Beef Stew:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1½ pounds beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 1lb trimmed)
• 1 lb beef top round, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup dark roux, plus more as needed
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoondried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 8 to 10 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely diced, seeded hot chiles (replace with 1 medium jalapeño or 3 serranos)
• 1/4 teaspoon finely diced fresh bird's eye chiles  (do not seed chile)
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion 
• 2 cups quartered Baby Bliss or small Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1½ cups peeled parsnips or yams, cut into bite-size dice
• 1 cup bite-sized pieces of peeled carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts)
• 1 cup bite-sized pieces of peeled turnip
• 1½ cups bite-sized pieces of celery
• 1/4 cup quartered button or small cremini mushrooms
• 3/4 cup seeded and chopped red, green, or orange bell pepper

Herbed Dumplings (optional):

• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh fiat-leaf parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon poppy or caraway seeds

Note: many grocery stores carry jarred roux, both medium and dark. To make your own, for this recipe use 1/2 cup plain flour to 1/2 cup cooking oil or butter; place the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it is slightly darker than peanut butter. Adjust heat lower if you are not familiar with the process; if you scorch it, throw it away and start over. Note also that roux is basically molten lava; take care not to splash it on yourself.

Beef Stew With Herbed Dumplings

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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

• 6 center-cut bacon slices, chopped 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup chopped celery 
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1/3 cup half & half 
• salt and pepper salt

Shrimp, Corn and Bacon Chowder

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• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 3/4 cup chopped celery 
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 6 cups chicken broth 
• 3 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cups cubed cooked ham 
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 1 cup whipping cream 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
• Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Sweet Potato-Peanut Soup with Ham Croutons

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• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (about 2 pounds) 
• 6 cups chicken stock
• Bouquet garni (3 sprigs of parsley, 2 sprigs of thyme, 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh, 6 black peppercorns, tied together in cheesecloth) 
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1/2 ounce), plus more for garnish 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped 
• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch rounds 
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 10 ounces fresh baby spinach 
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

New Southern Chicken and Herb Dumplings

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• 3⁄4 cup canola oil
• 3⁄4 cup flour
• 2 large onions, chopped 
• 6 blue crabs, quartered 
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 quarts Shrimp or Shellfish Stock (Store bought is fine substitute) 
• 2 cups sliced okra
• 1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1⁄2 inch thick
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons from My Creole Spice Jar (recipe follows)
• Salt and pepper
• Tabasco
• 1 pound medium wild American shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pint shucked oysters and their liquor
• 1 cup crabmeat 
• 6 cups white rice

My Creole Spice Mix:

• 2 tablespoons celery salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper

Mama's Seafood Gumbo

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• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely diced yellow onions
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup Pernod
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
• 4 cups heavy cream
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of Louisiana hot sauce
• 1 pint (16 ounces) large Louisiana Gulf oysters, with oyster liquor

Creole Oyster and Spinach Soup

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Photo courtesy of George Graham, The Acadiana Table

For the stew

• about 4 pounds bone-in, filleted and boned - you need to end up with a little over 2 pounds of pure meat
• 1½ pounds floury potatoes, such as russet
• 1½ waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
• 2 pounds carrots
• 2 onions
• 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• chopped fresh chives and parsley, to garnish

For the stock

• bones from the lamb
• 1 large carrot, quartered
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1/2 celery stick, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large sprigs of thyme
• a generous sprig of parsley
• 6 black peppercorns, lightly crushed

Irish Lamb Stew

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• 6 cups chicken stock 
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 
• 2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced 
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced 
• 2 zucchini, thinly sliced 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 oz dried very thin egg noodles
• 1/2 cup shredded or cubed, skinless cooked chicken meat
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup

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For the Seafood Stew:

• 1 recipe Slow-Cooked Onions and Tomatoes (recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 pounds 16/20 count shrimp, preferably with heads on, peeled and deveined; reserve shells heads for seafood broth
• 2 yellow onions, cut into small dice
• 2 carrots, cut into small dice
• 5 celery ribs, cut into small dice
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ripe tomato, cut into medium dice
• Leaves from 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped; reserve stems for seafood broth
• 1 whole snapper (2 to 3 pounds), scaled, gutted, and fillets removed; reserve head and bones for seafood broth
• 4 quarts cold water 
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 dried chiles, such as chili arbol 
• 1 recipe Roasted Garlic and Jalapeño Aioli (recipe follows)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 5 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded (discard any that won’t close)
• Wood chips, soaked 
• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced 
• Toasted slices French bread 
• Hot sauce to taste

For the Slow-Cooked Onions and Tomatoes:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pound slab bacon, cut into medium dice
• 3 yellow onions, cut into small dice 
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into small dice
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and minced
• 2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced

For the Roasted Garlic and Jalapeño Aioli:

• 10 garlic cloves, peeled 
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• I jalapeño chile, seeded and diced 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Cast Iron Seafood Stew

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