Pickapeppa Sauce, Shrimp and Mango Salsa

     I found a recipe in the 11/12 09 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen that I have been wanting to try. The holdup? No Pickapeppa Sauce. I tried looking for a Pickapeppa recipe  to no avail. It is a  product from Jamaica. Ingredients include tomato, peppers, onions,  sugar,cane vinegar, mango, raisins,and spices. It is not hot, like a hot sauce would be. It is sweet. And a taste unlike anything I have tried before. I have only used it in the following recipe, so I can't tell you how it would be as another sauce ingredient or by itself.


My thanks to Michael Watz from Evanston, Il for sharing this recipe in Paula's magazine. Italics are my additions.

                                   Biloxi Spiced Shrimp W/ Pickapeppa Sauce and Mango Mojito Salsa

Serves 4  This is a long recipe with lots of ingredients, but once prep work is done, it goes together quickly. Is it basically a shrimp salad.

 Marinate Shrimp for 30 minutes in:
1/2c Worcestershire sauce
2T oil
12 jumbo shrimp. peeled and deveined--- I used shrimp my friend brought back from South Carolina. They are medium shrimp, so I prepared more. See blog dated 12-20-09 for prep of shrimp



 Spice Mixture for Shrimp
(makes 2/3 cup)
1/4c chili powder -- I used Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning instead of plain chili powder
1/4c sugar
2T salt
1T ground cumin
11/2 tsp Spanish paprika -- I used smoked paprika
1tsp curry powder
1tsp unsweetened cocoa powder -- YES. you won't really taste it. Think mole' sauce.
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and set aside. Makes enough for a second recipe.

 For the salad

4C mesclun greens -- a variety of greens, not just iceberg lettuce really is preferred
1/4c balsamic vinegar --please use a good vinegar.

Toss together.

 Mango Mojito Salsa
Makes about 3c
2c peeled Mango, pitted and diced
1/4c Red or Green bell pepper -- red pepper is sweeter than green, I only had green to use
1/2c finely chopped onion, red preferred for color
2T olive oil -- I omitted this
11/2T fresh mint, minced -- winter in Illinois does not usually include fresh mint. I used 1tsp dried
1T fresh lime juice -- please do not substitute lemon juice
1T seasoned rice vinegar -- found in health food or asian grocery store
2tsp dark rum -- I don't like rum, so I omitted this
11/2tsp fresh cilantro, minced
1tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/2tsp Serrano chili, seeded and minced -- I used what I had on hand, Aji Cristal. I think any mildly hot pepper would substitute
1/2tsp honey

In small bowl, combine all ingredients. Allow to stand at least 30 minutes. Stir gently before serving.


 Pickapeppa Cream
1 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce -- I forgot this and the cream suffered for it. Only 1tsp will be used for recipe, so lots will be left over. Cut down amount used if a milder sauce is preferred.
2c Sour Cream
1/2tsp grated lime zest
2T fresh lime juice -- don't substitute lemon juice.
2tsp Pickapeppa Sauce
1tsp salt

Place chipotles in blender and puree. Place 1tsp puree in a bowl, reserving remainder for another use.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill. 


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER    

Remove shrimp from marinade and blot excess marinade on paper towels.

Lightly coat shrimp with seasoning mix.

Heat 1/4c oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook shrimp in batches, for about 2 minutes. If using fresh caught shrimp, they are done when they turn slightly pink and begin to curl.  Keep warm while remainder cook.

Toss mesclun once more and divide onto 4 plates. Top with Mango Mojito Salsa and Shrimp. Drizzle with Pickapeppa Cream. Serve immediately.  Enjoy.


