It’s hot, it’s humid and what’s a poor boy to do. For myself I whip out the Best of the Best of Louisiana Cookbook and let my fingers do the walking. You can’t go wrong with this book because I picture Louisiana to be hot and muggy and full of that raging Cajun cooking. Perfect for a day like this when I’m feeling a little ducky.
I figure on a day like this I might as well be on the stove or the BBQ but since it’s so hot I got to whip something up. I believe this here recipe is called an Amaretto Freeze. It’s quite simple. You take a half gallon of ice cream, toss in two thirds of a cup of Amaretto, half a cup of triple sec and half a cup of Crème du Cacao. Blend them in a food processor and chill. Pour or spoon yourself yourself a drink and your ready for some Cajun cooking.
Wild Duck Salad
6 wild teal ducks Water to cover 4 stalks of celery
2 large onions, quartered 2 tablespoons of salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped chutney
Mayonnaise to desired consistency
Tabasco pepper sauce to taste
Place ducks in large pot and boil with first 7 ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour or until tender. Skin, debone and chop meat. Refrigerate.
When cold, mix with green onions, celery, mayonnaise. Tabasco pepper sauce and chutney.
May be served as a salad or with crackers as an hors d’oeuvre. Yield: 4 servings.
Wild Rice and Shrimp Salad with Curry Dressing
1 clove pressed garlic
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 & 1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled 1 cup unseasoned wild rice, cooked and cooled
5 hard cooked eggs, diced Salt and pepper to taste
8 green onions with tops, finely chopped
Sauce mushrooms in olive oil until just soft.
Add raw shrimp, and saute for several minutes, until shrimp are just cooked. Remove from heat.
Place cooled rice in a large bowl, and add mushrooms, oil, and
shrimp mixture. Add diced hard cooked eggs, and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix together remaining ingredients. Pour a spoonful of this dressing into the rice-shrimp mixture, blend gently, and chill. Chill remaining dressing. Serve on a bed of crisp lettuce with the dressing in a separate bowl to pass. Serves 8 to 10.
Creole Crab Gumbo
1 cup diced green pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper 1 pound cooked crab meat 1 pound okra, cut up 1/2 cup sliced onion 4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
5 cups canned tomatoes
Saute onion in butter 10 minutes.
Stir in flour and brown.
Add crab meat and other ingredients plus 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, simmer for 1 hour. Serves 6.
Barbequed Duck
BBQ Sauce:
1/2 cup leftover wine, lemon and butter to make marinade 1 medium clove garlic, pressed 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1/8 teaspoon ginger
Place all barbeque sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for fifteen minutes.
2(2 to 2 1 /2-pound) ducks 1/2 pound butter 1/2 cup Burgundy wine 1/4 cup lemon juice
Cut whole ducks in half and place in pot with melted butter, wine, and lemon juice. Simmer ducks in marinade for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Keep covered for 1 hour turning every 15 minutes. Remove ducks from marinade and retain marinade. Salt and pepper both sides and place halves skin side down in large baking dish or dishes. Baste with barbecue sauce. Cover with foil and place in 375-degree oven for 45 minutes. Turn duck halves over, coat well with barbeque sauce. Cover and cook for additional 45 minutes. Lower heat to 300 degrees. Uncover and bake duck for additional 30 minutes, basting with sauce every 10 minutes.
