Italian Broccoli with Peppers

By Chef Diane

On Valentine's Day I made a batch of my father's now famous Gumbo recipe to take to some elderly widowers.  I also took some to my parents and was telling daddy how I used his recipe and the problems I had, the main one being my pot wasn't quiet big enough.  As I was telling him about the order I put the ingredients in...I didn't mention putting in the bell peppers.    He noticed my omission, and asked right away about them.  I had to confess I did not put bell peppers in.  I am not a fan of them, in fact, I have never even purchased a bell pepper.  He ruffled up his feathers and said well "You did Not make My recipe then!"  That night when I went to sleep, I dreamed all night about bell peppers, slicing them into strips, and eating them right off the plate. 

Broccoli on the other hand is one of my favorite vegetables.  I loved it steamed nice and soft, with just a little butter on it.  I recently got one of those boxes of frozen broccoli with butter sauce, that butter was too sweet, so I just prefer adding my own.  At the dinner table with my father and my son, Im lucky if I can get one stalk away from them.

March is Broccoli and Bell Pepper Month.   As a very high source of Vitamin C broccoli can help to prevent cataracts as well as ease symptoms of the common cold. The folic acid makes it a nice supplement for women who are taking birth control pills or are pregnant. The potassium helps with high blood pressure and the calcium helps stave off osteoporosis. Also high in fiber and rich in beta-carotene, broccoli helps the entire body function better. Finally, the health benefits of broccoli have been linked to the prevention or improvement of Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, calcium deficiencies, stomach and colon cancer, malignant tumors, lung cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and even the aging process.

Bell peppers are also incredibly healthy for you. Rich in thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene and folic acid bell peppers aid in many functions of the body. They also have a number of antioxidants int hem, which have been shown to fight free radicals and help in the prevention of cancer. Bell peppers have also been shown to be effective in the prevention of blood clot formation, heart attacks and strokes, and to help control elevated cholesterol levels. Add to that the large variety of colors and flavors and bell peppers make for a fantastic addition to almost any recipe according to examiner.com.  

Below is a recipe from tasteofhome.com  that includes both peppers and broccoli.  This month try to include one or both in some of your daily meals.

Italian Broccoli with Peppers Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 medium ripe tomato, cut into wedges and seeded
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add broccoli; cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place broccoli in ice water. Drain and pat dry.
• In a large nonstick skillet, saute peppers in oil for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the broccoli, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes longer. Add the tomato; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

National Gumbo Day

(Google Image) 

Chef Diane

Goodbye joe, me gotta go down the bayou

Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou

My yvonne, sweetest one, me oh my oh

Son of a gun, we gonna have big fun on the bayou

Well, jambalaya an a crawfish pie an a file gumbo

cause tonight Im gonna see my ma cher amio

Pick guitar, fill fruit jar an be gay-o

Son of a gun, we gonna have big fun on the bayou

(Google Image) 

This is a song by Hank Williams, and every time I hear it it makes me think of fall weather and a big pot of Gumbo.  Gumbo is a cajun dish from Louisiana.  It’s one of their specialty dishes like New England Clam Chowder is to Maine, or Chili is to Texas.  Gumbo is not only used to describe this tasty dish, but also the consistency of the mud on the roads you drive through.  Gumbo is a seafood soup or stew.  It can be made with shrimp and sausage, or chicken and crab, or any other meat you care to use.  Some people put chicken bones and all in it, others put crab legs in the shell in it.  I prefer to use shelled shrimp and Smokey hollow sausage.  I don’t want to have to dip stuff out and shell it or take out bones when I eat.  Below is my grandmother's Gumbo recipe.  The most important part is the Roux.  A roux is the mixture of shortening and flour used to make the base.  It has the consistency of gravy.  This recipe calls for 2 TBSP or shorting, but you will need more.  You want the roux to be liquid like, not too loose, but not thick either.  And you have to brown it until it’s almost black.  This will take about 15 to 20 minutes, or you can buy roux in a bottle (if you want to cheat) Once the roux is made, the rest is simple...just add to a pot and let it cook.  Gumbo is even better the next day.  Then serve it in a bowl full of rice, with crackers or cornbread.  It will fill you up and warm up your insides!

