Today’s guest blog post is by Katie Prange of One Little Corner of the World.

It is my pleasure to feature Katie as she shares with us a part of her family cooking tradition on the CCR blog! Katie is featuring her family recipe Page 92 – named and created with the help of her son. (A modified, easy quick Chili Mac).

Please join me in welcoming Katie!

Katie of “One Little Corner of the World”

About Katie
Katie is a wife, mother of two boys, and a high school English and accounting teacher. She loves to cook, and find new ways to share her love of food with family. She thoroughly enjoys teaching and loves to be with her students. Katie says, “I think they keep me young. I write part time for a local newspaper in the area”.

She is busy these days with scouts and sports; they just finished with basketball, but are still involved in karate and scouting. Keeping up with the boys is a full time job in itself.

When Katie and her family plan vacations, they always look for restaurants that really have show off the cuisine of their region. For them, the restaurants they go to are as important as the sights they see on their trips.

The Recipe
I have been invited to do a guest post on Cajun Chef Ryan’s blog. For my guest post, I was going to cook an old family dish called “Page 47.”  I know, it sounds strange, but that is what my grandma used to call this simple pasta dish that I would look forward to each time she made it.  You see it was on page 47 of some cookbook, but Lord only knows what cookbook, or what the actual name of the dish was.  To us, it was just Page 47.

Instead, I ended up cooking with my son – he is 7 years old and loves to be in the kitchen.  He started making suggestions about what to put with the ground beef I was cooking, so we ended up eating what he now refers to as Page 92….just a number he chose.

He had so much fun cooking – he was even talking about it this morning still.  He has always been interested in food; I think ingredient was one of his first large words.  Almost every day, unless he is playing a really cool video game, or isn’t home, he watches me cook dinner.  He also has to critique every meal, which totally cracks me up

Katie’s son and a bowl of Page 92, A modified, easy quick Chili Mac

Page 92 – named and created by my son and me. (A modified, easy quick Chili Mac)

Thank you so much Katie for this great family recipe! I know your son will thank you years from now for allowing to be a part of your family cooking heritage!

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2011 CCR

Fish and Chips Style Fried Catfish

Fish and chips became a popular carry out staple for the working classes in Great Britain, originating sometime around 1858 to 1863. The first “Fish and Chip” shop opened in Britain, in Oldham, Greater Manchester and is commemorated with a plaque stating:

“Fish And Chips Tommyfield, home of the first British fried chip. The first chips were fried in Oldham around 1860 from which the origins of Fish and Chip shops and the “Fast Food” industries can be traced.”

Typically fish and chips utilize cod, pollock, or haddock as the main ingredient, which are firm fleshed white flaky fish, in my preparation I am using catfish, the popular southern fried staple. 

The batter is typically made with a simple water and flour mixture with baking soda adding some body; some recipes call for vinegar to add lightness, and some use beer or soda water to add airy lightness to the fried crust. In this recipe I am using sparkling water, but any carbonated liquid would do, just know that the flavor will change depending on the liquid added to the batter, especially if a dark beer is utilized.

The fish and chip fried catfish morsels are light, airy, tender and flavorful fruits of the sea. Each fish strip when dipped into the batter then gently coddled into the deep fat swells into a puff up of delicate floating islands, almost like a fresh fish caught on the line and awaiting its ultimate culinary fate.

The golden brown islands of buoyant seafood goodness screams out like the whistle of the fishing ship announcing its arrival, drawing tight and slipping into the dock, tying up and delivering the goods. Your plate is the home port, and the fresh fried fish has arrived!

The Step-By-Step

In a medium bowl combine the beaten egg with the milk to form an egg wash. In a second medium bowl add two cups of the all-purpose flour.

Egg wash with catfish strips

Dip the fish pieces a few at a time into the egg wash to moisten, and then dredge them evenly but lightly into the flour. Dust off any excess flour and allow the coated fish strips to air dry on a wax paper lined sheet pan for at least 5 minutes.

Floured catfish strips resting on wax paper lined sheet pan at least 5 minutes

In a third medium bowl combine the remaining 1 ½ cups flour with the sugar, baking powder, salt, and onion powder. Then using a wire whisk, add the sparkling water until the consistency of a thin pourable batter, not too thin, and not too thick.

Batter mixed and ready to go

The batter and fry station set up. Oil almost at temperature.

Dip the floured fish strips 3 or 4 at a time into the batter, then gently slide them into the hot oil and fry on all sides for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown and floating. Be sure to fry evenly on all sides.

Frying the battered catfish strips (click image for larger view)

Four or five pieces of catfish in the deep fry oil

Catfish frying on all sides, just about golden brown

The Recipe

To Serve: Have salt and malt vinegar ready at the table.

Fish and Chips Malt Vinegar

Yield: four 6-ounce portions

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2011 CCR

Mulligatawny Soup

The word for this soup literally means “pepper water.” And with endless variations, some are prepared in a broth consistency with chunks of tasty ingredients, and others have the whole or some of the ingredients pureed to a smooth consistency. In this version the ingredients are left in their chunky state, and cooked down in a liquid of chicken stock and filtered water. Inspiration for this one comes from America’s Most Wanted Recipes, and the Soup Nazi, from Seinfeld!

While the history behind the origins of this soup seems unclear, it appears that the English created this in India as a variation of a split pea soup, and called it “Indian”, so more likely its derivation is Anglo-Indian.

Mulligatawny Soup, a spoonful of goodness

Our variation on the famous soup is vegetarian; no meat at all, however, the protein found in this one comes from cashews and pistachios.

Every bite of this soup is like taking a trip back in time, history in every serving.

This soup takes about 7 hours to simmer down, starting out with a gallon of water and ½ gallon of chicken stock. With all the ingredients you will need to start out with at least a 3 gallon stock pot to prepare this soup.  The long simmering time not only increases the flavor profile of the soup, but it allows the volume to reduce to about one-half of the amount when you started out.

Mulligatawny Soup, another angle

Once finished, you will not be disappointed. The sweetness of this soup is amazing, as the vegetables and the little sugar added combine into a rich and flavorful spoonful every time.

The chunky ingredients in this soup make for a one pot meal; all you need is some crackers or a loaf of warm crusty bread and tempered butter to accompany your steamy bowl.

To Serve: Remove the bay leaves and warm up portions as needed.
Yield: Approximately 20 8-ounce portions

Mulligatawny Soup

Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
©2011 CCR

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

Today I am sharing a spicy Cajun wing sauce, and this is more than your average “Buffalo Sauce” because it is made with TABASCO® Original Red hot sauce. Tabasco adds great heat to wings, you will be looking for that cold one to go along with it too, it is so much more than Hot!

The first time I made a batch of wing sauce was at the Hyatt Hotel New Orleans, and this was with fifty pounds of butter and over two gallons of Tabasco sauce, we were making this for a special banquet party. Here are some other great party ideas, and for any Game-Day Party Menu. Here is a recipe for my Cajun wing sauce that will fit in your average kitchen sauce pan, and the yield in this recipe is  not quite so much, actually about  one quart. Enough to cover and coat about five pounds of wings.

The Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2    lb.    Butter, melted

14 ounces Tabasco Original Red

1 cup Ketchup

1 Tbsp Cajun Spice Blend

Procedure

Put all the ingredients into a 2 quart sauce pan over medium heat and melt together, simmer for about 5 minutes. Dip your fried chicken wings for great flavor.