We all love hot, gooey cinnamon rolls, but here they get a modernized makeover. Nutella is stuffed into premade biscuit dough and baked, creating a super-easy new twist on those traditional rolls we adore.
As promised, here is the second variation of my recipe. But before I give the actual recipe… I will teach some of you guys how “I” make my roux. I do this in a non-stick pan or skillet. (*GASP* “BLASPHEMY!!!”)
Yes Yes… I know that a tradition roux is made in a cast iron skillet or in the oven, but my way is simple and INCREDIBLY easy. Don’t be afraid… you can do it…
STEP #1 - Roux is made of EQUAL parts oil and flour. The better quality oil you use, the smoother and more refined your roux will be. Start with a nonstick pan with a long handle and a wooden spoon. Place your pan flat against the stove burner and set the heat to high.
Buy a nice wooden spoon and use it to ONLY cook roux. After the first too times you use it, it will be well seasoned and very dark. This is a good roux spoon. ^_^
STEP #2 - Pour your oil and flour in and quickly stir out most of the lumps. Some will still be in there, but be patient they will come out. Leave alone and let set flat on the high heat for a minute or so, just until it starts to bubble.
STEP #3 - Turn the heat down to a highish medium and use the handle to tilt the pan up at a 45* angle. Now only a small area of the pan should have the highest heat.
STEP #4 - STIR CONSTANTLY by rotating the roux from the pool up to the cooler part of the pan with your wooden spoon. Big circular motions, as shown in the picture. This insures the roux does not get too hot and burn as well as blends it to make it smooth
STEP #5 - When the roux begins to darken, this is when you have to take most care of not burning. If you notice that it is sticking a bit of chunking up, pull the pan off the burner and stir in the air to cool the pan down a bit. Adjust your temp down a tad, though if you turn it too low you may elongate the cook time.
Step #6 - Cook to the color you prefer. I usually love a dark chocolatey roux, but some recipes will call for a blonder one. They come in several varieties. The roux will go from pale to blonde, to brick, to brown. The darker it is the more flavor it has, but don’t burn it black.
That’s pretty much it. It may take you a few times to get it right, but just think of it as seasoning your spoon. And the ingredients are fairly cheap.
Tip: You can make a roux with butter but it tends to burn VERY EASILY. Only cook a butter roux on at most a lowish medium heat. It takes tons longer to cook, but it’s possible.
Another tip: practice with a thinner roux, as the equal parts suggest. I have gotten to the point where I no longer measure my flour out. I like my roux a bit thicker and tend to add more flour as needed. This also makes your dish a bit less oily on the spoon. It takes a bit of practice to get it right.
And now onto the etoufee…
Put down the canned tomato sauce and try this easy pan sauce, bursting with fresh tomato goodness. Toss with shrimp, feta, basil, and fat Spaghetti noodles for a foolproof 30-minute dinner idea.
Ok here we go…
Ingredients:
1 pound fat spaghetti noodles or Bucantini noodles
2 tbsp olive oil
minced garlic
crushed red pepper, bit to taste
4 cups red (and/or yellow) cherry tomatoes, halved
1- 2 pounds shrimp
1 cup basil (fresh is better, thin sliced)
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boiling. Add noodles and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking liquid to use for the sauce.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and the juices begin to bubble, about 3 minutes. If the cherry tomatoes give out very little juice, add 1 tablespoon of water and a splash (about 1/2 teaspoon) of red wine vinegar for acidity. Add the shrimp and a large pinch of crushed red pepper then toss just until the shrimp are cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Add the pasta along with reserved pasta cooking liquid. Toss together over low heat. Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil; toss with tongs, adding up to 1 Tbsp. more oil and additional cheese if desired for taste. :)
I’m all for cheap dinners. And the art of concoction cooking is finding things you already have in your pantry and just throwing them together. Think of it as an experiment of sorts. If there is something you want to tweak after the first time, play with it in the future to make it your own.
Here’s another dorm meal, if you can believe. I haven’t made it for a few years so I have no picture, but I’ll add one possibly this weekend for you look i-loos.
Ok here we go…
Ingredients:
Brown your ground beef and drain. Stir tomatoes, peas and onion into your meat. Cook till hot and them place in an oiled baking dish.
Put cheese on top of mixture in pan if you desire.
