Incredibly Quick and Easy Corn Maque Choux

Sorry for not posting in a while. I'm working on a couple projects that I'm excited to share, but they're very much a work in progress right now.

For now, a super simple recipe for corn maque choux, which is a Creole/Cajun side dish consisting of corn, onions, bell peppers, lots of spice, and some cream. My version is a loose interpretation, because I've never had actual southern maque choux, but it's tasty nonetheless. It also falls under my favorite category of cooking: shit you just throw in a pan without measuring.

You'll need:
1 small onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced (if you like things extra spicy, sub a jalapeno with the seeds, etc. removed; and if you don't feel like buying 2 different kinds of bell pepper, use the other half of the red. No big.)
A couple handfuls of corn kernels (I buy the frozen fire-roasted kind from Trader Joe's, but any kind will work. This isn't rocket science.)
A splash or two of cream, half-and-half or milk (you'll want a little sprinkle of flour to thicken up the last one though.
A couple spoonfuls of Essence of Emeril (find the recipe here or buy it at the grocery store. I like to make it without salt so I can season whatever I'm making to my taste)
Salt
Oil
1 T. butter

Saute the onions and peppers in olive oil or butter (or a mixture) on medium/medium-high until soft, then add the corn.

Add a generous pinch of salt, then sprinkle on the Essence. It'll be about a teaspoon, but taste it and adjust. If you used a jalapeno, you might want less because there's cayenne in the spice blend. If you're ballsy, you might want more. I'm on the ballsy side, myself.

Cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Or longer. Whatever. The longer the flavors meld the better, but it's perfectly passable after just a couple minutes.

Here I like to throw on a pat of butter, then a light sprinkling of flour. After it's all incorporated, cook a minute longer, then add your liquid dairy product of choice. Again, if you use milk with a lower fat content, go ahead and be a bit more liberal with the flour.

And you're done! My favorite way to serve this is with a few very lightly seasoned sauteed shrimp on top. And feel free to garnish with some scallion, parsley, or cilantro for a bit of brightness.

Serves 2, or 1 if you're really hungry.

Make it and let me know how it turns out, okay?

What I can only describe as oil-poached shrimp

I was kind of going for a tapas theme last night and I needed something to go with my tortilla espanola (see previous post) so I decided to try a super-simple shrimp dish.

Defrost enough shrimp to pack into a cast-iron skillet in one layer. Then pat them dry.


Mince about 3 cloves of garlic and add them to about a quarter-inch of olive oil in the bottom of a cast-iron skillet. If you don't have one, use a smallish round vessel that can go in the oven. A pie-tin might even work. Throw the garlic and oil in a 400 degree oven until the oil is hot and the garlic is dancing around in it.


Take the pan out and arrange the shrimp in the oil. Add a pinch of salt and some crushed red pepper flakes.


Throw the pan back in the oven and cook until the critters are done, flipping them once halfway through cooking. It should only take about 5 minutes, but your mileage may vary. When the shrimps are completely pink and curled loosely (if they are tightly curled up, they may be overdone) they are perfect.


Serve straight from the skillet but use a trivet because the pan will stay hot for quite a while.

Minimalist tuna salad

Tuna salad is a cheap, easy, protein-packed no-brainer. I like mine really simple but you can always add extra accoutrements such as relish, mustard, etc. or get really creative with dried cranberries or curry powder. This is just the simple stuff.

The ingredients:


Slice off about a sixth of the onion. This is of course an approximation. I don't believe in measuring.


Chop it very finely. A sharp knife is crucial to not crying while doing this. Contacts help too, I've noticed.


Cut the stalk of celery in half, then slice each of them in half lengthwise. Now chop finely.


Throw the onions and celery in a bowl and add the can of tuna, drained. I like to use no salt added tuna a) because mayonnaise is very salty and b) I like to control my seasonings as much as possible. If you're using regular tuna, give it a rinse as well as draining it. Then grind some black pepper into the bowl and toss a glob of mayo on top.


Now use a fork to mix everything together, breaking up the chunks of tuna. I like to add a couple teaspoons water to make the texture creamier. At this point, adjust the seasonings and if needed, add a bit more mayo.


You can now pile a bunch of it on whole-wheat bread, or like I did for lunch, slap a glob of it on top of a simple salad to which i added peanuts, beets, vegetarian bacon bits, oil and vinegar.