It's Rich Person's Hoppin' John, with a lot of meat and a whole array of vegetables, and it's what I had for supper Saturday.
There's a strip of bacon in there, and a couple of mild Italian sausages squeezed out of the casing, but also a pound of ground turkey, because they had it at the grocery and why not? That got Cajun seasoning and some curry powder sprinkled on it while it all browned and the fat was drained off.
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Shown right before adding the bay leaves and covering it to simmer.
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Then it was step by step: diced carrots, slices of celery, some dice red, orange, yellow and green bell pepper (at least two pepper's worth; the grocer sells it sliced), followed by red onion; each addition was sauteed in the center of the cookpot before being stirred in and pushed to the side. Then a couple of cans of mild Hatch chilies, some sliced organic (low salt but flavorful) Kalamata olives and a couple of big hot/sweet pickled okra, followed by a box (the equivalent of a large can) of crushed tomatoes and a can of blackeyed peas with about half the liquid. All that got to simmer with three bay leaves, some dried garlic flakes, a little more Cajun seasoning and some this and that.
It was almost too good. I ate a bowl and a half and would have had more, if I had even less self-control.
There was plenty left to freeze in three meal-sized bags for later.
5 comments:
Interesting combo: Cajun & Curry
I noticed it first at Yat's, the authentic Cajun place who's original restaurant is not very far from my house. They keep their excess spice stock behind the long counter in what was display space when their part of the building was a drugstore, long ago, and there's curry powder along with a whole assortment of other interesting spices.
Before it was Yats, the place was Modern Times Vintage Clothing, and most of their costume jewelry, scarves and other accessories were displayed there. In between, Modern Times stopped selling clothes and became a 24-hour diner for a few years; the owner wanted to try something new!
My apologies for failing to have used my name, above, Roberta. I will have to try your spices combo. My chronic conditions have taken away my ability to use salt or sugar as seasonings, so I am getting more adventurous.
Check the ingredients carefully! Some of the "Cajun" spice mixes have salt -- and plenty of it. They're usually listed in order of what constitutes the most, and at least one "Cajun or "Creole" mix begins with salt.
Curry powders are much better that way, and the best ones have a lot of flavor. Smoked paprika is another one to try, and perhaps coriander.
Thanks for the alert, Roberta, but I have "no salt" Cajun spices on hand - plus the recipe for a Cajun spice mix that I can mix up without the salt.
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