This gallery contains 11 photos.
Part-Two in the Cochon de Lait Trilogy. So you wanna cook meat outdoors like a Cajun? If you go to Crawfish Guy, he has a clear recipe for Cochon de Lait on his website to be cooked in a Cajun … Continue reading
I first met Anna, the younger Boyer sister who had hauled, arranged and prepped everything for our dinner like she was in the cutest cooking show ever produced — at the NOLA Treehouse. Everything she’d put before her on the work table was neat, tidy, old-fashioned and perfectly paid attention to. Her mire poix was a thing of beauty. Her attitude was calming and you could sense what a kind lady with a genuine sense of fun existed beneath her cooking apron. She was like the clean organized eye of a storm (we were cooking in a loud art coop and her beautiful, vivacious sister had yet to arrive).
“I love bureacracy. Haha. I am so organized.” – Anna Boyer
And then Anna’s sister Vaidan had arrived and like the moon rising, the party had started.
Cute. CUTE. Keeeeeew-yuuuute.
The Boyer family is adorable and full of life. They interacted with each other seamlessly and in harmony. A thing of beauty.
The Sisters Boyer and their pop, Arnie, cooked for me on a balmy Sunday Evening in a kitchen filled with windows. They made their mothers chili recipe which they grew up feasting on. They have since modified the original recipe to fit their vegetarian diets. They good-naturedly discussed the various pros and cons of chopping versus dicing. The exact number of beans to use in the recipe and how many teaspoons of a certain spice to add into the pot.
“I usually like white potatoes, but the girls like sweet potatoes.” -Arnie Boyer
Each person had an opinion and a valid reason for wanting to do something a certain way. As I watched them come to a common consensus it struck me how many twists and turns can arise during a recipe. How many choices we are faced in our travels to a specific taste destination.
“This was our mom’s recipe. It used to have beef in it and was a staple in our lives. But we became vegetarians in our ten years so we changed it to have soy. Once my mom tasted it with soy, she never went back to beef.” – Anna and Vaidan, in unison
“Something chemical happens when you crush the garlic. Magic happens. When it cooks it makes everything creamy. And it cooks so evenly.” - Anna Boyer
“You have to achieve the feng shui of garlic.” - Anna Boyer
“Always check the chili powder for its spice levels. Never trust that it’ll always be the same.” – Arnie Boyer
“One time we accidentally put in instant coffee into the chili instead of chili pepper. It was still good, kind mole-like. Not as bad as the time I screwed up the sugar and the salt.” - Anna and Vaidan, in unison
Boyer Family Chili
Ingredients:
2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
3 medium onions, diced into 1/4″ cubes along with EVOO (for simmering)
2 #10 cans of whole peeled tomatoes + juice
4 oz tomato paste
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed in a mortar and pestle until creamy
1/2 LB of textured vegetable protein
1tbsp. cumin
10 whole cloves
3-4 bay leaves
5-10 tsp of New Mexico chili powder (to taste)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Simmer onions until clear, about 8 minutes. When clear add the garlic.
2. When onions and garlic are mixed and cooked (about 6 minutes) add in tomatoes and gently crush them by hand as you add them to the saucepan. Add spices.
3. Stir the chili and let bubble away for a few moments. Add sweet potatoes. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.
4. Stir chili. Add beans.
5. Salt and Pepper to taste, after Chili has simmered an additional 10-12 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with toast for dipping.
To learn more about the art gallery scene in New Orleans, visit Vaidan’s PK Gallery website for upcoming art exhibits and projects.
As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode. And a special welcome to Mariah Sinclaire, contributing photographer.
This might be the most random intervention of fate, I’ve thus far experienced with this project. I occasionally write articles for Edible East Bay a food magazine in Northern California. My editor sent me a cryptic message, knowing I was going to be in Louisiana in a weeks time. The message said that a woman named Jeanette was looking for tree collards starters, only available in CA — would I be interested in tracking some down and bringing them to her.
When I phoned Jeanette, my ears were greeted with the sweetest, softest voice. She assured me that it would ok if I couldn’t find the collards. And when I broached the subject of this project she said she was willing to host me and share her family’s gumbo recipe. Ten days later, with my friend Mariah Sinclaire in tow, I arrived in Franklin, Louisiana about 2 hours west of New Orleans. Sparsely populated, dotted with cane fields and screaming of beautiful back country.
Franklin and the Polidore Family were everything I was hoping to see and experience.
