It’s safe to say we are all looking forward to a happy and healthy 2021. Do you, like me, make the traditional ‘lucky’ New Year’s Day meal of cornbread, greens, pork, and black-eyed-peas? As a farewell to 2020, and in gratitude for all of you out in social media land, here is one of my all time favorite recipes, and one that you can use tomorrow for love and luck in 2021. Wishing you all a very safe New Year’s Eve!
Lots and lots of GumboLove, LuLu
Black Eyed Pea Dip
Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped red onion
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously to dissolve sugar. Set aside
Place peas in a large glass or stainless steel bowl.
Add all bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and parsley. Pour dressing over top and toss well. Transfer to a plastic container, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
“Tis the season for lots of things, and indulging in warm, hearty comfort-food is one of them. This recipe is straight out of Gumbo Love. As the temperature drops, baking a savory pie in the oven is the most perfect thing I can think of doing today.
If you make the Rustic Chicken PotPie, let me know how it goes for you. Or, tell me in the comments what is your go-to comfort-food recipe on a chilly December weekend? #ChickenPotPie #GumboLove
Ingredients / Serves 8
Organic olive oil cooking spray
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 boneless, skin on chicken thighs
Seasoned salt
Lemon pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 package small pearl onions (about 2 cups)
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup white wine or sake
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped sweet onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups coarsely chopped celery
2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 Pillsburry refrigerated piecrust (see note)
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13“ baking dish with olive oil spray and set aside.
Place all the chicken pieces in a metal baking pan. Generously season the chicken with seasoned salt and lemon pepper. Add 1 cup of the broth. Bake for 1 hour, basting and turning the chicken every 20 minutes, until most of the broth and the chicken juices have reduced to golden brown drippings.
While the chicken is baking, in a medium sauce pan, bring 2 – 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the pearl onions and boil for 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Remove and discard the onion skins and set the onions aside.
Run hot water over the peas in a strainer until they are thawed. Drain completely. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Once the chicken is done baking, remove it from the pan to cool (keep the oven on). While the pan is still hot, add the wine to deglaze the baking pan, whisking and scraping all the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan and stirring them into the wine. Pour the drippings into a measuring cup and set aside.
Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces (do not shred). Set aside.
In a medium stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped sweet onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt and sauté until the onion just begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
Add the celery and carrots. Sauté until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the butter and stir until it’s melted. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring continuously for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the flour begins to brown slightly.
Add the remaining 3 cups broth and the cream. Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens, then add the reserve liquid from the chicken drippings.
Add the oregano, thyme, tarragon, white pepper, turmeric, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Stir together.
Add the pearl onions and thawed peas and gently stir.
Gently stir in the chicken and parsley.
Sprinkle flour over the counter or a marble pastry slab and roll out the piecrust dough to fit the 9 x 13” baking dish.
Transfer the chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish. Drape the piecrust over the dish, prepping the sides – I like mine very rough and rustic.
Brush the top of the piecrust with the beaten egg. Use a knife to make a few thin slits in the crust to release the steam as it cooks.
Place the potpie in the oven on a low rack and bake for 30 minutes.
Move the potpie to a top rack and bake for 30 minutes more or until the pastry is golden brown.
*Note: I’m not a very good baker, which is why I usually use a ready-made pastry. I’ve found Pillsburry to be the closest to homemade. If you’re an avid baker or a proficient pastry chef by all means use your favorite pie crust recipe or the one on page 13 in Gumbo Love.
1 pound ground andouille sausage or any good quality smoked sausage, sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 medium head celery, coarsely chopped including leaves
3/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon grease
1 cup all purpose flour
8 cups chicken stock, heated
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon LuLu’s Crazy Creola seasoning (or any Creole seasoning you like)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups finely chopped green onions
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 quart fresh oysters, drained
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-3 tablespoons LuLu’s perfect pepper hot sauce (or any hot sauce you like)
Filé powder, optional
Place whole chicken in a large stock pot. Cover with water, add 2 bay leaves, and boil chicken until tender. Remove from broth and cool.
