Breakfast in Bed

by Rochelle Alers

  2. Warm ¼ cup of water in the microwave oven until barely warm to the touch. Pour the water into a large bowl, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Add the flour mixture and blend it with a kitchen fork. Work the dough as little as possible.

  3. Turn the dough out on a clean counter and dust with a little flour. Roll it out to a thickness of approximately ¼ inch. Cut into rectangles about 2 × 4 inches. Let sit while oil heats.

  4. Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch in a large, deep skillet and heat to 325º. When the beignet dough squares have softened and puffed up a little, drop 4-6 at a time into the hot oil and fry until light brown. Turn once and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels.

  5. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve hot.

  Makes 12 to 15 beignets

  CREOLE-CAJUN JAMBALAYA

  ¼ cup vegetable oil

  4 lb. chicken-leg quarters—each cut into 4 pieces, bone in

  2 lb. andouille or other smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch-

  thick slices

  2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped

  2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

  2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

  2 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 cups chicken stock

  2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  1 Tbsp. Tabasco

  1 Tbsp. salt-free Creole seasoning

  1 Tbsp. salt

  1 bay leaf

  1 tsp. dried thyme

  ½ tsp. dried marjoram

  4 cups (uncooked) Uncle Ben’s rice, or similar parboiled rice

  2 green onions, chopped

  3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

  4 dozen large fresh shrimp

  1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Add the chicken and sausage, and brown the chicken all over. Add the onions, peppers, celery, and garlic, and sauté until they wilt. Add the chicken stock and 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the browned bits in the pot.

  2. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, Creole seasoning, bay leaf, thyme, and marjoram. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. Stir the rice into the pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the bones and set aside. When the rice is cooked, stir in the chicken, green onions, parsley, and shrimp. Continue to cook, uncovered, gently stirring occasionally, until the rice starts to dry out. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

  Serves 12 to 15

  ROAST BEEF PO’BOYS

  Roast Beef and Gravy

  4-6 lb. inside round of beef, trimmed

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  4 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

  2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped

  1 large yellow onion, quartered

  1 whole garlic bulb, outer papery skin removed and bulb cut in half

  2 bay leaves

  ½ tsp. dried thyme

  ½ tsp. dried marjoram

  ¼ tsp. black peppercorns

  1-3 Tbsp. flour

  1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

  Sandwich

  3 loaves poor-boy bread or 6 French baguettes, cut lengthwise and into sections 6-8 inches long

  Garnish

  1 head lettuce, shredded coarsely

  8 tomatoes, thinly sliced

  Mayonnaise

  Dill pickle slices

  1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Put it in a Dutch oven filled about a third of the way with water. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, and black peppercorns. Roast uncovered for 4-6 hours, turning the roast and adding water every hour or so. The water level should slowly drop, but don’t let it get less than approximately 2 inches deep. The beef is ready when a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 160º.

  2. Remove the roast from the pot and place in a pan that will catch all the juices as it cools.

  3. Skim off fat from the stock in the pot. Use a coarse sieve to strain the stock into a bowl, and then return the stock to the pot. Add any juices that come out of the roast as it rests. Bring the stock to a simmer. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Cook to a thin gravy consistency.

  4. When you’re ready to make sandwiches, preheat the oven to 400º. Bring the gravy to a simmer and whisk in the flour (only if the gravy appears to need thickening). Add the Worcestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. Slice the roast beef as thin as possible. Collect all the crumbs and slivers that fall off and add this to the gravy. Stack as much sliced roast beef as you want on a length of French bread. Garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and dill pickles. Spoon on as much gravy as the sandwich can hold. Bake the assembled sandwich for about a minute to toast the bread.

  Makes 12-18 po’boys

  RED BEANS AND RICE

  1 lb. dry kidney beans

  ¼ cup olive oil

  1 large onion, chopped

  1 green bell pepper, chopped

  2 Tbsp. minced garlic

  2 stalks celery, chopped

  6 cups water

  2 bay leaves

  ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

  1 tsp. dried thyme

  ¼ tsp. dried sage

  1 Tbsp. dried parsley

  1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

  1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced

  4 cups water

  2 cups long grain white rice

  1. Rinse beans, and then soak in a large pot of water overnight.

  2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes.

  3. Rinse beans, and transfer to a large pot with 6 cups of water. Stir cooked vegetables into beans. Season with bay leaves. Bring to boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2-½ hours.

  4. Stir sausage into beans and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

  5. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. In a saucepan, bring water and rice to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

  Serves 8

  GRILLED HONEY CANJUN SHRIMP

  1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined with tails on

  1 Tbsp. melted butter

  1½ Tbsp. honey

  1 Tbsp. lemon juice

  2 dashes Cajun seasoning

  Pinch of salt

  Dipping Sauce (Optional)

  1 Tbsp. olive oil

  1 Tbsp. lemon juice

  2 cloves garlic, minced

  ½ Tbsp. chopped parsley

  1. Rinse the shrimp, pat dry with paper towels.

  2. In a bowl, mix the melted butter, honey, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning, and salt together. Stir to mix well. Prepare the optional Dipping Sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. Set aside.

  3. Combine the shrimp and honey mixture together, stir to coat well. Fire up an outdoor grill and grill shrimp with direct fire on both sides until they turn slightly charred and transfer to the top section to cook completely. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with Dipping Sauce.

