Florida Boudin, Simple Squash Dishes, Georgian Cheese Bread

Food Porn
I just had to share this photo of the most impressive Eggplant Stacker I've ever made!

It all started with this massive Globe Eggplant:

Which I sliced horizontally from top to bottom and grilled.  Then I stacked it back into a globe with slices of yellow tomato, parmesan, panko and marinara in between.  Topped with a final slice of tomato and shredded colby-jack, then baked to melt everything together.

Florida Shrimp Boudin
Boudin is a Cajun sausage with a rice base which also features either pork or crawfish.  My version features Caribbean style Aroz Amarillo, Gulf shrimp, and the Cajun Trinity (celery, onion and bell pepper).

Make a batch of Aroz Amarillo -- I use half and half Jasmine and brown rices, and up to a tablespoon of Sazon Tropicaletm seasoning 

Make a batch of BBQ Shrimp -- I use Gulf Pink shrimp when I can get them, peeled and veined, the sauted in a good spicy Cajun seasoning.

Make a batch of the Cajun Trinity with equal amounts of diced celery, red and/or green bell pepper, and onion, spiced with (ideally) another Cajun spice blend.  I used Evergladestm Seasoning.

If you have the equipment, you can grind the rice, Trinity and shrimp together and stuff it into casings, then steam or smoke the links.  Or, you can do as I do and make Rissoles (patties from the "loose" sausage filling:

To make Boudin Rissoles (sounds fancier than "fritters") for two, I used: 
1-1/3 cup Aroz Amarillo
2/3 cup chopped BBQ Shrimp
1 cup of Trinity
1 Egg, beaten  

Mash everything together in a bowl then use a 2/3 or 3/4 cup measure to scoop up the mixture and form into patties.  

Heat the skillet medium-high with a thin layer of oil.  Pat each patty in  dish of panko - both sides - and slide them into the pan.  

Yes I made a Foodie Smiley Face!

Crispy Roasted Buttercup
Simple squash dish, simply tasty!

1 Buttercup Squash
Herbs of your choice
Panko for dusting

Slice off the top and bottom of the squash, and cut it into 3/4" thick rings.  Cut the rings in half.  Spritz with oil, dust with herbs, dust with panko and roast.   I served it with a side of roasted potato wedges roasted at the same time as the squash, using my Ninja Fliptm countertop oven.

Roasted Butternut & Cherry Tomatoes
Simplicity itself!  

3-4 cups peeled, cubed Butternut Squash
1 pint or more Cherry Tomatoes
1 Onion, diced large
1-2 tsp dried Rosemary
1-2 tsp dried Basil
Salt & Pepper to taste
EVOO
Crumbled Feta for Garnish

Toss the veggies together with "some" EVOO, to coat.  Spread on a baking tray.  Liberally season with rosemary, basil, salt & pepper.

Roast at 400F for 30-40 minutes.  Serve over pasta or rice.  Colorful and tasty!

Georgian Imeruli Khachapuri
No... no... not the Georgia between South Carolina, Alabama and Florida  -- the one on the other side of Europe, by the Black Sea. 

You know my fascination with skillet-cooked breads, this is a version of a cheese bread which they make there.    The Imeruli variety is a cheese stuffed bread.   Thanks to our friend Kathy Hogan for the inspiration (and cookbook) to make this dish.

Khachapuri can be yeasted or yeast-less.  This yeast-less version is faster to make and just as tasty.  You'll probably never find Georgian cheeses in this country, so use what you like.  A softer white cheese like mozzarella or havarti is a good choice.

3/4 cup kefir, buttermilk or plain Greek/Skyr yogurt (my choice)
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 cups AP Flour, plus more for the bench
8 oz shredded Cheese (mozzarella, mixed white cheeses, whatever you like
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Butter

In a bowl stir together the first four ingredients.  Add the baking soda and stir another couple minutes until you see bubbles.

