Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Cajun Anyone?

We have been learning the art of cooking Cajun!
And I'd have to say it is a bit different then our mid western style, it has a lot more flavor, as in spicy, but not always and it's cooking that one has to be more involved in. It's not open a couple of can, stir, throw in the oven and set the timer. Much more fun then this.
For many people, I guess sea food like lobster or crab legs is 'just the bomb'!
Well not for me and I haven't had a good experience, so Jim talked me into trying it again.
And it's Cajun style! So, for dinner we had crab legs, yum! Shrimp, which I can pass on and Clams, which is for sure a 'No'! And since Jeff is considerate, we cooked a tuna steak for my back up and I'd cook that up again too! Our veggies were potatoes, onions and mushrooms.
Here's how we did it, the basic theme, throw it all in and let it boil. But here's how it really happened. In a very large stock pot, throw in a bunch of spices and once the water is boiling, start throwing in the veggies. That's right, the little red netting bag that onions come in, just throw it in and let it cook with the mushrooms. Then the potatoes, shrimp, clams and crab legs on top to steam them. Now that is what I mean when it comes to 'one pot cooking'! Once done, you need one large bowl, a table covered in newspaper, a butter knife and of course plates. "No eating utensils needed" I was told. And be prepared for juices flying from those crab legs!
Jim's buddy Jeff is exposing us to Cajun was telling me about how down south, when you go out for this type of meal you don't wear your nice cloths since you come home full of juice and
smelling a bit fishy. The gentleman also are the ones that crack crab legs and strips the shrimp and give it to the ladies and kids. How sweet is this? It makes eatin' pretty simple!
Learning this is like experiencing something internationally, it's intriguing, interesting, fun and it just makes me smile. Even if the food was so-so, it was totally worth it.

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