Jalapeno Corn Muffin Recipe

This recipe for jalapeno corn muffins is another favorite dish on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). They are a perfect complement to chicken gumbo or other types of soup. These jalapeno corn muffins are rich and spicy with a hint of salt.

The first time that we tried jalapeno corn muffins was at the restaurant Heaven on Seven in Chicago. We soon became regulars of this establishment and would have these for lunch along with a cup of their famous gumbo not only during the week of Mardi Gras but every week! If you're ever in Chicago, you should definitely pay Heaven on Seven a visit.

Recommended Equipment:
2 12 count muffin pans

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tspn baking soda
4 tspn baking powder
2 tspn kosher salt
5 tbsp sugar
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup corn kernels, frozen
3 - 4 jalapeno peppers, minced

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease 2 12 count muffin pans (total of 24 muffins).
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
5. Add the corn, jalapenos and shredded cheddar cheese to the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix so that the corn, jalapenos and cheese gets coated with the dry mixture.
6. Add the bowl containing the egg, milk, and butter mixture to the dry mixture. Mix together so that all of the ingredients are distributed evenly. Try not to over-mix the batter.
7. Divide the batter evenly to make a total of 24 muffins. Each cup should be roughly 2/3 full.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes. Muffins are done when you can insert a fork into the muffin and it comes out clean.

United States Louisiana [ print this recipe for Jalapeno Corn Muffins ]

St. Charles Street Chicken Gumbo Recipe

About four years ago, I realized that we didn't have a good recipe for chicken gumbo. So I found 4 or 5 recipes and combined parts from each of them to make the one that I'm listing in this post. Since then, my family and I have been kicking off Fat Tuesday with a huge pot of this chicken gumbo.

I wanted it to try to replicate the taste of the gumbo served at Heaven on Seven, a great Cajun restaurant located on Wabash Street in Chicago. Although this recipe is not quite as good as the Heaven on Seven version, it does come close.

Preparing chicken gumbo is a little labor intensive since we are making the chicken stock from scratch. It will take a couple of hours from start to finish. But hopefully it will be worth the effort. Just put on a Clifton Chenier CD and be patient. There is nothing better than a hearty dish like this in early March!!

Recommended Equipment:
Large, deep stockpot
Cast iron skillet

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cut into major parts (wings, thighs, breasts, etc.) - do not remove the skin
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 handful of parsley, finely chopped
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 bay leaf
1 cup of white wine
10 pepper corns
1 tspn kosher salt
1 tspn black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups of okra, sliced into wheels

3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 medium yellow onions, diced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 ribs of celery, diced
7 cloves of garlic, diced
1 package of andoullie sausage (about a pound), cut into thin wheels
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 tspn basil
2 tspn cayenne pepper
2 tspn thyme
Tobasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Add chicken, carrots, parsley, onion, bay leaf, celery, white wine, pepper corns, kosher salt, and black pepper to the pot and cover with water (about 10 cups of water).
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat then reduce to low and simmer for 2 hours.
3. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool on a cutting board. When the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and place it in a medium sized pot. Remove the chicken meat from the bones and place it in a bowl and set aside. Place the bones in the pot with the skin. Cover the skin and bones with water and then place the pot over low heat for at least 1 hour.
4. Pour the remaining contents of the large stock pot through a strainer into another large pot or bowl. This is the chicken stock that you will use for the gumbo. Discard the spent vegetables and small pieces of chicken that were caught in the strainer.
5. Pour the chicken stock back into the large stock pot. After the pot with the chicken bones has simmered for at least an hour, strain it into a bowl, discard the bones and skin, and then add this chicken stock to the stock pot as well.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the okra to the skillet and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove the okra from the skillet and reserve for later. Do not clean the skillet.
7. Add 3 tablespoons each of butter and all-purpose flour to the skillet over medium heat. Whisk the butter and flour constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes until they form a roux that is the color of peanut butter.
8. Add the diced onions to the roux and cook until the onions have softened and become translucent. Add the onions and the roux to the stock pot. Do not clean the skillet.
9. Add 3 tablespoons each of butter and all-purpose flour to the skillet over medium heat. Whisk the butter and flour constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes until they form a roux that is the color of peanut butter.
10. Add the diced garlic, green pepper, and celery to the roux and cook until the vegetables have softened. Add the vegetables and the roux to the stock pot.
11. Add the chicken, okra, tomatoes, andoullie sausage, basil, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
12. Partially cover the pot and simmer for at least 2 more hours.
13. Season with Tobasco sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.

United States Louisiana [ print this recipe for St. Charles Street Gumbo ]

Halushki Recipe

Halushki is a simple Polish recipe that is easy and inexpensive to make. There are basically three separate components that are combined during the final assembly of the dish: a spicy onion and garlic sauce, egg noodles, and cabbage.

Halushki is a hearty dish with a subtle, spicy flavor from the olive oil infused with crushed red pepper. It's a great choice if you want to feed alot of people at a low cost.

This Halushki recipe serves 4 to 6 people.

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage
8oz. of egg noodles (1/2 of 1 pound bag)
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 tspn brown sugar
1/2 package of turkey bacon, chopped
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Cook turkey bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Set aside on a paper towel leaving a small amount of fat in the skillet.
2. Add butter and olive oil to the skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the red pepper flakes and the diced onion. Cook until onion changes color and becomes translucent.
   
4. Add the garlic, brown sugar, salt and pepper (to taste) to the skillet. After about 3 minutes, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
5. In a separate pot, add about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of water along with the cabbage. Put a lid on the pot and lightly steam the cabbage. Be careful to not overcook. Cabbage should be tender but crisp. Strain the cabbage and set aside.
   
6. In a separate pot, boil the egg noodles for 5-6 minutes until al dente. Be careful not to over cook. Strain the noodles and set aside.
7. In a large serving bowl, add the noodles, then stir in the onion and oil mixture so that the noodles are coated.
8. Add the cabbage and stir into the noodle mixture.
9. Add the crispy bacon and stir all of the contents of the bowl together so that they are well integrated. Serve hot.

Poland [ print this recipe for Halushki ]