Red Gravy

This sauce is more than just “spaghetti sauce”. Its flexibility allows us to use it on top of meatloaves, pannéed meats, po-boy, fish, sausage and, yes, even pasta. In fact, I make this for pasta sauce instead of plain marinara, I find its richness to be beyond compare.

Red Gravy

1/2 cup olive oil
1 whole bulb of garlic, with each toe sliced in half lengthwise
3 bay leaves
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup onion, diced
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups canned tomato purée
6 ounces tomato paste
1-2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons creole seasoning
1-2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (Italian or sweet)
1-2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme

In a 2-quart saucepan or stockpot, heat the olive oil, sliced garlic cloves, and 2 of the bay leaves. Cook garlic slices to achieve browning on both sides (over medium heat), cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes and stirring often. Remove garlic from pan, you can toss this. Turn down heat to medium-low and add the onions to the pan and sautee until edges start to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes and stirring constantly.

Add the tomato paste and cook with the onions until the color deepens to a red mahogany color; it gets somewhat sticky, it will build up your forearm muscles. This step is important, so be patient! You want to carmelize the entire mixture; this is where almost all of the flavor for the sauce will come from. When done, add the third bay leaf and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer; here is where you will adjust your seasonings… I like mine on the spicier side so I actually add 2 tablespoons of creole seasoning rather than 2 teaspoons. Maintain a very low simmer and cook for about three hours and stirring frequently. The whole house will smell delicious for days after making this. Makes 6 cups and freezes well.

Technorati Tags: Creole, Food, Vegan, Vegetarian

Stuffed Bell Peppers

My grandmother used to make the best stuffed bell peppers, never greasy or dry and perfect in the winter when was rainy and raw in New Orleans. This is my best attempt at capturing the soul of her dish. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 bell peppers
1/2 stick butter, plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, large and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 toes garlic, diced
2 lbs. ground beef, turkey, chicken, pork or veal (you may also use crab and shrimp)
4 cups bread crumbs (seasoned are best)
3 eggs
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, remove stems and seeds; set aside. Melt butter in skillet and add olive oil; sautee onion, celery mixture. Add garlic for last two minutes of sautee time, sautee mixture until vegetables are wilted. Add ground meat or seafood and completely cook mixture (seafood will only a take around two minutes). Add bread crumbs and season mixture with salt, pepper and creole seasoning. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Work in the eggs into stuffing mixture, its best to temper the eggs with some of the mixture first in case it’s too warm; you don’t want to scramble the eggs. Adjust seasoning if necessary and begin spooning mixture into the bell pepper shells. Place them in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle some extra bread crumbs on top of each and add a pat of butter to top for a golden brown crust (optional).

Bake dish in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes or until the shells are tender. Serves 6.

Another option that I like is to add some red gravy to the top. If the stuffing is too dry add some vegetable or beef stock to the mixture. These make good meals unto themselves.

Technorati Tags: Creole, Food, Main Dish