Frugal Foodie Friday - Poutine

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I suspect that many of you have never heard of poutine. It's the French Canadian equivalent of comfort food and it's a favorite of our neighbors to the north, where some refer to it as the "National Dish of Canada." Poutine, by the way, is from a Quebecois slang word that means "mess". While it sounds dreadful, and doesn't look much better, poutine, a dish which consists of French fries that are topped with cheese curds and gravy, has crossed the border and has developed a committed following here in the United States. The exact origin of poutine is unknown, but as best as anyone can tell, it started in Quebec in the 1950’s, when cheese curds and gravy were added to orders of carry-out fries. A version of the dish known as "disco fries" was made in New Jersey soon after that,  but it used shredded mozzarella cheese rather than the cheddar curds that identify the classic dish. The curds are finger-tipped sized chunks of cheddar that have a briny taste similar to that of cottage cheese. They are usually sold in a bags, and if you are fortunate enough to get them freshly packed, they will actually squeak when you bite into them. Your grocery store may carry them and they can also be ordered online. Poutine was once an embarrassment to the French-Canadian populations of Montreal and Quebec, where great value was placed on their reputations for high-end cuisine. They considered it to be a low-end rural food, but as homely cooking gained international recognition it became more acceptable, not unlike our mac n' cheese to which lobster and crab can now be added. While the correct "gravy" used to top the fries can be debated, it is most often shown as being dark and rich. I decided to use Emeril LaGasse's recipe because he used a roux to make his sauce and I suspected it would be delicious. It is, but it took much longer to develop color and thicken than his recipe suggested. I've included my times along with his in the recipe that appears below. He also blanched the potatoes before frying, which gave them a wonderful crust while allowing their interiors to remain soft as they cooked. I LOVE THIS DISH and were it not so high in calories I'd have it once a week. DO TRY THIS RECIPE. It makes a poutine that will have your socks going up and down. It is not expensive to make and it can be served as an appetizer or main course, depending on your sensibilities and the state of your waistline. Here is the recipe for this week's Frugal Foodie Friday feature.

Easy Etouffee

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an easy and delicious version of a Cajun etouffee. An etouffee is main course dish that's popular in Louisianna and other areas of the Southern United States. It is prepared with shellfish and cooked in a sauce that is thickened with a roux. A roux is a gravy-like paste made from equal parts of flour and fat which are combined and cooked until the flour taste disappears and the mixture begins to color. The roux used to make an etouffee is cooked until it is reddish-brown and when that color is reached, it is thinned with water and tomato puree to make the sauce in which the shellfish cook. This version of the dish is really easy to prepare and it is possible to have it on the table in a less than an hour. It is delicious and you'll be rewarded for your efforts with smiles and empty plates. I do have two cautions to share with you. It is important to keep the roux in motion as it browns. It can burn in the blink of an eye and if that happens you'll have to throw it out. Overcooking the shrimp is also a potential problem. Few things are worse than tough shrimp. If you keep them in the sauce too long, they will overcook and toughen and you will speak ill of me. This makes a wonderful meal for family and friends. The recipe comes from Family Circle magazine and this is the kind of dish they do really really well. Here's how the etouffee is made.

Easy Shrimp Etouffee...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle Magazine

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, seeds removed, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (such as McCormick)
1-3/4 pounds large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice
Lemon wedges

Directions:
1) In a large heavy-bottomed pot, whisk together flour and oil until combined. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, whisking continuously, until reddish-brown in color.
2) Add onion, green pepper, celery and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato sauce, 1 cup water, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning; simmer 15 minutes.
3) Add shrimp and simmer 4 minutes. Stir in parsley.
4) Serve shrimp over brown rice. Squeeze lemon wedges over each plate. Yield: 4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Poppy Seed Snack Cake

Two Years Ago Today: Zuppa di Finnochio - Creamy Fennel Soup

Three Years Ago Today: Pumpkin Butter

Chicken Gumbo - Filé Gumbo

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had a small, surprising triumph tonight. Before going any further, I want to extend an apology to any of my Southern friends who might find my victory lap or bow a bit premature. I stepped into their territory, if not their kitchens, and made gumbo tonight. Despite my years in the kitchen, this was a first for me. I love gumbo, but I found the making of roux off-putting. Armed with great directions, which you can find here, I decided to give it a try and I think I did alright. I made minor alterations to a recipe developed by Emeril Lagasse and was really pleased with the results. My only caution is that you need time to make this. It really is not difficult to prepare, but it needs watching and some of its elements take longer to cook than the recipe would have you believe. Most significantly, it took an hour, rather than 20 minutes, for my roux to become the color of chocolate. The trick is to get it to that chocolate color without burning the roux. If it burns you'll have to toss it. Despite that, I highly recommend this gumbo and hope you will try it. Here's the recipe.


Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with White Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut crosswise 1/2-inch thick pieces
4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 bay leaves
9 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon filé powder (ground sassafras leaves)- see Cook's Note
.
Cooked white rice
Hot sauce

Directions:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy pot set over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage from pan and drain on paper toweling. Set aside.
2) Season chicken with Creole seasoning. Brown, in batches, using pot in which sausage was cooked. Remove from pan. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
3) Add flour and reserved 1/2 cup oil to pan in which chicken and sausage browned. Cook, stirring slowly, for 20 to 25 minutes to make a chocolate colored roux. I had to cook mine for an hour to achieve this color.
4) Add onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add reserved sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Stirring, slowly, add chicken stock, and cook, stirring, until well combined. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
5) Add reserved chicken to the pot and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to surface.
6) Remove pot from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken thighs from the gumbo and place on a cutting board to cool slightly. Remove and discard bay leaves. Pull chicken meat from bones and shred, discarding bones. Return meat to gumbo and stir in the green onions, parsley, and filé powder.
7) Spoon rice into bottom of deep bowls or large cups and ladle gumbo on top. Serve with hot sauce if desired. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Cook's Note: File powder has a very earthy flavor that tastes like a combination of thyme and savory. It can be found in the spice aisle of large food chains. The powder comes from grinding dried sassafras leaves. If you would like to make your own filé powder, instructions can be found here. Filé powder is added at the end of cooking to thicken the gumbo. To add it sooner can cause the gumbo to become stringy. It can also be passed and added at the table.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo - The Bake-Off Flunkie
Chicken Gumbo - Louanne's Kitchen
Quick and Easy Sausage and Okra Gumbo - Sing for Your Supper
Shrimp and Okra Gumbo - Felice in the Kitchen
Pancetta and Shrimp Gumbo - Chow and Chatter
Cajun Gumbo Soup - The Teacher Cooks