I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head on his solid chest.
“Rita? Promise?”
I wanted to oblige, but I don’t like making promises I might not be able to keep. “I promise that if I’m ever in trouble, I’ll call you.”
He pulled back and scowled at me. “That’s it? That’s all I get?”
“I’m afraid so.” I had no idea what the future held for any of us, but I deliberately pushed aside the worry that was so natural for me and let myself enjoy the moment.
I have to admit, it felt pretty good.
He didn’t stay. Which was probably a very good thing. If he’d asked, I might have said yes. But I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. I had plenty of time to figure out where I was headed. I didn’t have to have all the answers today.
After he left, I climbed the stairs to my office and booted up my computer. And then, because Sullivan’s visit had left me in such an agreeable mood, I pounded out my first blog entry and e-mailed it to Ox before I could change my mind. Life’s too short to quibble about the small stuff, and yeah, it’s all small stuff.
Recipes
Rita’s Breakfast Casserole
Serves 12
3 cups chopped onion
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuit
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
cup whipping cream
½ cup dairy sour cream
3 eggs
(½ cup) shredded white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Additional pepper for sprinkling, if desired
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
In a large skillet, cook onions in margarine until tender but not browned. Stir in salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Separate biscuit dough into 20 biscuits and place in an ungreased 15 × 10-inch jelly roll pan. Press over bottom and ½ inch up sides to form crust. Spoon onions over crust, and sprinkle with bacon.
In a medium bowl, combine whipping cream, sour cream, and eggs until well blended. Stir in cheese. Spoon evenly over onions and bacon. Sprinkle with additional pepper.
Bake for 24 to 30 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown.
Serve hot. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
This is a great dish for brunch or when relatives drop in for a weekend visit.
* * *
Dizzy Duke Shrimp Étouffée
Serves 4 to 6
Étouffée is considered one of Louisiana’s crown jewels when it comes to cuisine. The word étouffée basically means “smothered,” and it’s a common cooking technique here in the South. Shrimp étouffée brings together all the greats of Louisiana cooking: seafood, a flour-and-oil roux, and a mirepoix, otherwise known as the holy trinity: onion, celery, and green pepper. Add some traditional Cajun seasoning and hot sauce, and you can’t beat it.
You can make this dish two ways: either by peeling the shrimp yourself and simmering the stock in your own kitchen, or you can choose the short version, which will cut your prep time to about 20 minutes.
Note that while this recipe calls for shrimp, you can also use crawfish or crab.
OPTIONAL SHRIMP STOCK
Shells from 2 pounds of shrimp
½ large onion, chopped
Top and bottom from 1 green pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
5 bay leaves
ÉTOUFFÉE
¼ cup vegetable oil or lard
Heaping ¼ cup flour
½ large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pint shrimp stock (see above), or clam juice or premade fish or shellfish stock
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
Salt
2 pounds shrimp, shell on (remove shells for use in the shrimp stock; if not making your own stock, you can get shrimp already shelled)
3 green onions, chopped
Hot sauce (Crystal or Tabasco) to taste
FOR SHRIMP STOCK
Pour 2 quarts of water into a pot and add all the remaining stock ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the stock gently for 45 minutes.
Strain stock through a fine-meshed sieve into another pot over low heat. This recipe makes a large amount of stock, which you can use for other recipes. It lasts in the fridge for a week.
FOR ÉTOUFFÉE
Begin by making a roux. Heat the vegetable oil or lard in a heavy pot over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour well, whisking to make sure there are no clumps. Cook for 10 minutes or so, stirring often, until it turns a pretty brown color.
Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and celery. Mix well and cook over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. (Do not overcook the garlic at this stage.)
Slowly add the hot shrimp stock, stirring constantly so it incorporates. The roux will absorb the stock and thicken at first, then it will loosen. Add stock in small amounts until your sauce is about the thickness of syrup. It should be about 1 pint of sauce.
Add Cajun seasoning, celery seed, and paprika, and mix well. Add salt to taste, then mix in the shrimp. Cover the pot, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the green onions and hot sauce to taste. Serve over white rice. Great with a cold beer or lemonade.
* * *
Zydeco King Cake
Serves 10 to 12
King Cake is a tradition that came to New Orleans with the first French settlers. It’s been a part of the culture ever since, though during the early days, the King Cake was part of a family’s celebration. It really didn’t take on a public role until around 1870.
The sides of the dough should pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl as you knead this dough. If it doesn’t, the moisture content in the flour has fluctuated with the humidity, so add a spoonful or two more flour.
CAKE
1 cup lukewarm milk (about 110° F)
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dry yeast
3 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup melted butter
5 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg (more or less to taste)
ICING
2 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup condensed milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Purple, green, and gold decorative sugars
1 plastic baby to hide in the cake (can also use a fava bean)
FOR CAKE
Pour the warm milk into a large bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar, yeast, and a heaping tablespoon of the flour, mixing until both the sugar and the yeast have thoroughly dissolved. Once bubbles have developed on the surface of the milk, and the yeast causes it to foam, whisk in the butter, egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add remaining flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. A large rubber spatula works great for this step.
After the dough is mixed well and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, shape it into a large ball. Then knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, which takes about 15 minutes.
Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a draft-free place to let it proof, or rise, for 1 ½ hours or until the dough has doubled in volume.
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a long strip, making 3 ropes of equal length. Braid the 3 ropes together and then form t
he braid into a circle, pinching ends together to form a seal.
Carefully place the braided dough on a nonstick cookie sheet and let it rise again until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.
Once the cake has doubled in size, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the braid is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven, place on a wire rack to allow air to circulate, and cool for 30 minutes.
FOR ICING
While the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, condensed milk, and lemon juice in a bowl until the icing is smooth and spreadable. If the icing seems too thick, add a bit more condensed milk; if it’s a bit too liquid, add a bit more powdered sugar until you have the right consistency.
Spread the icing over the top of the cooled cake and sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugars while the icing is still wet.
Tuck the plastic baby into underside of the cake and, using a spatula, slide the cake onto a serving platter.
* * *
Chile Verde
Serves 6
In all my life, I’ve never known anyone to make chile verde from a recipe. It’s usually made with inexact measurements, and adjusted to taste, so take these approximate measurements and then adjust as you like:
3 pounds pork roast
Lard or olive oil to sauté
3 tablespoons flour
3 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano, crumbled (this is entirely optional; I usually don’t include it)
1 cup green chilies, chopped
1 to 2 jalapeños, deseeded and chopped (optional)
Water
Salt and pepper
Trim away as much fat as possible from the pork roast and cut into cubes. Brown meat in lard or olive oil. Remove from pan and sprinkle meat with the flour. Brown onions and garlic in frying pan until transparent, but not brown. Add meat, oregano, chilies, and jalapen˜os to the onion mixture and then add water to cover. Simmer 2 to 3 hours. Add salt and pepper during last half hour.
Cool and degrease stew.
Serve with flour tortillas.
* * *
Flour Tortillas
Makes approximately 2 dozen
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons lard
1 ½ cups water
Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 to 3 drops of oil. (Using more oil will make the tortillas greasy and cause smoking in the kitchen.) Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until the exposed surface begins to bubble. Flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side.
Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer or between the folds of a clean kitchen towel to keep it moist until serving. Continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.
Cake on a Hot Tin Roof Page 25