From the moment we walked in the door, 20 month old Zaré was the center of the universe. A cuter child has never existed. I’m sure of it.
I am still in love with her to this moment. Zaré’s mom, is 25 year old Jessica de Fils who is the daughter of Jeanette Polidore. Both women love to cook and I can see that Zaré and her sister Shay have a long delicious life ahead of them.
“Okra, shrimp, chicken gumbo. We don’t do all that weird chicken feet crap. No alligator here.” – Jessica
Gumbo is very eclectic. It’s a roux based stew and is a simple collection of meats and vegetables that you have readily available. The seasonings are almost usually similar though never exact. The flavors are similar, though never exact. The style can range from red gravy gumbo to white gravy gumbo. From Creole to Cajun.
“Certain families are very secretive. My aunt makes crawfish fettucine that takes first place in the state of Louisiana but she WILL NOT share that recipe with anyone. Maybe when she gets older.” - Jessica
Jeanette comes from a long line of strong women with colorful histories. She has 13 brothers and sisters and it’s rumored her grandfather was struck down by Bonnie and Clyde, in Burwick, LA. Her french lineage keeps her current family stewed in delicious francophile Creole tendencies in the kitchen. It’s a beautiful melding of cultures.
“Creole food is nothing without filé (pronounced Feel-Lay).” – Jeanette
“These sausages are too big. They need to be smaller for my babies.” – Jessica
“They are the perfect size. Why you cutting them?” – Jeanette
“We always argue over the size of the sausage. Always.” - Jessica
And one more thing before we dive into the recipe. The correct way to pronounce the ever present seasoning found all over Louisiana, Tony Chachere is like this …
SAH-Sure-eeE
De Fils Gumbo
Ingredients:
Roux: 1 C. Flour and 3/4 C. Cooking Oil – Cook over medium heat into a thick, creamy gravy-consistency. Keep at the Roux until you have a milk chocolate color. Don’t burn the Roux or you’re gumbo will taste starchy.
1 Bag of Dried Shrimp
1/2 gallon of Water
4 Bouillion cubes
10 Drumsticks
3 lbs Shrimp
2 cups Okra
1 lb of Beef Sausage
2 C. Cooked Rice
Tony Chachere Filé, Cayenne Pepper and Tabasco to taste
“My secret is two pinches of fresh cilantro.” -Jessica
Instructions:
1. Add your finished Roux into a large stockpot with the water and bouillion. Bring to a slow boil on medium-high heat.
2. Toss in the bag of dried shrimp and drumsticks.
3. Meanwhile deslime your okra by heating in 3 TBLSP cooking oil and 2 TSP vinegar and fry it just a few moments, to soften the okra. Then add it to the stockpot, along with pinches to taste of Chachero Filé, Cayenne Pepper, Tabasco, Salt & Pepper.
4. After the Gumbo has cooked for 20 minutes add the sausages and let cook another twenty minutes before adding in your rice. Wait 5 minutes, then add shrimp. Let the gumbo go for another 5-6 minutes and shut off the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve with a big dollop of potato salad, square on top of the gumbo – country style.
Jessica’s Tips
1. Play with your sausages: Use all pork or all beef, or try cajun style sausage which is a blend of the two.
2. Coconut Oil or Olive Oil can be used instead of Cooking Oil, like Vegetable Oil.
3. Be creative when it comes to your seafod. Try crab legs, scallops, almost any kind of seafood can be used to create a more interestingly flavorful dish.
4. Try substituting brown rice for the white rice.
5. Use fresh ingrediants whenever possible to make your gumbo really POP.
As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode. And a special thank you to Mariah Sinclaire, contributing photographer.
Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.
Tagged cayenne, creole, Filé, Food, gumbo, louisiana, new orleans, shrimp, tabasco
“In my other life, I was a pianist.” – Hassan Allen
One of the most interesting characters I met during my time in NOLA was the flamboyantly practical, Hassan. A singer, a chef and expert in many topics. I enjoyed watching someone else boss everyone (Aymeric and Hunter) around for a change (usually its me doing the bossing). Hassan had Buenos Hermanos wafting deliciously through the sunny kitchen. He expertly opened a chilled bottle of sauvignon blanc and poured it into small jelly jars for everyone working in the kitchen.
The table was littered with fresh ingredients. There were knives, cutting boards and bowls of mustery spices everywhere.
It was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon with three handsome men.
