A Mostly Cajun-Country Dinner

This evening, I made a mostly Cajun-country dinner for my wife and me. The main course was shrimp etouffée, the bread was cornbread, and the salad was a strawberry-pecan-mandarin orange-lettuce salad with homemade dressing. I was happy with the results of all three dishes. I've made the shrimp and corn bread recipes before and love them both. The salad is new, but I will definitely make it again. The recipes were all easy to make.

I found the shrimp etouffée recipe at http://www.food.com/recipe/shrimp-etouffee-27625. I used only 1 pound of shrimp for just the two of us. Instead of water, I used seafood stock. I kept all other ingredients and measures the same.

Shrimp Recipe (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients  

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 green onions, and tops chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups water (I used 2 & 1/4 cups of seafood stock.)
• 3 lbs shrimp, peeled,deveined (I used 1 lb of shrimp.)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• salt and pepper
• 1 small bay leaf
• Tabasco sauce
• rice, cooked

Directions

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

1. In a skillet, melt the butter and stir in the flour.
2. Cook stirring constantly until this is a rich brown.
3. Add the vegetables and cook until tender.
4. Stir in the water, shrimp, parsley and seasonings.
5. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.
6. Serve over hot rice.

I obtained the salad recipe from http://www.cajun-recipes.com/html/salad/31678.htm. The manadarin oranges are not in that recipe, but I thought they would work well with the strawberries and pecans. They did. I used a small can of mandarin oranges (drained). The dressing is really good (but some may find it too sweet). It includes raspberry balsamic vinegar and I used Cajun mustard instead of the Dijon mustard. I also used about half the lettuce called for because it was only for the two of us.

Salad Recipe

8 cups assorted lettuces, washed and chilled

1 cup roasted pecans

1 pint sliced strawberries

I added a small can of mandarin oranges

Dressing:

1 cup extra light olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup raspberry vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoon poppy seed

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut lettuce into 2 inch squares. To make dressing ahead of time, mix all ingredients and shake well. Chill. Combine lettuce, pecan and strawberries. Add dressing just before serving.

The web site with the salad has lots and lots of Cajun and other recipes that sound very good.

The cornbread recipe is a 5-star recipe that has 2,465 reviews!!! It's very easy to make. I found the  recipe is at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/grandmothers-buttermilk-cornbread/detail.aspx

Cornbread Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.