All About Cajun Food

Born and raised in Southern Louisiana, I grew up on Cajun cuisine. So where did Cajun food come from?

Cajun cuisine is a combination of Southern and French food. Immigrants of French peasant ancestry settled in the Acadian region of Nova Scotia, Canada in the early 1600's. The name Acadian was transformed to "Cajun" by the English-speaking inhabitants of Louisiana. These people adapted their French rustic cuisine to include local ingredients such as rice, crawfish, sugar cane and spices. Since Cajun food was developed by very poor people, rice was a staple in their cuisine. Adding rice to a stew, or a dish, stretched the food so that there would be enough for all.

Cajun meals always consist of three things: bell peppers, onions and celery - known as the "Cajun Trinity." Other common ingredients are cayenne pepper, garlic and a variety of seafood or meat. Almost every meal is cooked in a black cast iron pot that is usually passed down from generation to generation.

Here is one of my favorite Cajun recipes.

Dirty Rice (Boudin without the casing)

Ingredients:

• 3 lb pork roast
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 onions - divided (1 & 1)
• 1 shallot - cut in half
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 bunch green onions - chopped finely
• 1 bunch parsley - chopped finely
• 1 Tbl salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 4 cups rice - cooked

Directions:

1) In a large stock pot with enough water to cover the entire contents of pot, boil the pork roast, the shallot, 1 onion, and the bell pepper until meat is done. Remove roast and vegetables from pot, reserving stock.

2) Place meat and boiled vegetables in a food processor. After processed, add to a large bowl with remaining onion - chopped, parsley, green onions, and seasonings. Stir well. Add rice & mix well. Gradually add stock water and mix until desired consistency is reached - barely wet.

Dawn Billesbach
Creator and Founder of Menufortheweek.com
Does the daily struggle of "What's for dinner?" make you want to hide your head like an ostrich?
Visit my website for one FREE week's menu and grocery list. Treat yourself and leave the stress to me.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/recipes-articles/all-about-cajun-food-3111382.html

Article by ANNE