Mix cornbread as directed on your package. Pour over your ground meat mixture. No need to stir.
Bake in the over at 375* for about 30 minutes or until cornbread is done.
Voila! Salt and pepper as needed. I used to serve this with loaded mashed potatoes or a veggie stir fry. You can also serve it as a side dish.
*If you want you can mix another box of cornbread mix (but make it relatively thick) and place it at the bottom of your pan before the meat mixture. That way your bake is corn-breaded on both sides. ^_^
I top mine with lots of cheese. Ty it with nacho sauce too! :)
I’m thinking of making this with tuna. I’ll let you know how that works.
So… after you have perfected your roux lets move on to the etouffee!
For this recipe you will make a roux using 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup oil. Adjust this amount for multiples.
Enough chit chat though. ^_^
OK here we go…
Ingedients:
Cook rice as directed and set aside to steam.
Make your roux. While the roux is still very hot lace in the onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook until the onions are clear and the celery has very little crunch. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the crawfish. Stir in your butter and 1 cup chicken broth to keep the crawfish moist while cooking. Dry crawfish is bad crawfish. :)
Stir in tomatoes or rotel (drained). Bring to a boil. Add the tomato sauce and stir until the mixture is a nice dark pink color. If the sauce in the pan is a bit thick, add about 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth to thin. Sprinkle with a bit of cajun spice. If you used rotel, take it light. Usually rotel will provide most of the spice without having to add much more.
Cook for about 30 minutes on a low-medium heat covered, stirring regularly. Add about 1/3 cup water or chicken broth at a time as needed to keep the etouffee at a good consistency. Etouffee should be thicker than a soup but a tad thinner than a chowder.
Add a good sprinkle of parsley (1 -2 tbsp) and stir in well. Serve ontop of rice topped with green onions. Add Tabasco as needed.
This version with the roux is my favorite. It has a deeper, richer flavor.
It’s time for me to bestow upon you one of my most precious recipes… My Crawfish Etouffee. Some variations of this dish are made with roux, some without. Luckily I am going to give you both. Today we’ll do the rouxless.
Now it is always best to do this during crawfish season, but if it’s not just replace the crawfish with shrimp or catfish, or even chicken if you’re feeling froggy. All are equally as delicious. Serve with hot garlic bread. NOM!
I also usually serve this with my homemade potato salad… but that’s a recipe I will save for a later date ^_^ I did, though, realize that alot of the emails I get from my recipes are from people outside of Louisiana, many of which don’t have our local cajun spice mixes available. So at the bottom I’ve place a second recipe just for you guys.
Ok here we go…
Ingredients:
Cook rice as directed and set aside to steam.
In a large pot over a medium heat, melt 1/2 the amount of butter. Place in the onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook until the onions are clear and the celery has very little crunch. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the crawfish. Stir in the rest of your butter to keep the crawfish moist while cooking. Dry crawfish is bad crawfish. :)
Stir in tomatoes or rotel (drained) and cream of mushroom soup with about half the can’s amount of water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add the tomato sauce and stir until the mixture is a nice dark pink color. If the sauce in the pan is a bit thick, add about 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth to thin. Sprinkle with a bit of cajun spice. If you used rotel, take it light. Usually rotel will provide most of the spice without having to add much more.
Cook for about 30 minutes on a low-medium heat covered, stirring regularly. Add about 1/3 cup water or chicken broth at a time as needed to keep the etouffee at a good consistency. Etouffee should be thicker than a soup but a tad thinner than a chowder.
Add a good sprinkle of parsley (1 -2 tbsp) and stir in well. Serve ontop of rice topped with green onions. Add Tabasco as needed.
Enjoy! ^_^
Later this week we’ll go over the same recipe, but it will use roux instead of cream of mushroom. Some people tend to avoid recipes using roux because they don’t know or are afraid of making it. Don’t buy the jar folks. I’ll teach you! :)
For your own cajun spice, you can make a mixture of :
- 1/3 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup chilli powder
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp cumin
Seems like a lot the flavors mix soooo well. The flavors blend without overpowering each other. Pay attention to the amounts. There is a LARGE difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon of cumin, or cayenne pepper for that matter. It’s a perfect mixture when it’s not too salty, nor too spicy.
Place in a jar or shaker. You can use this mixture on just about ANYTHING.
