Cole Family Cajun Cookbook. Old World Louisiana Recipes

This is a family cookbook that contains 140 of the best Cajun and Creole recipes the state of Louisiana has ever produced. These are very old world recipes collected from several family members in the greater New Orleans area and south Louisiana Cajun country. This project was started after an argument between two sisters over an old Aunts gumbo recipe, it was settled when a copy of the recipe was found and it was determined that they were both wrong. It was then decided that we could not allow food this good to be lost to history. The best of families recipes were collected and sent off to a printer, who had a minimum order of 250 copies. Needless to say we have some left over and we would like to share them with you. They list the basic ingredients so you should be able to reproduce them where ever you may live. We are not fond of seasoning mixes, they tend to make everything taste the same. We list the individual amounts of spices required for each recipe, this is not just another cookbook that say’s to add a tablespoon of Tony Chachere’s and calls it self a Cajun cookbook. The book goes into great detail and was designed for future generations that may not know how to cook, the idea being that they could pick up this book, follow the instructions and reproduce world class Cajun and Creole food. Most of the book is printed in font 14 for easy reading and the book is comb bound so it will lay flat on the counter. The pages are numbered and there is an index in back. The cook book has 100 pages and measures 11in by 8 3/4in by 3/8in thick.

There are several recipes for Gumbo's and Jambalaya's. Also, Beignets, Grillades an Grits, Eggs St.Charles, Creole Rice Calas, French Bread, Oysters Rockefeller, Blackened Shrimp En Brochette, Muffaletta, Corn Maque Choux, Crab Boil, Fried Turkey, Fried Shrimp, Fish and Alligator, Sauces, Roux’s, Gravy’s, Piquant’s, Shepherd's Pie, Dirty Rice’s, Barbecued Shrimp, Shrimp Creole, Blackened Red Fish, Catfish Courtbouillon, Stuffed Crabs, Crab Cakes, Shrimp and Crab Beurre Blanc Sauce, Crab and Corn Bisque, Roast Beef Po Boy, Cajun Meat Loaf, Turtle Soup, Dressing’s, Red Beans And Rice, Crawfish Bisque, Crawfish Etouffee, Crawfish Pie, Stuffed Eggplant, Stuffed Artichokes, Sausages, Boudin, Cracklins, Hurricane, Home made Wine, Creole Seasonings, and much, much more. There is also a large dessert section including New Orleans Pound Cake, Key lime Pie, Strawberry Pie, Pecan Pie, Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce, Meringues, Cookies, Bananas Foster, Stage Planks, Pralines and more. There is no other cookbook quite like this one, I hope you will find this a unique and wonderful addition to your cook book collection. Thank you

Gumbo is great but nothing brings me back home like crawfish etouffee, try this recipe, it is easy to cook and one of my favorites. It cooks quickly so chop everything in advance.

Crawfish Etouffée ( ay-too-FAY )

2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Teaspoon White Pepper

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Sweet Basil Leaves

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves

1 Cup Finely Chopped Green Onions

1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Chopped Bell Pepper

1/2 Cup Chopped Celery

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

3/4 Cup Flour

3 Cups Seafood Stock or Water

2 Sticks Unsalted Butter

2 Pounds of Peeled Crawfish Tails or Peeled Shrimp.

4 Cups of Cooked Rice

Combine seasonings in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet until it starts to smoke, whisk in flour gradually until its smooth. Keep whisking until the roux is dark red-brown. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the onions, celery and bell pepper and half of the seasoning mix. With a wooden spoon keep stirring until onions start to clear, about 5 minutes. Add the 3 cups of stock and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Reduce heat and keep cooking until the flour taste is gone, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In at least a 4 quart saucepan melt the butter over a medium heat and then add crawfish and green onions and the rest of the seasoning mix. Cook about 4 minutes than add the stock and roux mixture, stir until it mixes in. If sauce starts to separate add a little water about two tablespoons and stir. Serve with cooked rice.