I can’t help it - my mouth is watering, again.
Cream of Artichoke and Oyster Soup
Ingredients:
4 sticks butter
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 pound sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup flour
1 can chicken broth, approx 2 cups
3 bouillon cubes
4 cans quartered artichoke hearts
2 bay leaves
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch paprika
3 cups whipping cream
1 quart oysters
Directions:
Melt 1 stick butter and sauté carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms until soft and onion is translucent. Set aside.
Melt 2 sticks butter. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Do not brown. Stir in vegetables. Add broth in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. Add bouillon cubes. Add artichoke hearts with some juice, bay leaves, salt, pepper, red pepper, thyme, oregano, and paprika. Stir to blend. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a separate skillet, melt a stick of butter. Briefly sauté oysters until the edges begin to curl. Remove to colander to drain. When the other pot has finished simmering, add oysters. Add cream slowly. If a thinner soup is desired, additional cream and broth can be used. Heat through but do not boil. Taste for the possible addition of more seasonings.
Yield: 10 servings
Duck & Quail Gumbo
Ingredients:
3 ducks
6 quail
Bag crab boil or teaspoon of liquid crab boil
3 tablespoons of olive oil to sauté vegetables
3 tablespoons of olive oil to brown game
1 large or two medium onions chopped
1 large green bell pepper chopped
1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of minced parsley
¾ to cup of flour for roux
¼ to ½ cup olive oil or vegetable oil for roux
1 pound smoked sausage - Conecuh or Cajun sausage
32-ounce can of stewed tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes
5 cups of duck broth
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
Okra to taste, usually about 2 cups
1 cup carrots
1 cup celery
1 onion
1-2 tablespoons of gumbo file
Directions:
Brown duck and quail in skillet. Add to 5 quarts of chicken broth or water with crab boil seasoning. Boil until meat falls off bone.
Sauté vegetables and set aside.
Add olive oil to Dutch oven to make roux. After oil is very hot, add flour slowly while stirring constantly. Watch closely to make sure it doesn’t scorch. When roux is cooked to the desired color (at least the color of peanut butter), add sautéed vegetables and sausage, tomatoes, strained duck broth, bay leaves and thyme. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Chop duck and quail meat and add to pot. Add okra. Simmer 30 minutes
Add gumbo file. Simmer 5 minutes
Serve with rice.
Chef Irene Buford says the roux will make or break the gumbo, so be extremely careful not to scorch it. She also prefers a darker roux. She also prefers to prepare the gumbo a day ahead of time, put it in refrigerator and then reheat. “It’s always better the second day,” she said.
Grilled Duck Breast on Brown Rice with Roasted Peppers and Rosemary Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
12 Boneless skinless duck breasts, 5 to 6 ounces each
Real Italian Dressing, not the fat free kind
Directions:
Cut each duck breast into 1 ounce fingers.
Marinate in real Italian dressing for 8 hours.
Remove from dressing and shake off excess dressing.
Grill over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Serve duck over brown rice and ladle sauce over duck.
Serves 12.
Brown Rice with Onions and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
¼ pound butter
1 ¼ cups uncooked whole grain rice
¼-cup bacon drippings
1 medium to large onion, diced
1 cup sliced raw mushrooms
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 ¼ cups beef consommé
1 ¼ cups beef broth
½ teaspoon salt
Directions:
Melt butter in skillet. Add uncooked rice and brown. Add bacon drippings, onions, mushrooms and pepper. Move ingredients to roasting pan and add consommé, broth and salt. Tightly cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Uncover and mix with fork.
Serves 12.
Roasted Red Pepper and Rosemary Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
2 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped fine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat broiler. Lightly coat the red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper bag or resealable plastic bag to cool for approximately 45 minutes.
Remove the seeds and skin from the peppers (the skin should come off the peppers easily now). Cut peppers into small pieces.
In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, rosemary, and red peppers in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix.
Place mixture in blender (careful it is hot), and puree to desired consistency. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. Stir in the half-and-half and the Romano cheese; cook and stir until the cheese melts. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.
