# Hybrid Cajun stew



## Peixaria (Dec 31, 2008)

After reading Sportracers recipe just below I thought I would throw this out there. I made it for years with the rue only to find out that the finished product was always invariably too thick and would wind up burning the bottom of the pot. Anyway here goes:


First you'll need the dry spice mixture:
2TBLS garlic powder
2 TBLS red cayenne pepper
2 TBLS black pepper
2 TBLS dried sweet basil
1 TBLS dried oregano
1 TBLS white pepper
1 TBLS onion powder
mix these together and store in something with a tight lid[ plastic] does not need to be refridgerated.


Ingredients:
6-8 dark meat "short chicken thighs" Food Lion family pack
3 sweet sausages can be FoodLion or =
3 andouie sausages or some other gourmet flavor. Duck is best,Hot ones tend to kill it.
1 lb medium shrimp Food Lion Frozen Raw are good because the backs are already split. Defrost and go.
3 good size onions
1 head celery
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1lb of fresh or frozen Okra
1 tub 12 oz. of good fresh Mushrooms[ should be bright white, like those from Allentown area]
1 26 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes
6-8 medium fresh tomatoes or 1 smaller can of the Del Monte dice w/ chiles
vegetable oil
3-4 Bay leaves
6 Cloves
Dry spice listed above

Directions:
In a major stovetop saucepan w/lid. 12 qts or better. Add a generous amount of oil. Add onions,celery, and both peppers as a rough dice.Add Bay Leaves. High heat, covered until they sweat, then reduce heat to medium. Be careful not to burn. Approx 20 minutes.
While this is heating open canned tomatoes. Pour whole peeled into mixer and loosely chop[ like 3 or 4 pieces per tomatoe]. If working fresh then you must also coarsely chop. Delmonte w/ chiles can go directly in.
Add tomatoes[either combination] and 1 26 oz.can of water.
Stir briefly and continue cooking on medium. 20 minutes
Add chicken thighs to pot.Leave skin on. Make sure to tuck them down into vegetable sauce. Now add 1 full heaping TBLS. of the dry mixture you made first. Make sure there is enough water to cover the chicken. Cover and continue on medium making sure bottom of pot is not scalding.
Cut up sausages on ovals on diagonal bias. Add to fry pan and drain about half of the fat away.
Whan brown add to the main pot, stir in. Check seasoning flavor at this point. Add the Cloves.
Remember, only 1 TBLS of the hot stuff or you can easily kill this .You can always add more to your serving later if desired.
Let this cook covered for approx 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken starts to fall from bone. 
During this time prepare the peeled raw shrimp, Slice the mushrooms and head and dice into rounds the Okra. Have it all ready on plates in the fridge. When the main pot seems done, Sausage cooked and chicken should be stringing and easy to remove from bones. Add the final 3 ingredients and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes and then remove from heat, cover pot tightly and let stand for about 20 min. 
Serve with rice or alone. The vegetable base by the time its finished is thick enough to stand on its own. If you have garden tomatoes it is that much better. I made this for years starting with the rue only to have it become too thick as ingredients were added. Sometimes I added those Redened, prepackaged Cajun Crawfishes with the shells and claws,in the last step, But it tended to scare the skiddish and any little kids at the table. I have made it with oysters, or what ever fish fillets you have on hand. Add whatever you have, and skip the flour and butter, you all know your bigboy waists can't take much more of this.


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## saltfisher1 (Feb 15, 2008)

Actually sounds pretty darn good.


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