Remove and discard chicken skin and bones. Chop chicken into large bite-size pieces. Set aside.
Heat a cast iron or heavy skillet and cook sausage over medium heat until browned. Drain on paper towels.
Place chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery including leaves, in separate bowls. Set aside.
To make the roux, heat vegetable oil or bacon grease in a 10-quart heavy stock pot over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, gradually add flour, whisking continuously. Continue to whisk roux, adjusting heat as necessary to keep from burning. This may take 25 to 35 minutes or until your arm feels like it is about to fall off and the roux is a dark mahogany color. Be careful; if the roux burns, you will have to start all over again!
Carefully add chopped onions to roux and continue stirring with a large wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes. Onions will sizzle and steam when they hit the hot roux, so caution is advised. Seasoned gumbo cooks have real battle scars on one or both arms.
Add bell peppers and continue stirring for another 2 to 3 minutes; add celery continuing to stir constantly for another 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should now resemble a pot of black beans.
Add chicken and sausage and stir well.
Slowly add heated stock and stir well.
Add salt, black pepper, thyme, 4 bay leaves, oregano, sage, Creole seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well. Bring gumbo to a boil and continue boiling for five minutes. Reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, uncovered, for about one hour or an entire day. If gumbo gets too thick, add a little water. If it is too thin, continue to simmer uncovered. Because there is pork sausage in this gumbo skim off any excess oil that rises to the top.
At this point, you can cool the gumbo. It’s always better the day after it has been cooked, although I’ve never had a complaint when I served gumbo the day I made it. Remove from heat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then place pot, uncovered in an empty sink. Fill the sink with water and ice around the stock pot. Stir gumbo every 15 minutes to move the liquid around to facilitate cooling. Gumbo will spoil if cooled improperly. At the restaurant, we have cooling cylinders that look like baseball bats that are frozen and placed in the middle of 5-gallon stock pots. When completely cool, refrigerate it, uncovered for a couple of hours before placing it in an airtight container.
Reheat gumbo slowly to simmering. 30 minutes before serving, add green onions and parsley. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add oysters and shrimp. Continue simmering for two minutes or until oysters begin to curl.
For a spicy flavor, add hot sauce. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes. It will stay hot for a long time. Adjust seasonings and serve over cooked white rice with file powder and French bread and butter.
LuLu’s Clue: filé powder is a flavoring and thickening agent for gumbo made out of the ground leaves of sassafras trees, abundant along the Gulf Coast. Okra was not available in the winter in Louisiana, so the Cajuns, who learned from the Choctaw Indians, used filé powder in their gumbos. Filé is always added at the end of cooking since it can become stringy if boiled. Since I always make enough gumbo to feed an army, I put the filé powder on the table for individual serving.
If you make the winter gumbo, let me know how it goes. I always love to hear of other people’s adventures in gumbo!
All my “GumboLove”,
LuLu
*Winter Gumbo excerpted from my cookbook LuLu’s Kitchen
Fall is officially here! The time change is upon us. Pumpkin Spice, eggnog, and a chill are in the air. I am a summer-time beach girl at heart, but I do love the scents and flavors of this season.
This is the time of year that the Winter Gumbo traditionally comes into play. One of the main differences between the winter and summer dishes is the use of filé. And of course adding more fowl, game, meats, and sausages to the mix. Look for the Winter Gumbo recipe on the Blog. And if you make it, tell me about your experience on Social Media.
The temperatures have definitely dropped here. And a bowl of steamy Gumbo sounds pretty perfect right now!
