Blackened catfish, pan sheared asparagus with red beans and rice

Although this meal may look perplexed to recreate, it is very simple. The longest and hardest part of this meal preparation is the red beans. Due to the fact that the beans must soak for over 8 hours and cook for a total of 3 hours. It came out delish! I hope you all enjoy! Let me know if you make it and how it turns out.

Steph

Pan Sheared Asparagus

 

Take the asparagus rinse it off, cut 1 inch of the bottom off and set to the side.

 I used the same skillet that I prepared the blackened catfish in. Place the skillet on a medium heat. The only thing extra I add was some olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Turn the asparagus over a few time until you reach desired consistency. Enjoy!



Blackened Catfish

1 tablespoon of Pappy's seasoning

1 tablespoon of creole seasoning

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt

1 tablespoon of Old Bay

1 teaspoon of seasoned pepper

1 teaspoon of Tones Rosemary mix

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

1/2 teaspoon of Flavor God's fire mix

1 stick of unsalted butter



Rinse the fish fillets off

 

Cut them in half

 Measure out all of the seasoning and place it to the side.

Melt the stick of unsalted butter

 lay the fillets on a clean sheet of wax paper. Dip the fish into the butter ensuring both side are equally covered

 Mix the seasoning together. Take the fillets and make sure you evenly spread the seasoning on both sides

Pre heat a large skillet on high for 3-4 minutes. Place the fillets in the skillet. Let both sides cook about 3- 5 minutes. You want to make sure they have a semi-charred look. 

Place the fillets in a glass dish. and garnish with lemon. I put the glass dish in the oven on 290 degrees and let them fillets finish cooking for 20 minutes. This ensures that the fillet is thoroughly cooked. You can serve over rice or eat alone. Enjoy!

Red Beans

Take one pound of Red beans. I prefer the small ones

Rinse the beans and soak over night or while at work. At least 8 hours or more

Once they have soaked for over 8 hours, they will look like this. Pour this water off and add the beans to a pot.

Use 4 cups of chicken broth or water. Bring to a boil. Add

1/4 white onion

1/4 green bell pepper

1/4 red bell pepper

4 fresh garlic cloves

(I used a food processor to mince my vegetables)

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 tablespoon of creole seasoning

 

Let these ingredients cook on a medium to high heat for 2 hours

Cut up a whole smoked sausage. Let everything cook for another hour. I pour about 2 cups of the water off the beans before serving. I believe too much  water on red bean are gross.

Put over rice and Enjoy!

Seafood Stock

 

Over time I have come to realize the importance of using stock, as opposed to using water when making meals. When you use stock it gives the meal so much more flavor and sometimes texture. Sea food stock is actually very simple. Once you peel fresh shrimp, remove the shells and place them in a pot of boiling water for about an hour. DO NOT AGITATE the stock. When you are ready to use it separate the stock from the shell by using a strainer. You can freeze the shells so you can reuse them for future stock or just throw them away and make a fresh batch every time. You can use seafood stock for jambalaya, etoufee and gumbo.

 

This is what fresh seafood stock looks like, one it is separated from the shells. It will have a very "fishy" smell to it. But it is worth the temporary funk feast.

Shrimp Etoufee'

1 tablespoon of paprika

2 tablespoons of basil

1 tablespoon of thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

7 table spoons of cooking oil (I prefer olive oil)

3/4 cup of all purpose flour

3 cups of seafood stock

2 sticks of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of green onions

2 pounds of med sized shrimp



1/4 green bell pepper

1/4 of red bell pepper

1/3 white onion

1/4 cup of celery (2 stalks)

1 tablespoon of paprika

2 tablespoons of basil

1 tablespoon of thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Combine all of the seasoning in a bowl and set to the side

Cut all of the vegetables up and place to the side

 

I used a food processor to cut my vegetables up

Add the 7 tablespoons of cooking oil or olive oil to a high heat.

