Cajun Jambalaya and Hushpuppies

Ingredients:

½ cup chopped onion, sautéed well (can add more, if you like onion)
½ cup coarsely chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T butter or margarine
2 T flour
2½ cups water
½ cup dry white wine (or you can use ¼ cup cider vinegar and ¼ cup of water)
2 T parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf, crushed
½ t dried whole thyme
½ t red pepper (cayenne pepper)
1¼ t salt
Pepper to taste
5 cups peeled, diced tomatoes (or can use 5 cans stewed tomatoes with juice) You can also add 2
to 3 small cans of Snap-E-Tom tomato juice if you like it spicier.
2 cups uncooked, regular white rice
1 lb. polish sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices
4 whole chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, and cut into bite-size pieces
½ lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can of chopped green chilies
Tabasco to taste (usually better to leave the Tabasco out and just serve it at the table)

In a large Dutch oven or pan, sauté the onion, green pepper, and garlic in butter until tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add water, and wine, stirring until blended. Add remaining ingredients except the shrimp. Bring it to a boil, stirring frequently so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of your pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Add shrimp and simmer 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink.

Serves 10 to 15

FROM FROZEN: Thaw completely. Reconstitute with water. Can add additional cans of stewed tomatoes are Snap-E-Tom to loosen it up.



HUSHPUPPIES

Ingredients:
¾ cup fine cornmeal 1 tsp Cajn spices
¼ cup flour 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 T sugar 2 T onion, grated
1 tsp baking powder 1 egg, lightly beaten
½ tsp baking soda ½ cup buttermilk
¼ tsp onion salt 1 T water
¼ tsp chili powder Oil, for deep frying

1. In a mixing bowl combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, b.powder, b.soda, onion salt, chili powder and Cajun spices. Add garlic and grated onion.
2. Stir together egg, buttermilk and water and pour over dry mixture; stir until dry ingredients are just moistened.
3. Heat oil in a deep, heavy pan until moderately hot (375°F) . Carefully spoon tablespoonfuls of batter into hot oil. Cook until puffy and lightly golden, turning each once or twice to cook evenly.
4. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon or strainer. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a 325°F oven while frying the rest. Serve warm.

NOTE: Cook only 4-5 Hushpuppies at a time as overcrowding the pan will reduce the oil temperature and cause Hushpuppies to absorb excess oil. The depth of oil in the pan is important. There should be enough oil to cover the food completely by about 1 inch while it is cooking.

Cajun Spices: mix the spices together and store ina spice jar.

1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano

FROM FROZEN: thaw and warm up in a 325°F oven