Cajun Cooking From A to Z

Andouille- Cajun andouille is made of butt or shank meat and fat, and seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper, and garlic, and smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane for up to seven or eight hours.

Boudin- is a treat found only in Southern Louisiana, traditionally made with pork, rice and varied vegetables. However, you won't find one central recipe, because each butcher makes boudin a separate way. Everyone has their own house recipe. Some are spicier, and some use separate meats and flavorings, but the results are all the time delicious.

Food And Dessert

Crawfish- While there is no doubt the beloved crawfish recipes among true Cajuns are crawfish boils, crawfish etouffee, crawfish pies and fried crawfish po'boys; the mudbugs can also be seen in seafood gumbos, appetizer selections and even savory deserts, like a crawfish beignet.

Dirty Rice- is a customary Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with small pieces of chicken liver or giblets, which give it a dark ("dirty") color and a mild but distinctive flavor. Similar to a pilaf, it also includes green bell pepper, celery and onion (the "holy trinity").

Etouffee- in French, the word etouffee truly means "smothered," which is a good way to describe this Cajun dish, as it is basically smothered crawfish over rice. Unlike gumbo, which is made with a dark roux, etouffee is made from a lighter, spicier roux. A proper etouffee will be orange-colored, with a hint of brown. It should be spicy, as its main spice ingredient is cayenne pepper, and saucy adequate to form a thick gravy for the rice. However, take note that it is not gumbo, and should not be served like soup. The gravy in etouffee is much thicker than the roux of a gumbo.

File'- is a spice made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. It is used in the manufacture of some types of gumbos and stews. It is sprinkled sparingly over gumbo as a seasoning and thickening agent, giving it a distinctive flavor and texture. Filé was originally an okra substitute when okra was not in season.

Gumbo- The word gumbo comes from an African word for okra, kigombo, which shows how foremost an ingredient okra was in early gumbo recipes. Gumbo originated in Southern Louisiana, where okra was easy to grow.

Holy Trinity- The holy trinity of cuisine refers specifically to the use originated from the Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana where chopped celery, bell peppers, and onions are the staple base for much of the cooking.

Ingredients- There's an old Cajun saying that says, "With ingredients like these a monkey could cook". This is maybe a testament to the use of uncomplicated yet delicious ingredients that are generally found in most Cajun cuisine. (i.e. Holy Trinity)

Jambalaya- There are two certain versions of Jambalaya, Cajun and Creole. Creole jambalaya, as with most Creole dishes contains tomato, which is the customary contrast from Cajun jambalaya. As with many other customary Cajun dishes, Jambalaya became a beloved option due to the availability of rice in Southern Louisiana. Coupled with the trinity and anything meats were ready at the time, (duck, deer, pork, chicken) jambalaya provided a quick easy dinner.

King Cake- the French tradition of baking a extra cake to honor the three kings, "A King's Cake," began in 1311. Today, King Cakes are enjoyed in Louisiana from the Feast of Epiphany until Mardi Gras day. A plastic or earthenware baby is inserted into the cake to symbolize the Baby Jesus. The cake is covered in sugar, specially colored in purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power - these are also the colors of Mardi Gras.

Lagniappe- derived from American Spanish and passed on to English from Louisiana French, the term lagniappe basically refers to "something extra". With regard to Cajun cooking, lagniappe could be anything the chef might have lying around that could be added to the dish.

Maque Choux- is a uncomplicated dish that fundamentally contains corn, green bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, and sometimes garlic and celery. The ingredients are first braised in a pot. The vegetables are then left to simmer until they reach a juicy, saturated consistency, with chicken stock or water added as necessary. The dish is done with salt and a combination of red and black pepper, and some cooks include hot sauce and a bit of sugar for greater complexity.

Nutria- the meat from this rodent is lean and low in cholesterol. While there have been many attempts to organize markets for nutria meat, all documented cases have generally been unsuccessful.

Okra- originally used as a thickening agent for gumbos, this fruit was a very frequently used ingredient in many dishes due to its wide availability in South Louisiana.

Po-Boy- the main contrast in the middle of a po'boy and hoagies, subs, and grinders would have to be the bread. customary po'boys are made using French bread, which tends to have a crispier crust while remaining nice and fluffy on the inside. Coarse ingredients in the sandwich include fried shrimp or oysters, sausage, ham, roast beef and usually dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, and mayonnaise.

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Roux- made using either vegetable oil or lard and wheat flour, roux is a very Coarse ingredient in countless Cajun dishes such as gumbo. There are two basic types of roux, light and dark. Light roux, generally referred to as "blond roux" is primarily used as a thickening agent in many soups and stews. Dark roux which is the supplementary cooked version, which results in the darker color, provides more flavor but less thickening power.

Sauce Picante'- refers to a spicy tomato based sauce generally used in Cajun/Creole cuisine. usually combined with seafood or poultry and served over rice.

Tasso- a version of smoked pork made from the shoulder butt. This cut is typically fatty, though leaner cuts are often used and have a great deal of flavor. The butt, which will weigh 7 to 8 pounds, is sliced over the grain into pieces about 3 inches thick. These are dredged in a salt cure, which usually includes nitrates and sugar. The meat is left to cure briefly, only three or four hours, then rinsed, rubbed with a spice combination containing Cayenne pepper and garlic, and hot-smoked until cooked through.

Understanding the Process- any true Cajun dish should not include a lot of anything, except Tlc. The biggest misconception about Cajun food is that it should be extremely spicy. Knowing the contrast in the middle of "seasoned well" and "spicy" goes a long way with this style of cooking. Most dishes will start with the Trinity or a roux and can be tailored to fit anyone's taste. The many thing about Cajun food is that it can be anything to anyone.

Varying Spices- there are many habitancy that believe cayenne pepper is the only spice that goes into Cajun food. This couldn't be supplementary from the truth.

White Beans- another Cajun favorite. White beans are a Coarse side dish, often slow cooked and along with some type of pork, usually tasso.

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Yes we have sweetmeat too- some of the more Coarse desserts enjoyed are pecan pie, praline candies and sweet potato pie. Although very beloved surrounded by Cajuns, bread pudding and beignets do not originate in the South.

Zapp's Potato Chips- Louisiana's unofficial brand of potato chips. These potato chips are kettle cooked in peanut oil and are offered in a variety of true Cajun flavors such as Spicy Cajun Crawtators, Cajun Dill, and Sour Cream and Creole Onion.

Cajun Cooking From A to Z