Sift in half the flour and beat with a spoon until smooth.  Add the oil, stir again, and add the rest of the flour.  Knead for a couple minutes, in the bowl, to bring the dough together.  Scrape it onto your floured work surface and continue kneading until the dough is no longer sticky.  Divide into quarters and roll each into a ball.  Place them in a bowl, cover with a towel, and let them rest for 20-30 minutes.

Flour the bench again, then roll one ball out into a disk about 6" in diameter.    Put 1/4 of the chees in the center of the disk, pull the edges up into a "purse" shape, and pinch them together to contain the filling.  

Carefully flatten the cheese-filled dough with your hand and then the rolling pin.  If there are bubbles, pop them with a toothpick or knife point to let the air out.  Roll this out into a 6" diameter disk again, and reserve.

Repeat with the other three balls of dough and filling.

In a dry non-stick skillet (or lightly oiled bare metal skillet), pan fry the disks about 3 minutes per side.  

Transfer to a plate and brush with melted butter before serving.

Creamy Broccoli Soup, West African Accara, New Green Bean Casserole, Moroccan Eggplant

Moroccan Lentil-Stuffed Eggplant
Not my usual stuffed eggplant!  This one is stuffed with spiced, tomato-sauced lentils.  I used this huge globular eggplant that I've been getting from a local Farmer's Market.

1 or more Eggplant
2 cups dry Lentil, cooked to package directions with 1 tsp Cumin added to the water
Tomato Sauce, marinara,
1+ Tbsp Ras al-Hanut spice blend, to taste
1/4 cup each Panko and grated Parmesan

Halve the eggplant and carve hollows for stuffing.

Cook up a batch of lentils.  Add 1-2 Tbsp of Ras el Hanut, and a 1/4 cup each of Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan and stir to combine. 

Roast the eggplant, cut side down, until the flesh is softened and the skin is darkening.  Don't overcook -- you want the eggplant to retain its cup shape.

Fill the  cups with stuffing and bake them for about 20 minutes at 350F.  Plate and serve.

Creamy Broccoli Soup w/o dairy
That's right -- no dairy.  Just a food processor to puree things very well.

3-4 heads Broccoli
1 White Onion, diced
2 stalks Celery, chopped fine
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
Song Herbs, to taste -- Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
1 Tbsp Paprika -- Hot or Medium
Black Pepper to taste
1/2 cup AP Flour
2-3 Tbsp Butter
4-5 cups Vegetable Broth or water + Vegetable Base
Red Bell Pepper for garnish

Start the onion, garlic and celery saute-ing in a splash of EVOO with a first dose of seasoning.  Disassemble the broccoli into very fine pieces... first the florets.  Then mince the stems into very small pieces so they cook readily.

Add the minced broccoli stems to the other vegetables in the saute.  Cook until the onion is getting translucent and the broccoli stems are soft.   Now add the uncooked tops to the mix as you remove the cooked veg to your food processor along with a splash of water.  Puree until silky smooth.  This way you keep the soup green, not gray!

In your soup pot, melt the butter, add the flour and make a roux.  Cook it just a couple minutes to get rid of the floury taste and firm up -- you want a white or blond roux, nothing darker. 

Start thinning the roux with the broth.  In stages add the pureed veggies and the rest of the broth.  Continue cooking, and balancing the spices, until you get the taste and consistency you prefer.  If you aren't worried about dairy, you can, at this point, add up to a cup of Icelandic Skyr or Greek yogurt to adjust the consistency.  

As you can see, I plated my soup with a garnish of diced red bell pepper for color as well as flavor bits.

Accara -- Blackeyed Pea Fritters
Versions of these fritters are found throughout the countries of the region known as West Africa.  Some are fiery hot, others more mellow; some have tons of spices, others only salt.  I made these mild,  from the leftover beans I cooked to make my New Years Day's Hoppin' John, featured last week.

