Creole Rice Andouille Food

CREOLE-STYLE WHITE BEANS AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE OVER RICE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the ham hock, onions, celery, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the beans and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the beans just simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the skin on the beans is tender and the beans begin to soften, about 2 hours. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are soft and creamy, about 1 hour longer*. (If desired, the ham hock can be removed at this point and either discarded or, when cool enough to handle, the meat can be removed from the bone and returned to the beans and the bone and skin discarded.) Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs and serve the beans and sausage over hot white rice.
• Pass the hot sauce at the table for guests to use at their own discretion.

ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE CREOLE

Steps:

• Combine oil and flour in a Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture is golden colored about 10 to 15 minutes. Add onion, garlic, green pepper, celery and green onions. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or more until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, seasoning salt, bay leaves, 1 cup of water, hot sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and sausage. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves. Garnish with parsley and serve over grits, if desired.

CREOLE RICE & ANDOUILLE

Steps:

• 1. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice with broth or water. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 50 minutes; remove from heat and steam for 10 minutes.
• 2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; saute onion and bell pepper for about 5 minutes; add garlic, tomatoes, herbs, pepper flakes and sausage. Heat through.
• 3. Spoon over rice and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.
• 4. NOTE: You may also add 3/4 pound raw, cleaned shrimp, sauteed in 1 tbsp. butter for 3 to 4 minutes and add to sausage mixture. Or you may add 1 cup cooked chicken to sausage mixture.

CREOLE-STUFFED SNAPPER AND CREOLE RICE

Steps:

• For the red snapper: Rub the coarse sea salt generously on the inside and outside of the red snapper. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Lightly oil the grill grates and heat the grill to 300 degrees F.
• For the creole stuffing: Heat a cast-iron skillet on the grill over direct heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once melted, add the celery, bell peppers and white and green onions and cook until softened and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 additional minutes.
• Combine the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, kosher salt, Creole seasoning, dried thyme, dried sage, cayenne and remaining butter in a bowl and mix until well blended. Add the sauteed vegetables to the stuffing mixture and mix. Set aside.
• Wipe off the salt from the red snapper and stuff it with the stuffing mixture. Secure it with cooking twine (remember to remove the twine before serving). Place the lemon rounds on the grill and place the red snapper atop the rounds. Grill until the flesh is opaque, about 25 minutes.
• For the creole rice: Saute the andouille sausage, stewed tomatoes, white onions, bell peppers and butter in a cast-iron skillet on the grill over direct heat until lightly browned and shiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the Creole seasoning, dried thyme and dried sage to the skillet and stir. Add the cooked rice and stir until uniform in appearance.
• Place the stuffed red snapper onto the rice and serve.

CREOLE CHICKEN IN ANDOUILLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Chop the bacon into 1-inch bits and set aside. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Sauté the bacon in the oil until dark brown and most of the fat has been rendered out.
• While the bacon is frying (above), prepare the remaining ingredients, chopping the andouille sausage into small, fine diced cubes, as well as the celery, onion, and green onions. Mince the garlic and finely chop the tomato. (OPTIONAL: You may want to seed and peel the tomato, although this is not necessary.).
• Remove the bacon and set aside; leave the fat in the skillet.
• Add the andouille sausage to the hot fat and reduce heat to medium. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning, brown the sausage.
• Add the chopped celery and onion, increasing the heat, again, to medium-high. Season with salt and black pepper. Sauté until the onion turns translucent.
• Add the minced garlic and paprika, cooking until the garlic browns lightly.
• Add the finely diced tomato and fresh parsley. Stir in and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften and lose their shape. Then sprinkle the tablespoon of flour over the dish and stir in until completely incorporated.
• Keep stirring for 2-4 minutes as the dish absorbs excess moisture and the ingredients tighten up. Be sure to watch for signs of burning as the mixture of sausage and vegetables becomes drier.
• Add the six chicken thighs, moving aside the sausage-vegetable mixture so the meat can touch the bottom of the skillet. Keep stirring the mixture so it doesn't burn and cook each thigh about a minute on each side.
• Add the molasses and chicken broth, stirring it in completely and bring it to a simmer. Make sure to cover the thighs with the mixture, spooning it over the meat. Put a tight-fitting lid over the top and reduce heat to medium-low.
• Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the reserved bacon, and serve -family-style- over long-grain rice. Sprinkle with the chopped green onions.