No prison cook is going to know how to make them taste the way he does– unless perhaps they learned a thing or two from Martha while she was in the joint. Yes, everyone, that’s the second Martha-Stewart-In-Prison reference I’ve made in less than a month. What can I say, locked up or on the streets, the woman gets to me.

Now back to the dumplings—there are just certain things my Daddy does to make them special. Unlike when he makes biscuits, he substitutes the buttermilk in dumplings for whole milk. Why? Using buttermilk can make dumplings too fluffy/doughy. You’re welcome, frustrated Dumpling Artisans of America! Now I will admit, most of the time my Daddy cooks with dried herbs, but he always opts for fresh thyme and rosemary for the dumplings. He adds a little bacon grease from his can by the stove to the mix, as well (yes, my parents still collect bacon grease! We are authentically southern, lest you forget!)

But, let’s say hypothetically I get thrown in the slammer for somethin’ I swear I didn’t do, Judge! And let’s say hypothetically that you were the prison cook and there were regulations against having my father enter the prison kitchen and cook them for me one last time. Here’s how you do it:

Ingredients for the Chicken.

Combine broth, water, chicken, thyme and rosemary sprigs in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until chicken is done and no longer pink. Remove pan from heat.

Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids and set liquid aside. Remove chicken from bones and shred chicken.  Set chicken aside.

Heat oil in the same Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until onion is tender.

Add reserved broth mixture and 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon rosemary; simmer 10 minutes.  Keep warm.

While the broth simmers…it is time to make the dumplings! Grab your ingredients!

Combine flour and rosemary in a bowl.

Cut in shortening and bacon drippings with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.

Add milk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.

Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.

Return chopped chicken to the broth mixture; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Bring broth mixture to a boil. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into boiling broth, stirring gently. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring often, for 25 minutes. Add additional salt and black pepper to taste.  Fold and serve and garnish with fresh parsley.

I can leave this world happy now!

How about you? What would be your last meal?

Daddy’s Dumplings:

Approximately 8-10 servings

Chicken:

6 cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups water
1 pound chicken drumsticks, skinned
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 thyme sprigs, plus an additional one tablespoon chopped
2 rosemary sprigs, plus an additional one tablespoons chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups carrots, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Dumplings:

3 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1/3 cup shortening
2 teaspoon reserved bacon fat/drippings
1 cup whole milk

Combine broth, water, chicken, thyme and rosemary sprigs in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until chicken is done and no longer pink. Remove pan from heat.  Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids and set liquid aside. Remove chicken from bones and shred chicken.  Set chicken aside. Heat oil in the same Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until onion is tender. Add reserved broth mixture and 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary; simmer 10 minutes.  Keep warm.

While broth is simmering, prepare dumplings. Combine flour and rosemary in a bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon fat with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add milk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.

Return chopped chicken to the broth mixture; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Bring broth mixture to a boil. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into boiling broth, stirring gently. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring often, for 25 minutes. Add additional salt and black pepper to taste.  Fold and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley.