Shrimp Etoufee

Shrimp Etoufee Quick and EZ


Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serving Size: 8 tourist or 4 Cajuns (2 on Good Friday and 1 if it’s a Leap Year)

Etouffee? Sounds good, but what the heck is it? Well...think of this as the Molly Cyrus/Hanna Montana of Cajun/Creole Cooking: ”da best of boat dem worlds.”

Best defined as a cross between smothering with onions and making a stew/sauce piquante.  You right: that there will make a puppy pull a box car!

1/2 stick of Butter (8 oz.) or Butter flavored Crisco

3 Onions, chopped

1/2  cup Flour

2 lbs. Shrimp (headless, peeled and deveined) 

2 tablespoons Tiger Sauce

2 tablespoons Pickapeppa Spicy Mango Sauce

2 tbsp/ Zatarain’s Shrimp & Crab Boil (lemon) or Old Bay

1 can Rotel diced Chili Tomatoes (mild)

1 tbsp. granulated Garlic

2 stalks of Celery, chopped

1 cup Shrimp/seafood Stock

1 each: Green, Red and Yellow Bell Peppers, chopped

1 bunch (about 2 handfuls) of chopped Shallots (green onions/scallions)

1 tablespoons Tabasco Sauce

2 whole Bay Leaves

2 tablespoons Parsley Flakes

1/2 cup Water

Cayenne Pepper, Shrimp/Crab Boil, and Salt to taste

Marinate: Season shrimp with salt and cayenne to preference (I usually do a heavy coat of each.) In a container of your preference add seasoned shrimp, tiger sauce, pickapeppa, shrimp/crab boil and chill. 

Melt butter in a heavy 5-8 qt. pot or Dutch Oven (I recommend Magnalite or Cast Iron,) on medium heat. Sauté onions 5 minutes then slowly add in flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly, until blended and smooth with a light golden color.

Couyon; What kinda Roux is that? This is a little different; it’s a Blonde Roux (Jole Blon), not dark chocolate as in a stew.

Add marinated shrimp to the roux mixture.  After about 5 minutes add in rotel, garlic, celery and stock. Wait another 5 min. then add in peppers, shallots, Tabasco sauce and Bay Leaves. Bring down heat to Low and simmer for 30 min. Add in parsley after 15 minutes.

If needed, use a couple of ounces of water at a time to prevent sticking/scorching.

Serve over about an Ice Cream scoops’s worth of hot white rice. About a lb. (2 cups) should be plenty enough. For this, I like to use Water Maid medium grain.

Oh yeah; If you didn’t figure it out on your own; remove the Bay leaves before serving; Tell your friends when you opened the door, the wind blew them in there!

Submitted By: Tony Guidry, EMT-Paramedic

Louisiana, USA

Contest: Nationwide EMT

2/20/12

Banana Bites

Bake-Shop Banana Bites


Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 12-4 bites per serving

2 cups all-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup Canola Oil

1 and 1/2 cups mashed, ripe Bananas 

2 large Eggs

1/2 cup Orange Juice (not from concentrate)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Optional: Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray 48 miniature muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside. 

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, blend sugar and oil.  Add bananas, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add flour mixture and combine just until flour is completely absorbed. Be careful not to over mix.  Batter will appear lumpy.  

Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full.  Bake 18-21 minutes or until golden on top and springy to the touch. Cool 10 minutes.  Remove to a cooling rack.  Garnish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.  Eat and enjoy.

Submitted By: Louis Schuman, EMT

Illinois, USA

Contest: Nationwide EMT

Penne Alla Vodka

Patota’s Penne Alla Vodka with Shrimp


Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 4

3 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

16 to 18 medium peeled Shrimp

3 slices of Pancetta (Italian Bacon)

3 or 4 cloves Garlic, minced

Pinch Red Pepper Flakes, or to taste

28oz can Crushed Red Tomatoes

2 shots Vodka

1 box Penne Pasta

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

2 tablespoons fresh Parsley, chopped

Salt & Pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated

Cook Penne in a large pot of salted water, drain when Al Dente. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, dice Pancetta and add to oil. Cook at medium low heat until lightly brown, about 3 min.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to pan and sauté for 2 minutes over low heat.

Carefully pour in crushed tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and slowly increase heat back to medium.  Bring to slight boil and add vodka.  Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.

Add heavy cream to sauce and mix well, then add shrimp, penne pasta and parsley.(save a small amount of parsley for garnish.)

Bring back to a boil and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until sauce is reduced and clings to pasta. Stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese.

Spoon onto plate and add pinch of reserved Parsley.

SALUTE!!!

