• 6 quarts hot water
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1½ pounds fresh spaghetti, or 1 pound dry
• ¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, in all
• 2½ cups tasso (preferred) or other smoked ham (preferably Cure 81), about 11 ounces, thinly sliced and cut into ½-inch squares
• 1½ cups very finely chopped green onions
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 3½ dozen shucked oysters in their liquor, 
 about 1 pound (we use medium-size ones)
• Finely chopped fresh parsley

Tasso and Oysters in Cream on Pasta

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• Five-Pepper Jelly (recipe follows) 
• 1 (2-ounce) slab tasso* 
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 12 whole pickled okras
• 24 jumbo shrimp
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc (recipe follows)

Five-Pepper Jelly

• 1½ cups light corn syrup
• 1¼ cups white wine vinegar
• ½   teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½  teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼  teaspoon black pepper
• 3 large bell peppers (1 each: red, yellow & green)
• 4 jalapeño peppers

Crystal Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc

• 1 small shallot, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ⅓  cup Crystal Hot Sauce
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, chopped
• salt and pepper 

Shrimp & Tasso Henican

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• 4 strips of smoked bacon, chopped
• 2 cups diced onion
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 cups diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 cups sliced smoked pork sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup sliced andouille sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup diced tasso
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup diced green onion tops
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• Dash of hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups uncooked Louisiana long grain white rice, such as Supreme
• 4 cups chicken stock

Cajun Pork Jambalaya

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image courtesy of George Graham

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 pound Tasso, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound Vermilion Bay Sweet Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Olive oil, as needed
• 6 cups of cooked penne pasta
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Vermilion Bay Sweet Shrimp and Tasso Pasta

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• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, yellow, red or green OK
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped or crushed
• 1 cup tasso ham
• 2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced 1-inch thick
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• Creole seasoning
• pepper

Creole Eggplant With Shrimp

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• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 lb dried white beans, picked over
• 1 pound tasso ham, cut into large chunks, preferably Poche's brand
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• kosher salt, black pepper
• red pepper flakes to taste

White Bean and Tasso Soup

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• 20 ounces smoked tasso ham
• 1 pound Mascarpone cheese, softened
• 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup grated red onion
• 11/4 tablespoons smoked paprika (pimentón)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 eggs
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt, freshly ground black pepper
• Creole Tomato Glace (recipe follows)
• Zapp's Crawtator potato chips

Creole Tomato Glace:

• 5 pounds  vine-ripened tomatoes, preferably Creole, quartered
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 cup peeled whole garlic cloves
• 11/2  pounds red onions, medium dice
• 1/2 ounce each fresh thyme and oregano (stemmed 1 ounce each thyme and oregano)
• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder 
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon each salt and freshly ground pepper
• 13/4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar

Tasso Cheesecake with Creole Tomato Glace on Zapp's Crawtator Chips

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• vegetable oil for frying
• 2 green tomatoes, peeled, slices1/4-inch thick
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
• 1 cup  flour seasoned with 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs beaten with 1 cup milk
• Tasso Tartar I (recipe follows)
• 1 pound jumbo lump Louisiana crab meat

Tasso Tartar

• 3 ounces  tasso ham, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped shallot
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped celery
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove  garlic, crushed
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• pinch cayenne
• 1 teaspoon Creole mustard
• pinch sugar
• pinch kosher salt

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• 2 pounds dried red  beans
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/3 cup minced parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 pounds total of a mix of seasoning ham (cubed), tasso* (cubed), andouille, and/or smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil
• water as needed
• Salt to taste
• Steamed rice for serving
• Hot sauce

*Tasso is seasoned smoked pork butt; click here for John Folse's Tasso recipe for ideas on what seasonings to use if you don't have access to tasso.

Susan's Red Beans and Rice

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• 1/2 cup cooked chicken livers (about 1/4 lb raw), chopped
• ​3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ​1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• ​1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• ​1/2 cup spicy Italian sausage (6 ounces raw)
• ​1/4 cup Tasso, chopped
• ​2 cups rice
• ​2¾ cups chicken broth
• ​1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• ​2 to 3 dashes Tabasco
• ​salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dirty Rice Wtih Chicken Livers, Italian Sausage And Tasso

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