“We’ve only known each other one month. And this was Hunter’s idea to cook once a week.” – Hassan Allen
“I’m old-fashioned, honey. I get indignant with fast food.”- Hassan Allen
“I come from a long line of cooks, most of my family members have cooked in restuarants.”- Hassan Allen
“I mixed collards, kales, mustards, broccoli rabe and turnip greens together. Seven bunches that will cook down, together for a long time on low, to nearly nothing.” – Hassan Allen
“I’m gonna hand mash these chilies and add them into the greens at the 45 minute mark. I know the trick to getting the chile off your fingers. White Vinegar!” – Hassan Allen
“I love to cook in big earthenware cookware, so it goes slow all day so I can puts around and make love to people. Crock pots are ideal for what I love to do. Slow! Slow.” – Hassan Allen
Hassan’s Greens
Ingredients:
7-8 large bunches of assorted greens (kale, mustards, chards, collards)
5 cloves of garlic, smashed/minced
1 medium white onion, finely diced
2-3 chilies, cleaned and minced
1TBLSP apple cider vinegar
2TBLSP red wine vinegar
“I try to stay away from overly sweet greens.” -Hassan Allen
Instructions:
1. Soak and clean the greens in the sink. Discard dirt and sand. Hand rip the greens into manageable pieces.
2. Add greens, along with 2 cups of water and salt & pepper to taste to a large stockpot, set on medium/low heat.
3. At the 45 minute mark, add remaining ingredients, tossing softly into the greens.
4. Cook 3-4 hours on medium low heat.
You may choose to add roasted beets to your greens to sweeten them naturally. Hassan roasted his in a foil pouch on an outdoor grill for about 40 minutes. He then let them cool a bit to the touch and peeled and diced them. You may add them to your greens towards the end of the cooking process.
As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode.
“Taco-ification available upon request” – Hunter Daniel
Crepes & Tacos is an underground, backyard dinner party that started about a month ago in the green common space behind Hassan, Aymeric and Hunter’s house. The fellas strive to keep the price point at under $10 per person which is a great deal considering you get dinner (tacos) and dessert (crepes).
“This was Hunter’s idea to start up this dinner thing.” – Hassan Allen
Hunter, whom I met at one of the Nola Treehouses, is originally from Memphis and is the taco brains behind the operation.
Aymeric, from Lille, France (but in the U.S. the last 8 years) is the crepe master.
Hassan, is the Southern Cookin’ go-to-guy. Originally from Compton, Hassan came to NOLA 6 years ago.
“I’m known for Tacos. Tacos are very easy to make. You don’t have to have alot of kitchenware. I’ve been eating them exclusively for about a month. But I’ve slowly added in burritos and crepes. So. You know I’m kinda leaving behind the corn tortilla.” - Hunter
Because this particular backyard dinner menu was a blend of Southern (Gumbo, Greens, Dirty Rice, Sweet Potato Pie) and French (two sweet crepes) and the crowded kitchen was going to be difficult to maneuver around in (not to mention hot and sweaty). Most people were cooking up their pieces of the meal the day before.
The beets were put on an outdoor grill. Aymeric’s apples and pears were carmelizing in skillet alongside Hassan’s greens and sweet potatoes.
Later when the food was done cooking, they would turn their attention to the great backyard. A band would be setting up to amuse the guests (and eat for free). There were lights to be strung, candles to be lit and pathways to be cleared between the communal restroom, the backyard accessible kitchen and the patio tables set up.
“In France they say a good crepe will stick to the ceiling.” -Emelie, Aymeric’s friend
Stick a wine cork on the end of a fork, dip it in butter and use that homemade utensil to butter your pan before each crepe.
In my 12 days in New Orleans I was invited to 4 backyard underground dinner parties. I was only able to attend two of them. But they seem to be on the rise and very, very hip. If you want to attend Crepes & Tacos, I suggest you sneak over to 1040 Montegut Street on a Tuesday Evening.
Aymeric’s Crepes
tripinamerica@gmail.com
“These are crepes by feeling.” – Aymeric
500 grams of flour
1 liter of milk
3 eggs
3 sips of beer
Blend thoroughly in a blender or whisk by hand. Ladle into a hot skillet and cook each side like you would a pancake.
The first one will rarely turn out well, so do not be discouraged.