2-1/2 cups cooked Blackeyed Peas
1/2 White Onion, diced
1/4 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup AP Flour (corn meal is also good but I didn't have any)
2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp each Oregano, Basil, Sage, Marjoram
Hot Pepper Sauce or Powder, To Taste -- to give the fritters some heat.
1 Egg, beaten

Take the peas, flour, spices and egg for a pulse in your food processor to get a rough, thick  "dough".  Fold in the uncooked onion and pepper.  Form into patties and fry 6-8 minutes per side until GB&D.

I served mine with a slice of fresh tomato,

and a Za'atar-Yogurt sauce made by stirring together some za'atar spice and Icelandic Skyr:

Not Yo Mama's Green Bean Casserole
This is my version of a recipe by Healthy Happy Mama, a blogger by the name of Maryea. I was looking for something to do with a ton of green beans – other than the usual Green Bean Casserole, and this is it!

2 Onions*, sliced
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 lb Green Beans, topped, tailed and cut
1 Tbsp EVOO
8 oz or more Mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning
5–6 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth or water and vegetable base
1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 cup chopped Almonds

*In the interest of using up things in the fridge, I used one onion, a leek including most of the green part, and a shallot

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread the onions on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle with high-heat oil and Italian seasoning. Toss to coat. Roast onions until brown and crispy 25-30 minutes.  This part I did in my Ninja Fliptm countertop oven, so as to not heat the whole kitchen using the full-size oven.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water, and boil the green beans for 5-10 minutes. Remove from water and reserve.

Saute the mushrooms in a splash of EVOO for about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two. Remove from heat. Transfer half of the mixture to your food processor. Add the white beans, broth and Worchestershire sauce. Puree until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining mushrooms to the mixture.  What you've done here is make a mushroom-enhanced "white" sauce from pureed white beans.  No added fat or flour from a roux. 

Combine the green beans and mushroom mixture in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish and top with the onions.

Bake the casserole for 20 minutes at 350F, add the almonds and bake 5 more minutes.

Hoppin' John, Potato & Leek Gratin, Apple-Sweet Potato Soup, Impossible Squash

Apple & Sweet Potato Soup
Velvety smooth, slightly sweet and just a hint of tartness.  Some dishes are comfort food the first time you try them!

3 medium Sweet Potatoes, shredded or chopped very fine
2 large Sweet Apples, shredded or chopped very fine
1/2 Medium Red Onion, shredded or chopped very fine
3 cloves Garlic, minced
4 Cups Vegetable Broth or water + vegetable base
2 tsp Marjoram or Thyme
3/4 cup Icelandic Skyr or Greek Yogurt
Optional -- 1 can Evaporated Milk to adjust the consistency of the soup
Shredded Cheese for garnish

Combine the vegetables, herbs and spices in your soup kettle along with the broth, and simmer for 30 minutes or so. 

Puree the solids and return them to the pot.  Add the yogurt, and evaporated milk if you need it, to get the consistency you want.   Heat through and ladle into bowls.  Garnish with cheese before serving.  I used a very sharp English Cheddar.

A nice loaf of hot bread goes well with this soup.  Here you see a slice of my Irish Soda Bread made with Whole Wheat Flour, and a slice of my Cider Bread made with Angry Orchard Hard Cider.  Recipes for these breads can be found elsewhere in Fooding Around With The Kilted Cook, using the Search function.

Hoppin' John with Shrimp
This is classic low country South Carolina comfort food – beans, pork and rice!  Except I skipped the pork...

 The origin of the name “Hoppin’ John” is unclear. Some say an old, crippled man called Hoppin’ John sold bowls of peas and rice on the streets of Charleston. Most food historians think the name comes from mispronouncing the French term for dried peas, “pois pigeons.” It’s also uncertain why the dish became associated with New Years and good luck.