Mix for 3-4 minutes, do not let the roux stick to the bottom of the skillet. This will burn it and destroy your roux. Ensure your roux turns a dark reddish brown.

Once roux reaches its consistency of a gravy, turn the heat off and add the vegetable.

Once the vegetable are added and the mix thickens, add 2 cups of seafood stock and turn heat back o to a low heat

Cut the green onions up and set to the side

Heat one stick of butter in a separate skillet.

Add the peels and deveined shrimp along with 1/4 cup of the green onions

 

Once the butter melts, stir the ingredients

Add one more cup of seafood stalk and the second stick of butter, combine the seasoning to the mix. You will continue to stir until you reach your desired consistency

Serve over rice and garnish with fresh green onions and paprika and Enjoy!

Chicken and Beef Kabobs

 



I took 6 medium sized chicken breast and cut them into 2- 3 inches cubes

                       I used stew meat for the beef kabobs. I purchase 3 packs of beef stew meat

                   I used one full white onion and cut it into fourths

        1 1/2 Large red bell peppers (cut into 2 inch pieces)

                        2 medium sized yellow bell peppers  (cut into 2 inch pieces)

                   2 Large Green bell peppers (cut into 2 inch pieces)

         One green zucchini. (sliced 1/2 inch thick) 

        When doing kabobs, I honestly do not measure the seasonings. I use a dry rub on these, instead of a liquid marinade

            I have two sets of sticks. I have a metal set and the actual wood ones. I recall reading that you  should soak the sticks in water for 30 minutes before adding the food to them. I lay a large piece of wax paper over the counter top. I place the meats and vegetable in my preferred order.  

I evenly spread the seasoning on both sides of the kabobs and let them sit for about an hour. I did not refrigerate or cover the meat after I seasoned it.

I cooked each side for about 7-9 minutes constantly turning and ensuring that they did not end up Cajun style.

Once they are cooked to your desired level of thoroughness, serve and Enjoy!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Cream Cheese- 8 ounces

Mayonnaise-1/4cup

Sour Cream- 1/4 cup

Fresh Parmesan Cheese- 1/4 cup

Italian Mix Cheese- 1/4 cup

Mozzarella Cheese-1/3 cup 

1 bunch of Fresh Spinach

1 Jar of Artichoke Hearts

1 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt

2 tablespoons of garlic powder (substitute for 2 fresh garlic cloves)

1/2 teaspoon of crush peppers

1 teaspoon of seasoned pepper

1/2 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking spinach)

 

Rinse and cut the stems off the fresh Spinach. Make sure the spinach is thoroughly rinsed and drained before placing it into the skillet. .

Pour the olive oil into a skillet a let it sit for a minute or two. Once the skillet is hot place the spinach into the skillet

 

Turn the spinach over a few times until it becomes soft.

 

Once the spinach is soft, remove from the heat and drain it in a strainer. I cut the spinach in thirds to make it easier to mix.

Remove the hearts from the jar. Personally I normally use fresh artichokes, however I did not have time to prepare a fresh artichoke for this recipe. Pour the artichokes in a bowl with the juice, heat the bowl up for 2 minutes. This softens the artichokes a little more. Remove the hot artichokes from the juice and dispose of the juice. Cut the hearts in half. This make them easier to mix up, when they are ready to add with everything else.

Place the artichokes and spinach in a strainer and drain the remaining juices.

Combine all seasonings together in a large mixing bowl

Add the spinach and artichoke in with the seasonings and stir until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed

Place the dip in a glass cooking dish. Layer with a 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese and add another layer of Mozzarella cheese (1/4 cup)  to top it off. Sprinkle a handful of crushed peppers (1 tsp.) on the top for color and or presentation. If you want your dip to be a little hotter, add more crushed peppers

So I placed this in a countertop oven at work. It cooked a little more than I preferred, however there were no complaints. Cook for 25-30 minutes on a 350 degrees. Remove and serve with tortilla chips or crackers and Enjoy!