Filling Ingredients:
2 yellow/reddish apples and an asian pear, peeled and cubed
A few Tbslp of White Sugar
1-2 Tblsp of Sesame Seeds
1 Tblsp of Brown Sugar
Instructions:
1. In an iron skillet on medium heat, heat apples and pear in a few pats of butter and the tablspoons of white sugar.
2. Allow to carmelize and grow soft (6-8 minutes), reduce heat.
3. Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a separate smaller pan.
4. Add seeds to apple mixture, along with the brown sugar and allow to slowly heat through and through (8-10 minutes).
5. Spoon into Crepe
As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode.
Though we were in New Orleans, this dinner could have taken place in any health conscience, seasonally-minded home. We feasted on Vegan Enchiladas (the best I’ve ever had) and Apple Crisp. In the next post, we’ll cover the Boyer Sister’s special chili that accompanied the dinner.
“I make these enchiladas at Burning Man. We cook and vacuum seal everything so all you have to do is simply drop a bag in hot water on the playa and then pig out. I’m part of the Black Rock Boutique.” -Margarete Beeson
“You have to serve the apple crisp with ice cream. have to.” – Lizy Hapgood
Margarete Beeson’s Vegan Enchiladas
antigravy@gmail.com
Ingredients:
30 Tortillas (flour or corn)
3 Cans Enchilada Sauce (red)
1 Large Onion, peeled, diced
1 Corn on the cob, cut
1 Can black beans
Vegan Cheese: 1/4 C Ground Cashews, 1/4 C. Brewers Yeast, 1 1/2 C Water, Pinch Black Pepper, 1 Tblsp Lemon Juice, 1 Tblsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions:
1. Combine Vegan Cheese ingredients in a large sauce pan, boil on medium high heat until thick and creamy like melted nacho cheese. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix corn, beans and onion. Set aside. Open enchilada sauce and put into large bowl, suitable for dipping tortillas into (make sure it has a wide mouth).
3. Fry tortillas slightly, until soft, limp in a medium skillet.
4. Dip tortillas into enchilada sauce. Fill with spoonfuls of vegan cheese. Add scoops of bean/corn filling. Roll. Place in baking dish.
5. Top rolled, filled tortillas with sauce and any extra toppings you may have leftover.
6. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees, until slightly crispy on top. Serve hot.
The NOLA Treehouse, a communal art and living space, located at 1614 Esplanade Avenue in the 6th Ward of New Orleans, houses roughly 10 artists and creatives.
Although a new NOLA Treehouse is being built, several minutes away, on the corner of Presse and St. Claude. The new Treehouse is churning out to be the central hub of activity: parties, gatherings, projects, idea meetings and potlucks.
These Treehouses are the brainchild of Scott and Kim Pterodactyl and are executed by a small army of individuals dedicated to the arts and exploring the status quo.
To learn more about the art landscape in New Orleans, visit the Life is Art Foundation page for upcoming art exhibits and projects.
As always, Thank You to the Sip Snap Savor wine sponsor, Murphy-Goode. And a special welcome to Mariah Sinclaire, contributing photographer.
Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, NOLA Treehouse, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.
Tagged apples, enchiladas, Food, nola, treehouse
There I was in New Orleans, minding my own business, walking down the street in the Marigny district, when I saw a man heave two huge laundry-like baskets full of shrimp onto the street. Of course, said my friend Megan, It’s the Friday Street Shrimp Boil.
I met Pete & the boys on the corner of Royal & Kerec in front of the Royal Inn. They do a “frahday shrimp boyl. Do it ever’ frahday.”
They made me eat a whole clove of garlic and sample spicy headcheese (see above photo) before they let me join them behind the line of generators, on the street. It’s nothing short of bad ass to see three men set up and make enough shrimp for 50 people, give it away, break down the equipment and hose off the street in under four hours.
In no terms was I infringing on them, they were so happy to tell their story. This was a total PARTY and neighbors from up and down the street came out to the corner with camping chairs and beers to watch and sample the festivities.
In fact, when I saw them a week later in the same place doing the same thing. They waved me over so I could inspect that weeks haul of shrimp.
One of the men, a Cajun that I think (I’d had four beers at this point) said his name was Dave, told me he used to be a shrimper until Katrina. His boat was wiped out and he hasn’t been able to replace it. He’s doing office work now. I could tell the job was killing his beautiful outdoorsmen spirit. The wistfulness in his voice and the sad cloud that descended upon his face was heartbreaking. But only for the briefest of seconds. Then in true cajun form, he busted open a few beers and started speaking in melodically upbeat tones about the magic of the Gulf and the resilience of the Gulf.