(Google Image) 

Today is National Gumbo day, so try this or your own recipe, and serve some to your family for supper.  You will have big Fun!!

(Google Image) 

Gumbo

Ingredients:

2/3 C Flour	3-4 pods Garlic
2 TBS Shortening	2 tsp. File’
1 Can Rotel Tomatoes	salt& pepper
1 Pk. Okra	1 lb. Sausage
1 lrg. Onion	3 lbs. shrimp
2 stalks celery

Directions:

Brown flour and shortening until real dark, almost black add more shortening if needed...to make a paste – add onions, garlic, and celery and sauté. Spread roux to sides and put okra in center and add Rotel tomatoes. Stir until okra loses its slick. Let cook 15-20 minutes and add sausage. Put mixture into 2 quarts of boiling water and add shrimp. Let cook 20 minutes then add file’. (optional)  Serve over rice.

(Google Image) 

National Gumbo Day

By Diane Forrest,

Laissez les bons temps rouler (Pronounced:(Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay) is French meaning Let the Good Times Roll.  If you have ever been to New Orleans, Louisiana you will have heard this saying on more than one occasion.  New Orleans is famous for many things, Mardi Gras, partying and good food.  The residents of New Orleans and most of the rest of Louisiana are called Cajun. They have developed their own style of cooking and it includes a lot of spice.  You may have seen Emeril Lagasse cook on television.  He is from New Orleans and is known for "Kicking it up a notch".

I live just a few miles from Louisiana, just across the Mississippi, and while I am not Cajun, my mother's side of the family all came from Louisiana, and settled on the Mississippi coast.  One of the benefits from living on the coast was access to fresh seafood.  So my grandmother's specialty was shrimp gumbo.  I'm telling you this because today is National Gumbo Day.

I may have mentioned before that my expertise in cooking is pretty much nonexistent.  In fact I just made my first pot of rice last week.  But in honor of this day I decided to try out my grandmother's recipe for Gumbo.  The recipe is pretty easy, but the most important ingredient is the Roux.

Roux is a thickening agent for soups or stew.  It is just cooked flour with a little butter mixed in.  You melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2/3 cup of flour and heat it in the pan until it looks like coco powder.  Once you have it right, then just add the rest of the ingredients.  I even saw a cookbook titled "Can you make Roux" while researching for this article.

While it is not difficult to make, you can buy it premade.  Once you have added all the ingredients, you pour it over rice and eat with corn bread or crackers.

I have a friend who recently went to Louisiana to get fresh shrimp and crabs, and he was nice enough to give me his recipe and a picture of his gumbo.  I am also sharing my granny's secret recipe too, just don’t tell my daddy!

Gumbo can be made with any kind of meat, but the kind I use is shrimp and sausage.  You can also use chicken, crab or even beef.

So celebrate Gumbo Day by making a pot for yourself and Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Bob's Gumbo Recipe

• 3 onions (chopped)
• celery( 2-3 stalks, chopped)
• two cans mild rotel
• shrimp
• (2lb), deer sausage and regular sausage
• 5 or 6 whole boiled eggs
• okra 1 package
• 1 jar of roux
• Crab claws (optional)
• cooked rice

Directions: 

• First boil celery and onion in 6 - 8 cups of water
• add roux
• season it up  with salt pepper and garlic
• Add tomatoes, eggs and meat
• what gives it the taste is the deer sausage
• put okra in last after cooking it in a seperate pot
• Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, serve over rice

Granny’s Gumbo Recipe

• 2/3 C Flour
• 3-4 pods Garlic
• 2 TBS Shortening
• 2 tsp. File’
• 1 Can Rotel Tomatoes
• salt& pepper
• 1 Pk. Okra
• 1 lb. Sausage ( I use Smokey Hollow links, sliced)
• 1 lrg. Onion
• 3 lbs. shrimp
• 2 stalks celery

Directions:

• Brown flour and shortening until real dark – add onions, garlic, and celery and sauté. Spread roux to sides and put okra in center and add Rotel tomatoes. 
• Stir until okra loses its slick. Let cook 15-20 minutes and add sausage. 
• Put mixture into 2 quarts of boiling water and add shrimp. 
• Let cook 20 minutes then add file’.

(My daddy uses butter instead of shortening, and doesn't use file')