Every Thursday night is girl's night for me. I meet up with my friends Ashleigh, Shannon, and Izzy to watch a movie, eat, and hang out. Right now we're going through the top 100 Disney movies according to www.disneymovieslist.com. We switch up hosting every week. This time it was my turn and the movie was Disney's The Princess and the Frog. It's one of my favorites (a princess that cooks? amazing!). To theme our meal with the story, I decided to make Gumbo and Beignets. I knew they were both going to be a challenge. I had to work all day and then come home and cook. Both recipes take a long time. Luckily (only in this instance), I still live with my parents and my mom was there to be my helper. Another challenge: yeast and I do not get along... ever.. like every attempt has failed! I was determined though! I got both recipes from www.foodnetwork.com. Both by Paula Deen. She might be racist, but she knows Southern cooking.
I kept to the Gumbo recipe except I left out the celery (mostly because I just don't like it). Everything turned out great! I was looking for a recipe that wasn't too spicy and this wasn't at all. When putting it together, it might look like there's way too much garlic, there really isn't. I mean, it'll taste garlicky, but it's really delicious! The girls (and my parents) loved it too and even went back for seconds. I served it over rice.
I followed the Beignet recipe exactly. I did not want to mess this one up. To my own surprise, I nailed it! They came out perfectly!!! Everyone loved them and they were gabbled up quickly. I ended up only making half the recipe because we were already stuffed and there wasn't that many of us. I can't wait to make these again and maybe vary the toppings.
Gumbo
Total Time: 2 hr 40 min
Servings: 8 to 10
Ingredients:
3
large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt
and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons margarine
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus chopped
leaves for garnish
4 cups hot water
5 beef bouillon cubes
1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice
2 cups frozen sliced okra
4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy
bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on
both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove.
Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over
medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux
cool.
Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the
remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and
celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to
taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10
minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the
chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer
for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before
serving add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley.
French Quarter Beignets
Total Time: 2 hr 30 min
Yield: about 3 dozen
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
Nonstick spray
Oil, for deep-frying
3 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions:
Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and
evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate
bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture
and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the
remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured
surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put
dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm
place for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic
bag and set aside.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and
cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a
golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper
towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag
closed and shake to coat evenly.