Submitted By: Paul Patota, NBPD

Massachusetts, USA

Custard Pie

Tarte á la Bouillie (Cajun Custard Pie)


Prep Time: 20-30 minutes (including chilling dough)

Cook Time: 30 minutes (baking)

Serving Size: 8

Dough (Crust): 

1/2 cup Domino Granulated Cane Sugar

1/3 cup Crisco Shortening

1 large Egg 

1½ cups Gold Medal all-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Kraft Calumet (double action) baking powder

Custard* (Filling): 

1 large can (12 oz.) PET Milk (Evaporated or Condensed) chilled

2 large Eggs 

4 tablespoons Gold Medal all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Sugar

2 teaspoon McCormick pure Vanilla Extract

4 oz. chilled water

CRUST: Blend sugar and shortening together. Add egg, flour and baking powder. Knead a couple of minutes adding a few teaspoons of water at a time to smooth the texture. 

Cool for 20-30 min. Roll out a thick layer about 12-14” round on floured wax paper; add more water (same rate as before-few teaspoons at a time) if needed to keep from crumbling. 

Place dough in 8” pie pan and form it up the sides trimming the over-hang to about ¾ to 1 inch. 

FILLING: Bring 8 oz. milk to a soft boil. Meanwhile, combine 4 oz. cold milk and whisked eggs, flour, and sugar. Slowly stir in the cool mixture to the boiling milk and continue cooking until thick.

Remove from heat and blend in vanilla. Pour custard into crust and fold over-hanging edges back inward toward filling. 

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400°F until brown. Allow to cool.

Recommended: If possible, chill for 1 hour before serving.

*Custard can also be served Stand-alone as a pudding. 

Submitted By: Tony Guidry EMT-Paramedic

Loiusiana, USA

Contest: Nationwide EMT

Corn and Beef Soup

Jai’s Famous Corn and Beef Soup


Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Serving Size: 20

2-4  lbs. Beef Chuck Roast, cubed and trimmed

(4) 20 oz. cans of Tomato Sauce

20 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes

2 Onions, chopped

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

(2) 1 lb. bags frozen cut Whole Kernel Corn

(2) 15.5 oz cans of Cream Style Corn

1 package frozen corn on the cob, defrosted and cut into 1/2 inch thick slice

2 quarts Water 

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Pre-heat oil in stock pot. Add onions and beef. Cook on medium fire for about 15 minutes.  Add crushed tomatoes, with juice.  Cook for another 10 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, cream style corn, whole kernel corn, water, salt, and pepper.  Cook on med/low fire for about 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Add corn cobs and continue cooking for about another 20 minutes.  

Enjoy!

Submitted By: Jai Bourg, EMT

Louisiana, USA

Contest: Nationwide EMT

Beef Stew-pendous

Prep Time: 15 miutes

Cook Time: 3-4 hours

Serving Size: 8-12

4 lbs. Beef Stew Meat, cut up into med/small chunks

1/2 cup Worcestershire

1/2 cup Italian dressing

2 tablespoons Morton Season-All 

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 packs McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning

Roux : (1 cup each flour and Canola cooking oil)

2 large Onions, diced

½ cup Shallots, chopped (green onions/scallions) 

¼ cup Celery, chopped 

1 each Red, Yellow, and Orange sweet peppers, chopped

10 oz. can Hunt’s Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 large can sliced Mushrooms 

1 can (14 oz.) Beef stock/broth 

4 medium Turnips (peeled and cubed), may substitute with potatoes  

½ cup chopped Carrots

1 quart Water

Coat meat in Worcestershire, Italian dressing, and Season-All, then brown in a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat.

Pre-mix both packs of McCormick with 1 cup boiling water, then pour over meat and bring heat down to low to continue cooking, while making Roux in separate vessel.

Mix oil and flour in an 8 qt. Dutch oven using Roux spoon or small wooden paddle.

On med/low fire, brown Roux to a dark chocolate color. 

Blend in onions, shallots and celery to Roux and sauté 15 minutes.

Add meat from skillet into main cooking vessel. Add in mushrooms and broth along with about ½ the remaining water. Add in tomatoes, turnips, carrots and peppers; then cover and simmer on very low heat 2 hrs. 

Stir up every 15 min. adding a couple of ounces of water at a time as needed. (Stew should be thick enough so stirring spoon can stand on it’s own, but thin enough so it doesn’t stick/scorch to bottom of pot. Actual consistency is to preference.) 

Serve over cooked rice, noodles or cut-up French bread.

Side with Potato Salad and halved boiled eggs. 

Submitted By: Anthony Guidry, EMT-Paramedic

Louisiana, USA

Contest: Nationwide EMT

Mirliton Douce Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Serving Size: 8

1¼ cup Mirliton (Chayote Squash) aka Alligator/Vegetable Pear – boiled, mashed and undrained

¾ cup crushed Pineapple

1 cup Pioneer Biscuit & Baking Mix

1 cup Sugar

1 stick of Margarine (4 oz. or ¼ lb.) – melted

2 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor.  Pour into 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 1 hour. 

Cool before serving

Note: 3-4 mirlitons will yield 1½ - 2 cups.

Tip: Boil mirlitons until tender enough to break with fork.

Alternate: You may use 2 full cups mirliton, omitting the pineapple, and substitute sugar with Splenda for a less sweet (douce) option.

Submitted By: Tony Guidry EMT-Paramedic

Louisiana, USA

Contest: Nationwide EMT