Pure Classic Cajun Meal

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cookking

Sous Chef
Joined
Nov 28, 2003
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683
Rice and Gravy!
Yes, a simple but, very good meal.

Doing some in depth geneology research lately and feeling bad for the people displaced from their Cajun Country homes caused by the opening of the Morganza Spillway has me thinking about some of the great old classic Cajun dishes. This is one of those dishes my mother cooked for us when I was a child on a regular basis. It was also one of those dishes you could count on being served(as well as fried chicken or chicken fricassee', both with fresh killed chickens from the yard)as sure as catching a catfish from the bayou on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The foundation of the dish comes from the dark, rich fond from browning the seasoned meat(not in a non-stick pan)really well. This is when the meat actually toughens up and needs to cook for a while in the gravy to be with the onions. After you have a good fond stuck to the bottom of the pan{I used a heavy Magnalite(Cajuns love their Magnalite cookware)dutch oven}, remove the meat and deglaze with your onions(you can add bellpeppers if you like)and when softened add the water. Bring to a boil, add the meat back into the pot and reduce to a simmer and cook down til the meat gets good and tender.
Like I said, simple but, delicious.
Oh, I used chuck roast cut into steaks but, any cut of meat would work except the more expensive cuts.

This with a side salad was a really good meal.
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Interesting story about you mama and the things you used to get as a kid. My mom was good with chicken and dumplings and I especially loved her liver and onions. Haven't had either since then. Great stuff.
 
friesian_rain said:
[quote="Nick Prochilo":1dqf41e9]What Lew said, only my moms go to meal was pasta e fagioli.


Just came across this post; Nick, pasta e fagioli was one our typical Friday night dinners when I was growing up ! :D [/quote:1dqf41e9]


My father still calls it "Italian Soul Food"!
 
Well here in God's Country we would call the meat portion...smothered steak where somebody had forget to thicken up the gravy enough to go on the mashed tastes. I aint sure whut is the white pellet looking things but us po white trash oil field folks had to eat it for breakfast with sugar and oleo majarom when we was too broke to afford oatmeal. Developed a permanent aversion to the stuff. I think maybe cajuns like it.
 
Nick Prochilo said:
[quote="friesian_rain":nrr7183k][quote="Nick Prochilo":nrr7183k]What Lew said, only my moms go to meal was pasta e fagioli.


Just came across this post; Nick, pasta e fagioli was one our typical Friday night dinners when I was growing up ! :D [/quote:nrr7183k]


My father still calls it "Italian Soul Food"![/quote:nrr7183k]


Us kids called it "suffering through 'no meat' Friday dinner" :( :LOL: I didn't learn to appreciate it until I got older :D
 
bigwheel said:
Well here in God's Country we would call the meat portion...smothered steak where somebody had forget to thicken up the gravy enough to go on the mashed tastes. I aint sure whut is the white pellet looking things but us po white trash oil field folks had to eat it for breakfast with sugar and oleo majarom when we was too broke to afford oatmeal. Developed a permanent aversion to the stuff. I think maybe cajuns like it.

I'll bet your aversion is acause ya didn't eat them white pellets for supper under a good gravy like us folks from Lower Arkansas. ;)
 
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