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Ingredients

Steps

Nutritional Information

Braised Oxtails with Root Vegetables

Preheat oven to 300°F. Peel carrot and turnip, then cut carrot, turnip, celery, and onion into ¾-inch cubes.

Heat oil in 4-quart stockpot on medium 4–5 minutes. Season oxtails with salt and pepper; place in pot (in batches) and cook 4–5 minutes on each side until well browned. Repeat with remaining oxtails. Remove from pot (leaving 2 tablespoons drippings in pot).

Return pot to heat on medium-high. Add carrots, turnips, celery, onions, tomato paste, and anchovy. Cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in wine, scraping bottom of pan, then stir in stock and raisins and bring to a boil.

Arrange oxtails in roasting pan. Pour vegetable mixture carefully around oxtails; nestle bay leaf, parsley, and rosemary into liquid. Wrap pan tightly with foil and bake 2 ½–3 hours until oxtails are 195° and very tender.

Let stand 10 minutes, then remove foil, bay leaf, and herb sprigs. Serve oxtails, vegetables, and braising liquid over egg noodles, if using.

Shrimp and Grits

Thaw shrimp. Chop garlic finely. Juice 1 lemon (1 tablespoon); cut remaining 1 lemon into wedges. Chop bacon coarsely (wash hands).

Place water in 2-quart saucepan; bring to a boil on high. Reduce heat to low and add grits, whisking continuously. Cook 2–3 minutes, whisking frequently, until tender. Stir in both cheeses, 2 tablespoons butter, and ½ teaspoon salt; cover and set aside.

Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Place bacon in pan; cook and stir 6–7 minutes until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate, leaving drippings in pan.

Add mushrooms and garlic to pan. Cook and stir 2–3 minutes until mushrooms are golden. Season shrimp with pepper, paprika, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt; add to pan (wash hands). Cook and stir 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, broth, hot sauce, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; cook and stir 1–2 more minutes until sauce thickens and shrimp are pink and opaque.

Divide grits among serving bowls; top evenly with shrimp and sauce. Garnish with bacon, green onions, and lemon wedges. Serve.

Jambalaya with Red Beans and Rice

Drain and rinse beans. Chop garlic and tomato (½ cup) coarsely. Cut sausages into ½-inch-thick slices. Cut chicken into ½-inch cubes and coat with 2 teaspoons seasoning (wash hands).

Heat oil in 4-quart stockpot on medium–high 2–3 minutes. Add sausages; cook and stir 3–4 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in chicken. Cook 3–4 minutes until chicken begins to brown.

Stir in trinity mix and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, then stir in tomatoes, bay leaves, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rice, and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 18–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and chicken is 165°F.

Stir in shrimp, beans, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon seasoning. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Serve.

Ackee and Saltfish

Place salt cod in large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, then drain; repeat process 2 more times.

Meanwhile, chop sweet onion, tomatoes, and garlic finely; slice bell pepper and green onions thinly. Cut a slit in Scotch bonnet pepper; chop bacon coarsely (wash hands).

Place bacon and oil in large sauté pan on medium; cook 7–9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon, leaving drippings in pan. Add onions, bell peppers, garlic, Scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, salt, pepper, and paprika to pan. Cook 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften.

Drain and rinse ackee; cut lime into wedges. Add tomatoes, salt cod, and ackee to pan; cook 5–7 minutes until fish is 145°F and tomatoes release their juices. Serve with lime wedges.

Note: Always check fish for bones.

Directions

NOLA-Style BBQ Shrimp Po’ Boys

Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice butter into 1-inch sections. In Dutch oven, combine butter, shrimp, garlic, shallots, creole seasoning, thyme, parsley, lemon juice, lemon slices, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Place in oven and bake 15–20 minutes.

While cooking, slice open loaf of bread and coat inside with garlic spread. During the last few minutes of shrimp cooking, toast your bread in the oven for 5–7 minutes.

Remove bread and shrimp from oven. Top bread with mayonnaise (if using), shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles (if using). Cut into 4–6 sandwiches.

Pour juices from Dutch oven into cups. Serve sandwiches with au jus.

Sweet Potato Falafel Bowls

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat baking sheet with oil. Peel potato and cut into large chunks (about 1 ½ cups); place in food processor bowl and process into fine bits. Add rice, almonds, flour, hummus, and salt; pulse until thoroughly blended, scraping down sides as needed.

Scoop (or form) potato mixture into 1-inch balls and arrange on baking sheet; press lightly into discs, then coat with spray. Bake 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway through cook time, until golden and hot. Meanwhile, remove corn kernels from cobs and halve tomatoes.

Toss salad greens, zucchini spirals, and ¼ cup dressing in large bowl; divide among serving bowls. Top evenly with tomatoes, corn, and falafels; drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve.

Steps - Ravioli

Steps - Arrabiata Marinara

Flounder Ravioli with Arrabiata Marinara

Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse the flounder fillets and pat dry. Combine sea salt, black pepper, garlic, and olive oil. Rub mixture on fish fillets. Place fish on a baking pan and cook in oven for 10–15 minutes or until cooked through; fish temperature should be 145°F when done. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for ease in handling.

Using your hands or fork, pull apart the fish, making sure to discard any bones or skin. To make the filling, place fish meat in a bowl. Add ricotta cheese, arugula, red peppers, shallots, Parmesan, seafood seasoning, and egg to the bowl and combine ingredients well. Filling consistency should be firm. 

To assemble, lay out a few wonton wrappers at a time on a clean, dry surface. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper. Moisten the edges and place another wrapper on top. Press around the edges firmly to seal. Once sealed, use a cookie cutter to cut into rounds. Moisten edges a little more where needed to completely close ravioli. Place formed ravioli on a parchment-lined sheet pan when finished (do not overlap). Once the sheet pan is full, place another sheet of parchment paper on top and place another layer of finished ravioli. Repeat until finished (after 3 layers, use another sheet pan). Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

To cook, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Add the ravioli and give them a gentle stir. Cook for about 3–5 minutes until done. Drain cooked ravioli in a colander. Serve with Arrabiata Marinara.

Caribbean

Using an oven

Using charcoal grill

Jerk Pork (Jamaica)

Blend onion, escallion, garlic, thyme, pimento, Scotch bonnet pepper, salt, sugar, black pepper, and jerk seasoning in a small food processor. Reserve 1 tbsp of seasoning.

Marinate cleaned and washed pork in remaining seasoning for 24 hours.

Louise Marie’s Cajun Seafood Pasta

Add butter to pan; allow to melt, then add onions, celery, and bell peppers. Sautee for 5-8 min.

Add garlic (add seafood no more than 1 minute after garlic).

While sautéing vegetables, toss shrimp and crawfish in 2 oz container Paul Prudhomme’s seafood magic (or Cajun seasoning of your choice).

Deglaze pan with pinot grigio for 2 minutes. Toss in cream cheese, then heavy cream. Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil pesto, and Gruyere. 

Toss with fresh linguine and serve with Parmesan, parsley, and French bread.