Gumbo

• half pound pork sausage
• 1 carrot-diced small
• 1 onion-diced small
• 2 sticks celery-diced small
• 1 bell pepper-diced small
• 1 cup shredded chicken
• 1/2 pound link dinner sausage cut into slices
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup oil
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. creole seasonings (salt, black pepper, red pepper, chili powder, garlic)
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme

Start by browning half a pound of pork sausage. Remove the meat from the pan but leave the fat. Put in a large bowl to the side

Saute the onion, celery, carrot and peppers until soft in the fat. Add it to the bowl with the sausage. Put the chicken and sausage slices in the bowl too.

Melt the butter and add in the oil then  flour. Stir and cook the roux (flour butter mixture) until it turns brown. Most gumbo recipes say you want it a nice dark brown. this can take 20 minutes or more. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock so there are no flour lumps. 

Add back in the bowl with veggies and meat. Add in the spices. Simmer for about 2 hours. Serve over rice in a bowl.

Molten Lava Cakes

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 4 oz. semi sweet chocolate
• 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 total) of butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp orange extract

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth. 

Add in the flour and sugar and start mixing in a mixer on low. add in the eggs and flavorings and mix till smooth. 

Grease 6 ramekins with butter. Split the batter evenly between the ramekins.

Bake at 425 degrees for 18 minutes. 

Run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and put a plate on top then invert it and take off the ramekin. 

Serve with ice cream.

Salmon Risotto

• 1 onion-diced
• 1 pepper-diced
• 1 tbs. butter plus some oil
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 bottle white wine
• 6 cups stock*
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup Parmesan
• 1 cup flaked salmon meat (cooked)

Cook the onion and pepper in the oil over medium heat till soft and starting to brown. 

Add in the butter and rice and a bit more oil- just coat the grains of rice. Sate until just before the grains brown then add in the wine slowly, stirring.

Cook at a gentle low simmer adding liquid in when the pan the liquid is almost gone. Stir often. After about half an hour and most of the liquid, your rice should be cooked. Use more or less liquid as necessary.

While there is still a little liquid left in the pan, add in the butter, Parmesan, and salmon and stir until incorporated. Serve immediately. 

*I made salmon stock using the bones and head of a salmon that I filleted for salmon steaks the day before. I put the bones and head in a pot with water, lemon, carrot, onion, and celery. Simmered for an hour, and then strained out all the liquid for stock. Then i picked through the bones and head and got about 1.5 cups of flaked meat.



 Here is a picture of a chicken and white wine risotto. Instead of salmon stock and meat I used chicken and I didn't put in the peppers.

Navajo Tacos

Dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• about 3/4 cup warm water
• oil and shortening for frying

Taco meat:

• ground beef
• tomato sauce
• diced onion
• taco seasonings
• cumin

Toppings:

• onion
• cilantro
• lettuce
• tomato

Start by making the dough. Mix the dry ingredients together then slowly add in the oil and water. Mix as little as possible but make sure there are no lumps. Let it sit for about 2 hours, greased on the outside so it doesn't dry out. 

Start prepping the taco meat by cooking up ground beef and onion then adding in the seasonings and tomato sauce and let it cook down a bit. 

Put shortening and oil in a pan to heat for frying. 

Pinch off a ball of dough that will fir in the palm of your hand. Slowly stretch it out to just smaller than the size of a dinner plate. Don't roll it out or squish it or you lose the air bubbles.

Fry quickly on either side till light brown. Drain off the oil on a paper towel and serve with the meat and toppings.