Eating at home...

This site will be a holding place for some recipes that I've done in the kitchen here, more specifically the ones that worked out rather well that I want to try again, or occasionally so ideas that I'm working on.

This recipe is quite similar to the soup served at Olga's Kitchen, a great chain around the midwest, but none in Texas, so I've had to work up my own version of their dish.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground lamp
1 large onion (sweet, vidalia, etc)
1 tbsp minced garlic (from a jar, or several cloves, chopped fresh)
6 cans chicken broth (14oz)
5 cans beef broth (14oz)
1 can tomato paste (6oz)
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
3 tbsp Konriko Greek Seasoning (or similar)
1 1/2 cups barley
1 cup frozen peas
3 medium carrots
1 zucchini

Fry up the ground lamb, while this is frying, mince the onion. When the lamb is browned, add the onion, continue cooking on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add the garlic, saute a few more minutes.

Julienne the carrots, quarter then slice the zucchini. My local store sells frozen bags of grilled zucchini, which give a bit more flavor.

Add the tomato paste, broth, carrots, peas, zucchini, cayenne pepper, black pepper, greek seasoning, and salt. (Konriko Greek Seasoning ingredients: Salt, Garlic, Black Pepper, Corn Starch, Oregano, Sage, other spices) Bring this to a boil, add the barley, allow to return to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 oranges, juiced and zested
1 habanero, minced finely (discard seeds)

Zest both oranges and mince finely. In a pan on low heat, add butter, sugar, orange zest, and juice. A double boiler would also work well to control the heat. Add at least half of the habanero, this amount will give a nice, warm afterglow to the sauce, if you want a bit more heat, add in a bit more. Taste as the sauce has thickened a bit if you want to add more, it's easy to add heat, not so easy to take it away.

Heat until the mixture has thickened, stirring frequently, then remove from heat.

Drizzle over vanilla ice cream, recipe makes enough for about four bowls.

I've only tried my hand once at gumbo before, and I don't recall that it worked out that well. I've taken another stab at it, and it was a big hit with the family this time around.

Ingredients:

1 pound andouille sausage (packaged links will do nicely)
2 chicken breasts (frozen, boneless, skinless, precooked if possible)
1 pound shrimp (peeled, deveined, raw)
1 large onion (sweet, vidalia, etc)
1 tbsp minced garlic (from a jar, or several cloves, chopped fresh)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 stick butter
1 can chicken broth
3 cans beef broth
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup worcestershire
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 bag frozen okra (16 oz)
1 can lump crab
Old Bay seasoning

Preheat a large pot, slice the sausage lengthwise, then again to quarter, and slice thinly. Put these in the pot to fry up, stirring occasionally. Mince the onion while the sausage is browning.

Preheat a skillet, and drain the sausage grease into the skillet, get as much out as you can, return pot to heat. Add frozen chicken breasts and a small amount of water, cover on medium heat until thawed.

While the chicken is cooking, add the butter to the sausage grease, when almost melted add the flour and set on medium heat. If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil, and stir frequently while the roux browns. It will start yellow, then turn darker, a light brown, then golden, then darker. It should brown for about 20 minutes or so, if it browns too fast it will burn and be too bitter. Pay attention at the end not to let it get too dark, about the color of milk chocolate is fine.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove and add the minced onions, add a small amount of olive oil if there is insufficient grease in the pot. Dice the chicken breasts, return to the pot, along with the garlic. Stir often until the onions are translucent.

Peel shrimp (if necessary), and liberally apply Old Bay seasoning to both sides of the shrimp.

When the roux is done, add this to the pot, along with the broth, tomato paste, worcestershire, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, and paprika. Heat to a low boil, and add the okra. Allow to cook until the okra is thawed and tender (5 min or so). Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add the shrimp, these should only take a few more minutes to cook thoroughly. Finally, add the lump crab, and reduce heat. Simmer a few more minutes, and it's ready to serve.

Be sure to remove the bay leaves prior to serving.