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We promised to publish the recipes for the Chicken Creole that we served with our Cabernet Sauvignon to all of the Mardi Gras Road Trip participants in February, 2007. Enjoy!.

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Recipes

This recipe is for our adaptation of a traditional creole dish. Our Chicken Creole combines all of our favorite flavors with chicken rather than seafood and adds the little twist of using a traditional roux to add texture and that marvellous flavor. This recipe is sized for a single typical family meal, and can be scaled up for a Cajun family or party.

• 1 lb of chopped chicken (dark meat) / substitute shrimp
• 1 lb of chopped or crushed tomatoes
• 6 - 8 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 - 2 cups of bell pepper, chopped
• 2 - 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• bay leaves to taste
• 1/2 cup of green onion, chopped / substitute 2/3 cup of white onion
• oil
• cajun or creole seasoning mix
• cayenne pepper

You will be making a roux, so you'll want to use a large cast-iron pot for that, and you can make the whole recipe in one pot or use two if it's more convenient.

Put enough oil into some pan to brown part of the garlic and chicken. Cook just until the chicken is lightly browned, then remove from the pan and set aside for now. Add the bell pepper, celery and onion and saute until the veggies are slightly softened, then remove from the pan and set aside. (If you're using two pans, don't bother to remove them.)

If you already have mastered making a roux, just "get your roux on" and skip to the last section! Otherwise, make sure that your cast iron pot has at least a 1/4 cup of oil and add an equal amount of flour. (If you're making a larger amount of creole, you'll want to scale this up: if you're making a restaurant-sized stock-pot of sauce, use at least a cup of (each) flour and oil for your roux.)

Over medium-high heat, stir or whisk the flour and oil continuously while it gradually turns to a darker color. Don't let it scorch, or you'll have to throw it out and start all over, and your kitchen is gonna smell bad for a while. Be patient and keep stirring until the roux is at least the color of a peanut shell. Be brave and keep stirring a little past peanut and you'll be rewarded by a much deeper and more intriguing flavor!

When your roux is ready, remove the cast iron pot from the heat and dump in the rest of the chopped garlic and stir that around in the roux for a little while and savor that aroma! When the sizzling has slowed down a bit, dump in the sauteed veggies and stir the whole mixture until the veggies are all coated with the roux.

Add the chicken, tomatoes, bay leaves, seasoning and get the heat back on under that pot (medium). From here on, let your taste buds be your guide and add salt and some additional cayenne pepper to suit the cook. Depending on the tomatoes, your sauce might be too thick for your preference, so you can add some water or a little dry white wine or both to achieve the texture you like. Now would be a real good time to open some of our '05 Cabernet Sauvignon and pour a big glass to enjoy while you're letting all of these flavors come together and to finish cooking the chicken.

Depending on your family's traditions, you could probably fix a big pan of white rice about now, and by the time that your first glass of Cab is empty and the rice is ready, your Creole will be ready to serve. Don't forget to put some good French bread on the table along with a bottle or two of the Cab, and laissez les bon temps roulez!