  Serves 3

  SPICY GARLIC SHRIMP

  Garlic Mayonnaise

  ½ cup mayonnaise

  2 Tbsp. Dijon or Creole mustard

  1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

  2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

  Shrimp

  ¼ cup vegetable oil

  1 Tbsp. chili powder

  ½ tsp. salt

  ¼ tsp. cayenne

  1 tsp. chopped garlic

  ½ lb. small-to-medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

  ½ medium onion, sliced thinly

  Four 2-inch square Jalapeño-Cheese Cornbread

  ¼ cup garlic mayonnaise

  1. To make the garlic mayonnaise: Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. It’s better to make this a day ahead of time and refrigerate to let the flavors blend.

  2. To prepare the shrimp: Mix the oil, spices, and garlic together in a bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate in the ref
rigerator for 1-2 hours.

  3. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, the marinade, and the onion, and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, 4-5 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp.

  4. Split the cornbread square and spread both halves with garlic mayonnaise. Put 2 cornbread halves on each of 4 plates and spoon the shrimp over the bread.

  Serves 4

  JALAPEÑO-CHEESE CORNBREAD

  2 cups self-rising yellow cornmeal

  1 cup self-rising flour

  1 tsp. salt

  4 eggs, beaten

  1½ cup buttermilk

  1½ cups roughly grated sharp Cheddar cheese

  2-3 fresh jalapeños, seeded, membranes removed, and chopped

  2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

  1. Preheat the oven to 400º.

  2. Blend the cornmeal, flour, and salt in a bowl. Combine all of the remaining ingredients, except the oil, in a second bowl. Dump the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix completely. If it looks a little stiff, add a little water.

  3. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet, tilting the skillet around to coat the entire inner surface. Add the batter to the pan and bang it down on a towel on the countertop. (This evens out the top of the batter.) Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Check its progress at this point, and continue baking until the top is light brown.

  4. Allow cornbread to cool for 5 minutes, and then cut into squares. (Recipe can also be made as muffins or in molds that look like ears of corn.)

  FRIED CATFISH

  2 lbs. small catfish fillets

  1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

  2 Tbsp. lemon juice

  1 Tbsp. juice from a jar of dill pickles

  2 tsp. milder Louisiana hot sauce

  1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

  1 cup corn flour (Fish Fry)

  1 cup cornmeal

  1 Tbsp. salt

  ½ tsp. granulated garlic

  Peanut oil, for frying

  1. Wash the catfish and remove the skin and any remaining bones. Cut them on the bias into strips about 1½ inches wide.

  2. Blend the mustard, lemon juice, pickle juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Put the catfish fillets into the bowl and toss to coat with the marinade. Let marinate for about 30 minutes, refrigerated.

  3. Combine the corn flour, cornmeal, salt, and garlic with a fork in a large bowl. Put 4-6 pieces of catfish into the corn-flour mixture and toss to coat the catfish. Repeat with the remaining fish.

  4. Pour the oil into a cast-iron skillet or a Dutch oven to a depth of 1 inch and place over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 375º. Working in batches, fry the catfish until they turn golden brown. Remove with a skimmer or spider utensil. Drain on paper towels.

  5. Serve with tartar sauce and pickles and hot sauce, and hush puppies.

  HUSH PUPPIES

  Vegetable oil, for frying, preferably oil previously used for frying fish or chicken

  1½ cups white self-rising cornmeal

  1½ cups self-rising flour

  1 tsp. salt

  ½ tsp. salt-free Creole seasoning

  ½ tsp. sugar

  1 cup canned corn, drained

  2 green onions, finely chopped

  1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and membrane removed, chopped

  2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

  1¼ cups milk

  1 egg, beaten

  1. Pour the oil into a heavy saucepan to a depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350º.

  2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, Creole seasoning, and sugar together in a small bowl. Add the corn, green onions, jalapeño, and parsley, and stir to blend well.

  3. In a second, larger bowl beat the milk, egg, and ¼ cup of water together. Add the cornmeal-green onion mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a whisk until no dry flour is visible. (Add a little more milk to the mixture if necessary. The mixture should be sticky but not runny or grainy.)

  4. With a tablespoon, make balls of batter. Fry 4-6 at a time until they’re medium brown; they should float on the oil when they’re ready. Remove and drain, and allow the oil temperature to recover before adding more hush puppies.

  5. Serve as an appetizer with a mixture of equal parts of mayonnaise, horseradish, and sour cream, or tartar sauce. Or alongside fried seafood or chicken.

  Makes about 18 hush puppies

  CAJUN SPICE MIX

  2 tsp. salt

  2 tsp. garlic powder

  2½ tsp. paprika

  1 tsp. ground black pepper

  1 tsp. onion powder

  1 tsp. cayenne pepper

  1¼ tsp. dried oregano

  1¼ tsp. dried thyme

  ½ tsp. red pepper flakes

  Stir together salt, garlic, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes until evenly blended. Store in airtight container.

  SALT-FREE CREOLE SEASONING

  2 Tbsp. granulated onion

  2 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

  1 Tbsp. paprika

  1 tsp. granulated garlic

  ½ tsp. ground white pepper

  ¼ tsp. dried thyme

  ¼ tsp. dried marjoram

  tsp. cayenne

  Pinch of dry mustard

  Mix all of the ingredients well in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. This will keep for about a year, tightly sealed, in a cool place.

  Makes half a cup

  SALT-FREE CREOLE SEAFOOD SEASONING

  2 Tbsp. granulated onion

  1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

  1 Tbsp. paprika

  1 tsp. granulated garlic

  ½ tsp. ground white pepper

  ¼ tsp. cayenne

  ¼ tsp. dried basil

  ¼ tsp. dried oregano

  ¼ tsp. dried thyme

  Pinch of dry mustard

  Mix all of the ingredients well in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. This will keep for about a year, tightly sealed, in a cool place.

  Makes half a cup