It’s always fun to modify a recipe to “match” a holiday! A SUPER SIMPLE way to make this Bread Pudding recipe (from my cookbook Gumbo Love) more festive for the 4th of July weekend is to add strawberries to the garnish. Let me know if you make the recipe. I’d love to hear how it goes. Wishing everyone a sweet, safe and happy holiday! Love, LuLu
Serves 8
PUDDING
1 ½ teaspoons unsalted butter
7 cups cubed stale bread of your choice (I like to use brioche or French bread, and if I’m feeling terribly decadent and they are available, I use almond croissants)
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup slivered or sliced unsalted almonds
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups whole milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
TOPPING
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons (half stick) unsalted butter, chopped into cubes
1/4 cup finally chopped salted almonds
GARNISH
½ cup Lucy’s favorite salted caramel sauce (*see below)
Fresh whipped cream
Fresh blueberries
Fresh strawberries
To make the pudding:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 in. square baking pan with the butter.
2. Place 1/3 of the bread cubes in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Add half the blueberries and half the almonds. Top with another third of the bread cubes. Add the remaining blueberries and almonds. Top with the remaining bread cubes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and blueberry mixture in the pan, making sure the bread is completely covered by the milk mixture.
To make the topping:
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar. Cut the butter into the flour and brown sugar with a pastry blender or fork until coarse crumbs form.
5. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the bread pudding.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the bread pudding is golden brown and cooked through.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the top and serve with fresh whipped cream and blueberries and strawberries.
Note:the bread pudding can be made a day in advance and stored, cupboard in the refrigerator. Just reheat the pudding and add the salted caramel sauce fresh whipped cream, and berries before serving. Almonds.Almonds
Lucy’s Favorite Salted Caramel Sauce
Make 2 cups
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chopped into pieces, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream at room temperature
2 teaspoons sea salt
1. In a small sauce pan, melt the sugar over medium–high heat, whisking continuously. Keep a close eye on the sugar as it melts, swirling the pan occasionally.
2. When the sugar has completely melted and turned an amber color, carefully add the butter a few pieces at a time, whisking continuously. It will bubble up, but just keep whisking until the butter has melted.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and while whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the cream. The caramel is going to bubble aggressively again so be careful but stay firm with it.
4. Whisk until all the creamers combined and then whisk in the salt.
5. Set the sauce aside to cool for 15 minutes, then pour it into a glass jar to cool completely.
6. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to two weeks, but you will have to warm it before serving.
A perfect day for my daddy would have been waking up at 4am, drinking coffee, tinkering in his shop, walking the dogs on Mobile Bay, casting a net a few times, eating a poboy for lunch, watching the sunset with mama, and getting to bed early. I sure do miss him. Happy Father’s Day to J.D., James Delaney Buffett, Jr.
Let’s celebrate Fathers today! In the comments, tell me your father’s name and one of his favorite things.
Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy day! #FathersDay #GumboLove
Back in the Fall of 2014, The New York Times Cooking section featured my Oyster Dressing in their ‘The United States of Thanksgiving’ feature. And every year we have the age old debate of … is it dressing or stuffing?? What say you… dressing or stuffing?
I have included the recipe for you below.
Let me know if you make it, or if you have a family tradition dressing (or stuffing) that you make at Thanksgiving! Happy cooking this week everybody! May your hearts and tables be full! #GumboLove
Lucy Buffett’s Oyster Dressing
1 hour 15 minutes
8 to 10 Servings
Ingredients
12 tablespoons or 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, divided, plus more for baking dish
1 (8-inch-square) baked and cooled cornbread, preferably on the sweet side
15 slices white or wheat bread, toasted and cooled
1/2 large white onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed
2 dozen freshly shucked or jarred oysters, preferably Gulf oysters, drained and coarsely chopped (reserve the oyster liquor)
1. Heat oven to 350°. Butter a 9 x 13“ baking dish.
2. Crumble cornbread into a large bowl. Tear toasted white or wheat bread into very small pieces, add to cornbread, and toss to combine.
3. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and bell pepper; sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove cover, add broth, and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for 2 to 3 minutes. Continue to cook mixture for 1 more minute, then remove from heat, add to bread mixture, and stir to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together oysters, lemon juice, hot sauce, parsley, sage, salt and white pepper. Add to bread mixture and stir well to combine. If dressing seems too dry, add a little oyster liquor and up to a 1/2 cup more chicken broth; mixture should be very moist.
5. Pour dressing into greased baking dish. Cut remaining 4 tablespoons butter into small pieces and scatter over top of dressing. Bake until top and sides are browned, 40 to 45 minutes.
Let me know how it goes. Happy Thanksgiving! Love, LuLu
“This is a weekly wintertime staple in my house. It’s so easy, light, and healthy yet nurturing on so many levels. I like lots of textures in my vegetable soup, so I coarsely chop the vegetables in medium to large pieces since they will “cook down “during the long simmering that meld the flavors into a delicious soup.” ~from Gumbo Love
SERVES 8
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 1 ½ 1/2 pounds beef stew meat or chuck roast, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
2 large sweet yellow onions, chopped
3 to 4 large carrots, sliced into medium rounds or half moons
6 celery stalks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 to 6 cups beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces and placed in a bowl of water
1 bunch green onions finely chopped
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
1. In a medium stock pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the beef, salt, and black pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the beef pieces to the other side and cover the pot. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the braised beef and any cooking juices to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the hot pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Cover the pot. Stir every couple of minutes.
4. Add the carrots, cover, and cook stirring often for 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the celery, cover, and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until the celery has softened.
6. Add the bell pepper, cover, and cook, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Return the beef and its cooking juices to the pot. Add 4 cups of the broth, the tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, basil, and thyme. Cover and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.
8. Drain and rinse the potatoes and add them to the soup. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes. If soup is too thick, add a little more broth. If it is too thin, let it cook uncovered for 15 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate.
9. Add the green onion and parsley and cook, covered for 10 minutes.
10. Remove and discard of the bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as desired. Serve.
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES IN THE COMMENTS BELOW OR COMMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. HAPPY COOKING FRIENDS! LOVE, LuLu
‘Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding. ~Alice Walker
I absolutely love this Alice Walker quote about the exquisite importance of expressing thanks. Last week marked exactly one month until Thanksgiving Day and on the 28th, I started a month-long social media gratitude journal – all posts being about something I’m grateful for. I’m using the hashtag #gratitudelulu. Play along with me!
Of course I recognize and am concerned with the troubles of the world. But I also don’t want to ever lose sight of the constantly shining and eternal Lights of hope, joy, and bliss that are as ever present as the sufferings. Expressing also gratitude helps us stay connected to Nature which eases our souls.
Today my gratitude prayer and universal ‘thank you’ is for sunsets. They’re equal parts beauty, symbolism, and simplicity that set my spirit to rest and recharge.
Join me this month in keeping a social media gratitude journal. Tag your photos with #gratitudelulu so that we can share and spread the goodness of becoming more mindful of what’s working in our lives and in the world. Let’s generate more positive energy.
Another gorgeous sunrise, captured at The Lodge at Gulf State Park
Next weekend we are having the grand finale party of the year-long celebration of LuLu’s 20th year in business (more about that at www.lulubuffett.com).
It also happens to be my birthday on Thursday. I won’t bore you with the details of my personal birthday numbers, but let’s just say I’ve seen a few sunrises and sunsets in my day.
The list of all that I am grateful for is so long it couldn’t fit it in the New York City Yellow Pages! Every person who has walked through the doors of LuLu’s, every person who has given their time and energy to make the restaurants operate, my business colleagues, my friends, my family, and my love – I’m just grateful beyond words!
Mostly, I’m happy for another sunrise, another day to live this wonderful life surrounded by all of the blessings. Thank you everyone and to the Higher Powers for another day and another trip around the Sun!
For my birthday, in the comments below, drop me a 🎈 and tell me what you’re grateful for this week!