“These here are white shrimp, mimi. They carry they babies above they tails. When this season over, they gonna go into the Gulf. That’ll be the real testament for that oil. If they don’t come back, next year, they gone. The oil is more than we dreamed, then. We don’t know what all is going on out theah. But these here are 12-16′s of white shrimp. The number refers to the number of’em in a pound.I never eat less than a twelve.” -Cajun Dave
“This a real good community. This here’s a neighborhood boyle.” – Pete
“Who dat for?
Fer dah peaux-peaux right there.”A policeman stopped his squad car, in the middle of the street for a to go container of potatoes, onions, shrimp and corn.
For more information about the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, click here
Boiled Shrimp a la Royal
For easy cleanup, line your table with newspaper so everyone can have fun peeling and eating the shrimp. Serve with corn on the cob and boiled potatoes.
Ingredients
20 quarts water
Ladies clean nylon stuffed with Shrimp Boil Spices*
6 teaspoons ZATARAIN’S® Concentrated Shrimp and Crab Boil
3 tablespoons salt
6 lemons halved
4 pounds large shrimp with shells on
10-12 small red potatoes
10 ears corn on the cub, cleaned and halved
4 onions, peeled & cut into wedges
4 entire bundles of garlic, unpeeled, thrown into the pot
10-12 stalks of celery, cut in half
5-8 carrots, cut into thick thirds
1 lb of asparagus, trimmed
Directions
1. Bring water and salt to boil in large saucepot.
2. Stir in shrimp and Crab Boil, Nylon Bag Seasonings and Lemons. Return to boil; cover.
3. Add in Potatoes, Garlic and Onions let cook for 8-10 minutes.
4. Add Corn. Continue cooking additional 4-6 minutes.
5. Add shrimp. Cook 2 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat. Let stand 2 minutes. Drain well.
You may reserve liquid to use as seafood stock for soups, gumbo or dirty rice.
Serve with crusty baguette, lemon wedges and plenty of napkins.
*Ingredients Shrimp Boil Bag:
* 1/4 cup pickling spices
* 1/4 cup sea salt
* 2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
* 2 Tablespoons whole black peppercorns
* 2 Tablespoons hot red pepper flakes
* 1 Tablespoon celery seeds
* 1 Tablespoon minced dried chives
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 5 bay leaves
Cut the leg off a pair of nylons, stuff in your spices and tie the leg off. Trim excess material.
Posted in Families 2010 - Southern Route, Food Background, Food Photography, Melissa Schilling, People, Recipes, Road Trip, Team S.S.S.
Tagged boil, corn, Food, nola, onions, potatoes, shrimp, spices
Tips for making Homemade Gnocchi:
-Must be made fresh, you can NOT freeze the dough (it might turn wickedly wild colors)
-Cool your potatoes before mashing them into the dough, hot potatoes make the dough soft.
-Keep adding flour until you have a bread-dough-like consistency
-When you can pierce the dough with a knive, and it comes out clean, you are ready to begin curling and forming the gnocchi
-Salt the cooking water, not the dough, and the salted water will take you to the right flavor
-Let the rolled gnocchi dry for about an hour before cooking
“It’s a competition! Who can go the fastest!!” – Beverly Vigliecca
“We practiced yesterday, so we are in fighting form.” - Roy Vigliecca
“Thats the fun of it, they’re home made. Not perfect from a store. It’s all about participation and family. Being together.” -Linda West to Jared Vigliecca (age 9)
“Some of them won’t turn out right. It’s just like real life. Some good. Some bad.” - Beverly Vigliecca
“I tried to make these in Junior High for a boy. I failed so hard. Oh the boy? He was named Dennis.” - Linda West
“Haha. I make’em bigger than that! (pointing to Linda’s Gnocchi)” – Carolyn Tognetti
Italian Gravy, by Carolyn Tognetti
Saute 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves, diced. Add 1lb of ground chuck and 1 italian sausage, cubed. Brown for about 10 minutes. Add a 6oz can of muchrooms or 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms sliced. Add a large can of canned tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes, diced. Add in pinches of fresh salt, pepper, italian seasoning, oregano, basil and 1 small can of tomato paste.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour. You may add reserved liquid from the canned mushrooms and tomatoes, or a can of water. Add several tablspoons of fresh chopped italian parsley. Simmer for an additional 90 minutes.
Enjoy with your favorite al dente pasta.
