Favorite recipes brought back after a trip to the bayou

Our daughter Lexie recently returned home from a mission trip to New Orleans. Our church youth and a few adults spent time working with the St. Bernard Project restoring houses from hurricane Katrina. The trip was a hot, yet rewarding time for the group and a fun time was had by all. During the last day there was time for adventures into the French Quarter, and beignets at Cafe Du Monde. Our daughter brought me home a cookbook from her memorable trip and I just love it. I will include here today some favorite New Orleans cuisine recipes.

Red beans and rice

1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over

3 tablespoons bacon grease

1/4 cup chopped tasso, or chopped ham

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

3/4 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch cayenne

3 bay leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1/2 pound smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound smoked ham hocks

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

10 cups chicken stock, or water

4 cups cooked white rice

1/4 cup chopped green onions, garnish

* Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

* In a large pot, heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the tasso and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the grease in the pot.

* Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage and ham hocks, about 4 minutes.

* Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil.

* Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.

* Remove from heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and remove the bay leaves. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Jambalaya

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed

2 cups cooked rice

* In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.

* Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

New Orleans pralines

Pralines are a New Orleans signature treat. This recipe makes a sweet, slightly crumbly brown sugar candies loaded with toasted pecans. Make sure that the pecans are well-toasted so that they have maximum flavor and crunch.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 tablespoons butter, cubed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

* Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium saucepan combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and evaporated milk over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then insert a candy thermometer. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until the candy reaches 240 degrees on the thermometer.

* Once the proper temperature is reached, remove the pan from the heat and drop the chunks of butter on top, but do not stir. Allow the pan to sit for one minute.

* After a minute, add the vanilla extract and the pecans, and begin to stir smoothly and constantly with a wooden spoon. Soon the candy will begin to get thicker and lighter in color. Continue to stir until the candy starts to hold its shape. It should still be easy to stir, however. It is important not to stir too much, as pralines quickly go from fluid to rock-solid.

* Once it is a lighter, opaque brown and holds its shape, quickly begin to drop small spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared baking sheet. Work quickly to form the candies, as the pralines will start to set in the saucepan. If the candy stiffens before you're done scooping, add a spoonful of very hot water and stir until it loosens, then continue scooping until you have formed all the pralines.

* Allow the candy to fully set at room temperature, for about 30 minutes. Store the New Orleans Pralines in an airtight container at room temperature.

New Orleans beignets

1 envelope active dry yeast

3/4 cup water (110 degrees F)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup evaporated milk

3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 cup shortening

Vegetable oil for frying

Powdered sugar in a shaker or sifter

* Combine the yeast, water, and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand.) Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the salt, egg, and evaporated milk. Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening.

* When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated. At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; it's a touch thing. Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough.

* Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise. After the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2-inch thick. n With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2-inch wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction.

* Place the beignets on a floured baking sheet to let rise about 40 minutes in a warm place or place them in a barely warm oven.

* When the beignets have risen, heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. Place 2-3 beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side. They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil.

* Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar. Because the dough doesn't contain much sugar, you will need quite a bit.

New Orleans fried shrimp po' boy

1 10-to-12-inch long piece of New Orleans Style French Bread

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Creole Mustard (Zatarains makes a good widely available Creole Mustard)

Pickle slices

3/4 cup shredded lettuce

Tomato slices

Fried shrimp for filling

* Slice the bread horizontally about 3/4 of the way through, leaving it hinged. Some people prefer to slice the bread all the way through. Every po' boy sandwich in New Orleans is hinged and it's easier to eat.

* Spread the mayonnaise on the inside of the bottom portion of the bread, spread the Creole Mustard on the inside of the top portion. Layer pickles and tomatoes on the bottom portion of the french loaf. Fill with the lettuce, then top with the fried shrimp.

* Serve with crunchy kettle style potato chips. Put some hot sauce on the table and enjoy. Makes 1 sandwich.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.