food, reviews and of course coffee
I made this dish as part of a tapas selection. The key is to make the sauce and add the prawns at the last minute.
In a frying pan, soften some onions, after they have softened add some Cajun spices. I don’t like adding the spices too early as they can burn.
Add some chopped tomatoes and some tomato puree.
Cook for a while.
Add raw prawns and let them cook.
When they are firm and pink they are cooked, be careful not to overcook them, as this will make them rubbery.
Done.
Having really enjoyed the citrus chicken I did the other day, I decided to try a variation.
I first rubbed some cajun spices into some boned chicken thighs, for which I left the skin on.
I am currently using and enjoying Fiddes Payne Cajun Seasoning, there are other seasonings
I then added the juice and zest of one lime and one lemon and some olive oil.
This I left to marinade for half an hour.
I heated a frying pan, and placed the chicken in skin side down, but didn’t use any oil.
I let the chicken brown, and then finished it off in the oven.
The end result was a beautiful lemon citrus chicken with a really nice cajun spicy kick to it.
I am sure you could do something similar with chilli and lemon.
I do like Mexican and Tex-Mex food, don’t know how authentic my versions are, partly as all I have to compare is with various restaurants I have been to and in the main as I have not been to Mexico!
However the other day I did cook some steak fajita.
I use a hot griddle and get it nice and hot, I don’t oil the pan, I oil the meat.
With the steak, I cut into slices and then mix with some oil and some Cajun spices.
The steak is then placed and cooked on the hot griddle.
After a few minutes I add the onion and pepper (though this time I had no pepper).
Once the steak and onion (and pepper) is cooked, serve.
I serve with warm flour tortillas, hot salsa, sour cream and guacamole.
I quite like spare ribs but after eating some from the local chinese last night, decided I much prefer making my own.
The ones from the chinese were nice and meaty, but two major things wrong with them, firsty they were re-heated which means that they certainly don’t taste as good as they could, secondly the sauce was too sweet and lacked flavour.
The ones I have made are freshly cooked and that makes a (huge) difference. I also make my own sauce and that generally can be a lot tastier (and lots less salty) than other sauces you can buy.
My sauce is made from honey, balsamic vinegar, sunflower oil, tomato puree (though ketchup works just as well) and I add spices, usually Cajun to add heat and flavour.
I cook them with some chopped red onion in a hot oven for about twenty minutes.
I do need to find a better source for my ribs as I much prefer meaty ribs.
Last night cooked some text-mex style food, I say tex-mex style as it was more of a homage to Cajun and Mexican cooking than authentic cooking.
We had Jambalaya, which I have a technique for, which I picked up from a programme on Cajun cooking some while back.
In a large frying pan, I fry off some smoked bacon (I use pancetta as I have it in the house) with some onions and red pepper.
When the onions are softened I add some Cajun spices. I am currently using and enjoying Fiddes Payne Cajun Seasoning, there are other seasonings
I cook off the spices before adding some spicy sausage, I used a Polish Kabanos, partly as that was available and yes I know it is not very deep south, and after that has cooked off slightly, I go ahead and deglaze the pan with some vinegar (usually balsamic vinegar).
I then add a tin of chopped tomatoes and some tomate puree and leave to simmer for about twenty minutes.
Whilst that is cooking I cook some rice, I use basmati, partly as it only takes ten minutes to cook and mainly as that is what I have in the cupboard.
When the rice is cooked, I stir the tomato mixture and the rice together and serve.
You could make it spicier by adding fresh chillis, I don’t.