For the first official Sip Snap Savor test kitchen, it seemed appropriate to jump right in with something a little flashy. Empanadas fit the bill perfectly – intensely flavorful, crispy pockets of pure fried goodness. Following the instructions provided by the Morales, I set out to recreate a bit of their magic.
First up was the filling. I opted for ground beef – 85% lean to keep it on the moist side – and flavored it heavily with cumin, coriander, garlic, and cilantro. The filling by itself was a bit intense, but per the Morales’ recommendation I trusted that it would work out will once stuffed in the masa pockets.
Having worked with masa before, I was well aware of the tendency of the dough to dry out quickly, so I went ahead and made the dough a little moist. My first few pockets were muy feo, but just as Claudia said they got progressively more beautiful as I went along. By the time I folded my sixth empanada, i was cranking out perfect half-moons.
I ran into two problems at this point. The first was my inability to keep the oil at the correct temperature – too hot and the masa burned on the outside before it cooked through, too cold and the dough simply soaked up the grease rather than frying correctly. It takes a bit of balance, and you should err on the high side at first since adding multiple empanadas will lower the heat of the oil. give it ample time to heat up and test it first with a lump of dough to make sure it isn’t too hot. On the whole, you will probably try and cook before the oil is hot enough, so let it get a little hotter than you think you ought. As always, be extremely careful working with hot oil.
The second problem was my utter inability to follow Claudia’s directions, and overfilling most of the empanadas to the point that they burst when i was trying to cook them. Later efforts with less filling were perfect, so trust #3 on her list and use less filling than you think you need.
Overall i’d rate this an 8/10 for awesomeness and a 6/10 for ease. I cranked out about 20 empanadas in an hour, which was more than enough for a small crew of us. Served up with the hot sauce and some cold ones, they made an incredible evening snack.
Empanada Masa Dough:
Take 2.5 C of warm water, 2 C Pan Masa (found in hispanic grocery sections or supermercados) and 8-10 cucharditos (teaspoons) of salt and mix in a large bowl. Knead until smooth and let rest for a few minutes.
Empanada Filling:Fry 4 potatoes diced, 2 whole, diced onions and 4 cloves of garlic on medium heat with a little oil to coat the pan. Add a pound of ground beef or ground turkey for a lighter filling. Also add a bunch of diced cilantro, several tablespoons of cumin, salt and pepper to taste. As the mixture cooks add the juice of 6-10 limes and a cup of fresh peas (canned or frozen are fine).
Empanada Hot Sauce:
Create this fresh, raw sauce for topping off your fried empanadas. Combine 1 onion, diced, 1 fresh chile diced & 1 bunch of cilantro, diced into the juice of 10-15 limes. Salt the sauce to taste.
1. Form a disk in your hand the size of your palm, about 1/4″ thick.
2. Add filling in small spoonfuls, fold the disk in half.
3. Use a small cup or bowl to secure in place.
4. Pinch in place and to seal closed.
5. Fry for 3-5 minutes per side, in corn or vegetable oil.
Top with hot sauce and serve alongside, hot salted plantains.
Posted in Food Background, Food Photography, Recipes, Team S.S.S., Test Kitchen
Tagged Food
Finger foods are the staples at any Superbowl Party. It’s a jeans and paper napkin culture at any football eating event. And The Bilodeau’s serve it up hot and fresh. Pop’s will never reveal the secret to his Beef Jerky, but if you’d like to order some of his famous jerky you can get in touch with him by emailing us at Sip Snap Savor (sipsnapsavor@gmail.com)
Hot & Spicy Shrimp
“…they look gelatinous,” said Katy Bilodeau
“We’ll find out if they’re spicy. Man they’ll make one heckuva fajita!” – Pops
Marinate shrimp in pepper plant hot sauce, paprika, chili pepper and olive oil – to taste and to coat. Marinate for 90 minutes or overnight. Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Beer Soaked Wienies
“Everybody does beer soaked wienies. We used two bottles of of beer, Fat Tire to be exact. It adds flavor.” – Tracy De Jong
Curry Cheese Crostini
Use equal parts cheddar and mozzarella, shredded so you have about 3 cups of shredded cheese. Ad in a quarter cup to a half cup of green onion, diced and a few tablespoons of yellow curry powder. Blend the mixture together using your fingers or a spoon then top sliced baguette rounds with the cheese mixture. Broil for 4-6 minutes depending on the strength of your oven until the bread is toasted and the cheese is a melted golden color.
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