Something Scruptious
Roux To Do: The Art of Cooking in Southeast Louisiana
The Junior League of Greater Covington, Louisiana, is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. With close to two hundred active members, the Junior League of Greater Covington provides over $75,000 and over 10,000 volunteer hours for programs in the Greater Covington community annually. The League is able to continue its financial support of designated Greater Covington volunteer programs for child advocacy, public education, the elderly, and the arts through the sale of Roux To Do: The Art of Cooking in Southeast Louisiana.
This cookbook can be acquired by contacting the Junior League of Greater Covington at 985-898-3989 or www.jlgc.net. Each cookbook is $24.95 with postage and handling $4.00 per book. Gift wrapping is available for $2.00 per book. The League accepts Visa, MasterCard, or checks.
Chafing Dish Duck
3 ducks (more if using teal)
Salt & black pepper to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup sliced celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup water
Apple or orange quarters
1 cup jelly (any flavor)
3 slices bacon, cut into halves
1 cup red wine
6 small green onions, finely chopped
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
¾ cup dry red wine
1 cup Franco-American gravy or brown gravy
Dash of lemon juice
2 (6 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms, drained
Red pepper to taste
Rinse each duck and pat dry. Season each duck inside and out with salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Arrange in a baking pan. Bake at 500 degrees until brown. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Cook the oil and flour in a saucepan to make a roux, stirring constantly. Add ½ of the vegetables to the roux. Cook until the vegetables are wilted. Blend in the garlic and water. Remove from the heat. Mix the remaining vegetables in a bowl.
Stuff the cavities of the ducks with apple quarters. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread the jelly over the duck breasts. Place in a deep roasting pan. Spoon the uncooked vegetable mixture over the ducks. Spoon the roux mixture over the uncooked vegetables. Criss-cross the bacon halves over the ducks and vegetables. Pour 1 cup wine over the ducks.
Bake, covered, for 2 to 3 hours or until the duck is almost falling off the bone, basting frequently with the wine and drippings. Remove the ducks from the pan, reserving the drippings. Let the duck cool slightly. Shred the ducks, discarding the skin and bones.
Sauté the green onions in the butter in a skillet until soft. Add ¾ cup wine. Cook until the liquid is reduced by ½. Add the gravy, lemon juice, reserved pan drippings, and mushrooms. Add the shredded duck and mix well. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Spoon into a chafing dish. Serve with party rolls or Melba toast. Serves 10 to 12. NOTE: For an entrée, serve over fluffy white rice.
Crawfish Pecan Dressing
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 (16 ounce) packages frozen peeled crawfish tails, thawed
2 cups cooked, long-grain rice
1 cup pecans, chopped
¼ cup (½ stick) butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 small bunch green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
½ teaspoon pepper
Chopped fresh parsley
Cook the ground beef, onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until the ground beef is brown and crumbly, stirring constantly. Stir in the crawfish tails, rice, pecans, butter, green onions, Creole seasoning, and pepper. Cook until heated through. Spoon into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 8 to 10.
Ursula’s Corn Bread Dressing
2½ cups cornmeal
¾ cup flour
1½ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups milk
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
1 (14-ounce) can beef broth
2 (10-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped green onions
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and milk, and mix well. Pour into a greased, 11-inch, cast-iron skillet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. Add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and celery. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. (This should be relatively spicy since you will be mixing it with the corn bread.) Add the beef broth. Cook slowly, covered, for 45 minutes. Add the soup, Kitchen Bouquet, parsley, and green onions, and mix well.
Crumble the corn bread. Add to the ground beef mixture, and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Stir in the eggs. Spoon into a large baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until set. Serves 12.
Northshore Seafood Gumbo
SHRIMP STOCK
3 pounds uncooked medium shrimp
12 cups (3 quarts) water
1 tablespoon liquid shrimp boil
2 onions, sliced
10 peppercorns
1 lemon, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 ribs celery, cut into quarters
GUMBO
8 ounces okra, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ cups flour
1 cup vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
½ cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces ham, cut into cubes
Salt to taste
3 bay leaves
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon thyme
1 (16-ounce) can tomatoes, crushed
1 (8-ounce) can tomato paste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 gumbo crabs
1 pound lump crab meat, shells removed
1 pint oysters
Hot cooked rice
For the shrimp stock, peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells. Chill the shrimp in a bowl in the refrigerator until ready to add to the gumbo. Combine the reserved shrimp shells, water, liquid shrimp boil, onions, peppercorns, lemon, garlic, and celery in a large stockpot, and mix well. Bring to a boil over high heat, and reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain the stock, discarding the solid ingredients. Return the strained stock to the stockpot. Simmer over medium-low heat.
For the gumbo, sauté the okra in 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.
Cook the flour and 1 cup oil in a skillet to make a dark, rich roux, stirring constantly. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add the sautéed okra, garlic, ham, salt, bay leaves, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme. Sauté for 2 minutes. Spoon gradually into the heated stock, and stir to mix well. Add the undrained, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil over medium heat; and reduce the heat, stirring constantly. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the gumbo and crab meat. Cook for 15 minutes.
Drain the oysters, reserving 2 tablespoons liquor. Add the oysters, reserved liquor, and chilled shrimp to the gumbo. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and the oysters curl. Discard the bay leaves. Serve over hot fluffy rice. Serves 8 to 10.
