• 3 medium onions, chopped (about 2½ cups)
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large russet (baking) potato, peeled and diced (¼ inch)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 fresh jalapeno chile, seeded and minced fine (wear rubber gloves)
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ½ canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1½ whole boneless smoked chicken breasts (about 1 pound), skin and fat removed and meat cut into ½-inch dice

Smoked Chicken Chowder

Click image to enlarge

• 12 Creole tomatoes, quartered and cored
• 2 large yello onions, quartered and peeled
• 1 red pepper, quartered and seeded
• 6 cloves whole garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 6-inch stale French bread, broken into pieces
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• croutons, goat cheese, basil, for garnisn (optional)

Roasted Creole Tomato Soup

Click image to enlarge

• ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 2¾ teaspoons dried oregano, divided 
• 2 pounds boneless country­ style pork ribs, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks
• 3 tablespoons grape seed or other neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 large leeks, white and light green parts sliced ½-inch thick, rinsed and dried
• 4 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers. drained and chopped (about 1 cup)
• ½ cup pitted green olives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced

Spicy Pork with Leeks

Click image to enlarge

• ½ cup (120 mil) canola oil
• ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
• 3½ pounds (1.6 kg) yellow onions, finely diced
• ½ cup (70 g) finely diced green bell pepper
• ⅓ cup (40 g) finely diced celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 pounds (1.8 kg) crawfish tails, with fat (see Note)
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper, plus more as needed
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce, preferably Original Louisiana Hot Sauce, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 4 cups (1 L) chicken stock or crawfish stock (recipes included in cookbook)
• ¼ cup (13 g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ cup (20 g) finely chopped green onions
• Biscuits, homemade (recipe included in cookbook) or store-bought, for serving
• Pickles (recipe included in cookbook), for serving

Crawfish Stew

Click image to enlarge

Stock & Beans:

• 8 ounces dried kidney beans, red or white
• 3 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
• 1 smoked pork shank
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium carrot,  coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig rosemary
• several parsley sprigs
• salt to taste
•  
• Base:

• 4 ounces pancetta, ¼ inch dice
• olive oil as needed
• 1 cup minced onion
• ¾ cup diced carrot
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• Parmesan rind, if desired
• 1 tablespoon minced rosemary
• black pepper to taste

To finish:

• 3 cups, cut into pieces similar in size to the cooked beans, any mixture of your favorite vegetables: zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
• 1 cup small pasta such as ditalini or elbow macaroni
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• red wine vinegar to taste
• grated Parmesan, for serving

Weekend Minestrone

Click image to enlarge

• 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced crosswise
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 to 2 cups water
• salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup sliced green onion tops
• hot cooked rice for serving

Old Fashioned Shrimp Stew

Click image to enlarge

For the Soup Base 

• 2 quarts water 
• One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) and their liquid 
• 1½ cups dry white wine 
• 2 small leeks, white parts only, trimmed, cleaned, and cut into 3-inch lengths (about 2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, trimmed and sliced thick 
• 1 large onion, cut into thick slices 
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme 
• Zest of ½ lemon, removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
• ½ teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads 
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• Salt 

To Prepare the Soup 

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled 
• 2 small leeks, white parts only, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced ¼ inch thick (about 2 cups)
• 1 large onion, sliced thin 
• 4 medium calamari (about 1¼ pounds), cleaned, tentacles left whole, bodies cut crosswise into ½ inch rings
• 18 medium sea scallops (about ½ pound)
• 8 ounces fresh firm-textured fish fillets, such as salmon, snapper, or swordfish, skin removed, cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 2 cups cooked cannellini beans (optional)
• 24 mussels, preferably cultivated, cleaned 
• 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about ½ pound)
• ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• Garlic bread, for serving

Savory Seafood Stew

Click image to enlarge

• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon Meat Seasoning (method below)
• 4 filets of fish, skinless, sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1½ teaspoons dry oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons dry thyme
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¾ cup white wine
• 28 ounces diced tomatoes
• 1 quart seafood stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped

Gulf of Mexico Seafood Stew

Click image to enlarge

• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 pound medium or large shrimp, shelled, shells reserved
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons Pernod or brandy
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf
• 2 celery stalks, chopped, leaves reserved for garnish
• 2 large leeks (white and light green parts only), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, finely chopped, fronds reserved for garnish
• ¼ cup Iong-grain rice
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Fresh lemon juice to taste

Rustic Shrimp Bisque

Click image to enlarge

• 2½ pounds boneless chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes

The Marinade:

• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 cup full-bodied red wine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves

The Meat Braise:

• flour for dredging
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 2-inch piece of beef suet (or 2 tablespoons butter and 1tablespoon cooking oil)
• 1½ cups full-bodied red wine
• 3 cups homemade or condensed canned ( undiluted) beef broth
• 1 cup V-8 tomato cocktail (not spicy)

The Vegetables:

• 6 medium new potatoes, peeled and
• halved
• 6 carrots, quartered, or 18 ready-to­-cook carrots
• 12 small white boiling onions, peeled

Classic American Beef Stew

Click image to enlarge