hen you have to cook a romantic dinner, inspiration comes easy. Whether it is down to the serotonin rush or the years spent practising the art of cookery, I am so glad I can whip up perfect dishes in almost no time.
This is what I came up with just fridge leftovers: Cajun ham with asparagus on a bed of lettuce with mustard and honey dressing.
First, I marinated ham slices in Cajun mix and aceto balsamico bianco.
Then I boiled asparagus. The trick is to make them soft enough to chew but still crunchy. Once out of the boiling water, cool down the asparagus with cold water to stop the cooking process, otherwise it will come out overcooked and lame.
Now down to the dressing: a dash of salt, a dash of freshly ground black pepper, a dash of garlic granules, a glog of aceto balsamico bianco, same quantity of extra virgin olive oil, a tbsp of mustard, a tbsp of honey. The exact proportions really depend on what taste you want to achieve. Ideally, it should well balanced sweet-sour. Shake all well until homogeneous.
Sear the ham on a very hot skillet with butter: basically it is the Cajun noirci technique.
Now arrange the asparagus and ham on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with the dressing!
This was just the starter. The main dish turned out infinitely better but that has nothing with the culinary topic of this blog.
discovered blackened salmon on my first trip to Texas. We were loitering in a shopping mall waiting on Aunt Lou to finish her shopping when I saw a sign for a Cajun restaurant. I simply had to check it out because you don't find that kind of food in the Old World. Blackened salmon became love at first bite.
Actually, there is a bit of tragic history behind this dish. French-speaking Acadian settlers in what we call now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were forcefully evicted from their lands when the English took over in 1713. Some of them came fleeing to Texas. They held on to their traditions, and very importantly, their cuisine.
I admire its rustic sophistication. It combines simple ingredients with inventful spices and more advanced ways of cooking than you would expect from country folks. Although this recipe was invented in the 1980s by Paul Prudhomme, it was since wholeheartedly embraced as a truly Cajun dish.
Cut a whole salmon half-an-inch thick. I use imperial measures here because 1.27cm would be too cumbersome to say.
Melt about 100 g unsalted butter.
Heat a cast iron frying pan very, very hot. I consider it ready for action when it starts smoking. I use a griddle skillet for the lovely sear marks.
Dip salmon pieces in melted butter and sprinkle moderately with Tony Chachere's Cajun Frying Spice or in the mix of 1 tbsp powder garlic, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp ground paprica, 1 tbsp black pepper and 1 tbsp white pepper.
Yank salmon on the hot pan. Watch out as it can flare up. Fry about 1 minute on each side.
Serve with fried or baked potatoes.
Here is a piece of traditional Cajun music to accompany this flavourful meal:
The secret of grilled Cajun chicken wings is in the marinade. Crushed garlic, finely chopped shallots and celery give the flavour when toasted in the oven. Black and red peppers add the spice. Lemon juice, white wine and liquid cane sugar create the nice sweet and sour balance while the sugar also makes the skin deliciously brown and crisp. Make sure to cut the skin so that the marinade gets to the meat.
"Increasing intercultural understanding through the appreciation of world cuisines." I hope that my blog will inspire people to open their minds and try other people's food where they live or travel.
hen you have to cook a romantic dinner, inspiration comes easy. Whether it is down to the serotonin rush or the years spent practising the art of cookery, I am so glad I can whip up perfect dishes in almost no time.
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