As you can see in the picture, my version skips the traditional pork aspect of the dish and substitutes shrimp in what is essentially a thick “stew” served over rice.  To remedy the bland nature of plain beans and rice there is plenty of spice and diced veggies in the stew:

2 cups dry White Rice"
3 cups cooked Blackeyed Peas
3/4 to 1 lb Shrimp, peeled
Everglades Seasoningtm or Salt & Pepper to taste
Cajun seasoning to taste
1 stick Celery, chopped
1/2 White Onion, diced
1/2 Bell Pepper, diced (we like red for the color and flavor)
2-3 clove Garlic, minced
1 cup Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup Fire Roasted Tomatoes, diced

Cook the rice and blackeyed peas according to package directions.  

Saute the shrimp with a splash of oil and Cajun seasoning  to taste until they just turn color.  Remove and reserve. 

In the same skillet, saute the onion, pepper, celery and garlic with Everglades seasoning or  salt & pepper until they are just going translucent and soft.   Add the cooked blackeyed peas, the vegetable broth and the tomatoes. Stir and cook until everything is heated through, the flavors marry, and the broth starts to thicken; maybe 10 minutes. 

Plate a bed of rice.  Ladle  the vegetable 'stew' on top and artistically surround with the heated shrimp.

Potato & Leek Gratin
Remember a couple of posts back I talked about Comfort Foods being a big trend this year?  Homemade soups and bread,  Hoppin' John and this Gratin certainly qualify!

2 Leeks halved lengthwise, washed, and cut into 1" lengths
2 lbs Potatoes, skin on,  sliced into 1/8" thin rounds
2 cups Half & Half or cream -- for a lighter dish use whole milk
1 cup shredded Cheese -- classically Gruyere is used, but use whatever you like
2 tsp Thyme -- no Thyme?  substitute Marjoram.
Salt & lots of Pepper to taste
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp Butter, melted
3/4 cup Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray/grease the baking dish.  Arrange stacks of potato slices at angles in the dish, and tuck lengths of leeks, cut side up, among them.  The idea is to have a random, rustic look to the dish.  Combine the melted butter and breadcrumbs, and reserve

In  a sauce pan bring the milk, spices and garlic to a simmer, stirring to ensure that the salt dissolves.  Pour the heated mixture over the potatoes and leeks making sure everything get well coated.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and uncover the dish.  Sprinkle the cheese overall, then scatter the buttered breadcrumbs on top.

Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, the top is browned, and the edges bubbling.   

Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Impossible Stuffed Squash
So, my Publix the other day had 12 oz packages of Impossible Burger, so I thought I'd pick one up and give it a try as something other than a burger.  The Burger King Impossible Burger was frankly disappointing, but we'll see...

1 small Buttercup Squash
1 cup dry Jasmine Rice
1+ tsp Sazon Tropicaltm seasoning
1/4 cup diced Red Bell Pepper
1/4 cup diced Red Onion
1+ tsp Taco Seasoning
Shredded Cheese

Make a batch of rice with the Sazon seasoning.  While that is going on, saute 6 oz of the Impossible stuff together with the onion, bell pepper and taco seasoning. 

 Make sure to use plenty of oil as the Impossible fauxmeat has no fat in, it like hamburger would, and will start to stick easily.  

Fold the rice and saute mixture together to make a stuffing.

Top the squash and scoop out the seeds, then cook it (bake or nuke) upside down until just barely tender.

Fill the squash with the stuffing, top with shredded cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 400F to heat everything through and melt the cheese.  Alternatively, nuke the assembly for about 3 minutes to heat things through and melt the cheese.  Slice and serve.

I must say that in this application, the Impossible burger really shined.  It basically has no distinctive taste of its own -- but it readily takes on whatever spices and herbs you cook it with.  

If you need something which  like looks like cooked ground beef, and takes up bulk in a stuffing like this, it is an acceptable-to-good choice for vegetarians.  For stuffed things like squash, cabbage or shells, as a pizza topping, even tacos and enchiladas it will certainly do a good job.  But you really need to use spices wisely.  There isn't any "burger flavor" seasoning that I know of, although some of the MacCormicktm grilling spices would give the product a good flavor, just as the Mexican/Taco seasoning I used here did.