Happy Easter!! Starting of a New Tradition

Our first Easter together was a great day. We started the morning early for 10 am mass at St. Joseph's Cathedral with my parents. Mass was presided over by Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge. After mass, my parents wanted a picture of us, which worked out because we wanted an Easter photo as well. Unfortunately, Jesse hates this picture. In fact, she hates dresses and heels... how did I find such a girl?

We then headed over to the Hilton in downtown Baton Rouge to eat at The Kingfisher for brunch.

After over indulging in lunch that could have satisfied us until Wednesday, we headed home to change and fry the homemade boudin balls we started cooking for a party later in the day.

After frying the boudin balls and braving the cold rain, we drove over to my buddy Greg's house to hang out with some friends and enjoy a great traditional Easter dinner. When we arrived at Greg's, the power was out, which was ok since we all started playing card games and chatting. We enjoyed playing with Greg's new puppy, Sassy, and visiting with Greg, John, Ryan, and Jason. Being able to share the holidays with family and friends was a reminder to both Jesse and I of what we envision our holidays being each time they come around, year in and year out.

Chef Masterpiece: Remoulade Sauce made from scratch

A few weeks ago I promised to share my recipe for making my special Remoulade Sauce and today I have the step by step process to help you create this great sauce. This sauce is not only great for boudin balls, but also for alligator, some fried fish, and it also serves as a great salad dressing.

Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce

Nutritional Facts per serving (Serving size 1 Tablespoon):
43.6 calories, 3.2g Fat, 3.2g Cholesterol, 250.2g Sodium, 1.8g Potassium, 2.4g Carbs, 0g Fiber, 
0.1g Sugars, 0g Protein, 1.1% Vitamin A, 0.6% Vitamin C, 0% Calcium, 0.1% Iron

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp of finely minced bell pepper

1/4 cup of finely diced onion

1/2 cup Ketchup

2 Tsp  Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Capers, strained and diced
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Horseradish

1/2 Tsp Cajun Seasoning
2 Tsp Hot Sauce
                  

Chef Masterpiece: Boudin Balls like no other, just try them and say differently!

Ok, now I'm not talking about those lame Boudin Balls you get at a restaurant or from the frozen section at a specialty meat store, but the real stuff....... the homemade ones, from scratch.

I love being in the kitchen and Jesse could tell you all about that. And one of my favor dishes to make, and most time intensive, is Stephen's Homemade Boudin Balls. When all the flavors hit your taste palette, it is like nothing you've enjoyed as much. The great thing about Boudin Balls is being a Cajun dish with all the added flavor of spices.

Stephen's Homemade Boudin Balls

Nutritional Facts Below are Per 1 Boudin Ball

Calories: 82, Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 19g, Sodium: 111g, Potassium: 16g, Carbs: 5g, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugars: 0.3g, Protein: 5g, Vitamin A: 2.9%, Vitamin C: 7%, Calcium: 0.9%, Iron: 2.9%

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb.  Pork Shoulder

1 Large Yellow Onion

1 Large Green Bell Pepper

1 Jalapeño

1 Red Hot Chili Pepper

3 Green Onions (Tops only)

4 Cloves Garlic

1 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

4 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning

2 cups White Long Grain Rice

1 1/2 cup Fish Fry

3 tsp Tabasco

Instructions:

1) Cut the pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes. Also, dice the onion, bell pepper, red hot chili pepper, and jalapeño.

2) Put the above ingredients into a pot and fill with enough water to cover ingredients completely. Add 3 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning and 3 tsp Tabasco into pot and mix into water. Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling for 5 minutes, turn down the heat to a simmer and let it cook uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

3) After cooking, drain the liquid from the pot, but keep about 8 oz of the liquid for use when breading.

4) Place cooked ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is combined into a soft consistent state.

5) Place mixture in a bowl. Add the Green onion tops, dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and the remaining 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning. Mix together using some of the liquid to keep the mixture moist and consistent.

6) Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on aluminum foil.

7) After rolling all the balls, heat up the oil in a fryer or oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Roll each boudin ball in the fish fry and then place into the heated oil.

8) Let the boudin ball brown in the oil for roughly 5-6 minutes and then remove. Repeat until all the boudin balls have been cooked.

Best if served with Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce, but just as tasty served plain.

If you have some free time to have a little fun in the kitchen and enjoy a great Cajun dish loved by basically all South Louisianan's, then try out this recipe. I promise the time it takes to make this recipe is worth it with the end results.

Check back and I'll walk you through and place some pictures of Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce to serve with either Boudin Balls or Blackened/Fried Alligator. Yes, I have a ton of healthy Cajun recipes to share with y'all.