When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
- attributed to Yogi Berra
And Chef Paul Prudomme wrote a book called "Fork in the Road", which
was about his change to more healthy recipes -- I think spurred on by
his sister nagging him about his excessive weight.
She died several years before him (though I
admit that she was quite a bit older).
Title: Smothered Okra And Eggplant
That recipe and the one below would benefit
from a bit of fat, both from the standpoint
of taste and of healthfulness. I've cooked
eggplant without fat before; it's just another
vegetable when you do it that way.
Not Yo' Mama's Red Beans And Rice
categories: celebrity, wwtt, main
yield: 7 c, to serve 6
1 lb red kidney beans or other red beans
h - seasoning mix
2 ts salt
1 1/2 ts onion powder
1 1/2 ts dried basil
1 ts garlic powder
1 ts dry mustard
1/2 ts black pepper
1/2 ts white pepper
1/2 ts dried oregano
1/2 ts cayenne
3 c chopped onion, divided
1 c chopped green bell pepper
1/2 c chopped celery
8 1/2 c defatted chicken stock, divided
2 c grape juice, divided
4 c cooked long-grain white rice
Day 1. Add enough water to the red beans to
cover them by 3 or 4 in, and soak overnight in
the refrigerator. As the beans absorb the water
they'll more than double in volume.
Day 2. Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in
a small bowl. Drain the beans and set them aside.
Preheat a heavy 5-qt pot, preferrably nonstick,
over high heat to 350F. Add 2 c onions, the bell
peppers, and the celery, and 1 Tb seasoning mix.
Stir and cook until the vegetables start to turn
brown, about 5 min. Add 1/2 c stock, scrape the
bottom of the pot to clear all the browned bits,
and cook 3 min. Add the remaining 1 c onions,
stir, and cook 5 min. Add the drained beans,
5 c stock, and the remaining seasoning mix. Stir
and cook for 45 min, scraping the bottom of the
pot occasionally to check for sticking. Add 1 c
grape juice and continue to cook for 25 min.
CAUTION - At this point, the starches in the
beans start to break down and sticking will
occur more often. It is therefore important to
check and clear the bottom of the pan frequently.
Add the remaining stock and grape juice, turn the
heat to medium, and cook until the beans are
tender, and the liquid is thick and begins to
look creamy, 30 to 35 min. Serve over rice.
NOTES. Red beans with rice is an old traditional
New Orleans Monday supper dish. Monday used to be
wash day, and the story goes that the beans could
simmer while the laundry was being done. When the
wash was finished, so were the beans. In the past,
in order to make the beans really good, the cook
started off with a lot of oil. While this recipe
eliminates the oil, it still is mouth-watering.
Paul Prudhomme, Fork in the Road
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