     As you know, my family went skiing for a few days. My youngest did not go along, which really hurt. Still, it was great to be with my other sons and my daughter-in-law. Two friends of my middle son came up also. The evening before we were to leave for home, a winter storm started. By Thursday, 8 inches of new snow had fallen, wind was gusting to 50mph, temperature was below zero, and it was still snowing. Roads were icy and snow covered a good portion of the way home.
     Skiing was good. We were at Chestnut Mt in Galena, Ill and Snowstar in Dubuque, Ia. I've posted a few pictures to share with you.

Shrimp Stock and Jambalaya

    It's snowing!! Our first snow that is sticking to roads. No ice, though my son who lives 2 hours north of here had trouble getting out of his apartment's underground parking because of ice. We just had a dusting. I always dread the first snow, but once it's here, then I'm OK

(I'm keeping my kales as long as possible - just a bit of color. They have survived 15 degrees so far. They are kept close to the house for protection.)

     Two years ago, my youngest son enrolled in a cooking school in Chicago. He did not start, for reasons I'll not go in to. But, we had purchased several "professional" quality teaching manuals from Le Cordon Bleu and Culinary Institute of America. We got these as much for me, as for my son to look over. Instead of returning all of them, I decided to keep the CIA books. They all were very good to teach the why's and wherefore's of cooking, and they are great references. I also refer to my collection of cookbooks if I want to learn something. Usually, the combination of books will give a clear picture of what I want to know.
     Such was the case in point when I started making Jambalaya today. I wanted to read about stocks, especially seafood stock. First I looked to CIA Professional Chef to learn a bit more about stocks. Did you know that there are 3 basic kinds of stock - white, brown and fumets?
                          White stocks are made by combining ingredients with a cool liquid, usually water, and simmering them over a low heat.
                           Brown stocks are made by browning the bones and mirepoix first in a bit of fat. They can be roasted in the oven or on the stove top before simmering.
                          Fumets are sometimes called essences. They call for sweating or smothering the main ingredients before simmering. Often white wine is used.
     The mirepoix mentioned consists of 2 parts onion plus 1 part celery plus one part carrot.  For the Jambalaya I am making, a traditional "Cajun mirepoix" would be 2 parts onion plus 1 part green bell pepper plus 1 part celery.
     For my Jambalaya, I want a shrimp stock. The CIA books did not address this exactly as I wanted, so I consulted my Paul Prudhhome cookbooks. He suggests a seafood stock of any combination of fish and bones. Not being a fisherman, nor big on fish period, I have on hand only shrimp shells. Any time we have shrimp, I save the shells to make my version of stock. I follow Prudhhomes version, sort of. So for my stock I am using approximately 1/2# shrimp shells. (A friend brought me some fresh frozen shrimp from South Carolina recently. These shrimp are going into my Jambalaya.)
                                           My Shrimp Stock
1/2# shrimp shells
1 clove garlic, unpeeled and lightly smashed
1 small-medium onion, unpeeled and cut into quarters.
About 6c cold water

Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer and simmer as long as possible - up to 4 hours. Add more water as needed to keep at least 4c liquid in pot.

     My stock is simmering upstairs now. Ir smells wonderful.
INTERRUPTION!!!! My middle son just got home. He is the pilot who lives north of here and it's been awhile since I've seen him. But, alas, mom is not a big draw, so he has already gone to a friend's house. But, he'll be back for supper.
     So, back to my Jambalaya. Ingredients include Tasso, anduille and shrimp. I have no Tasso, and have never seen it in the stores in my area. I don't remember seeing it at Dierbergs, either (an upscale supermarket). I am going to use a regular ham today, though I often leave it out. I had a piece of ham leftover ao, in it will go. I also have no real anduille, so I am using an anduille style sausage from Johnsonville. And my fresh-frozen shrimp from South Carolina.
     Those shrimp need to be peeled and de-veined.

 

 

    To devein, slice the back of the shrimp shallowly. If you lay the shrimp on a cutting board, you can scrape out the dark vein - which is really the intestine. If you are holding the shrimp, use the tip of a knife to "hook" the intestine and remove it completely. See pics above.

So now my stock is ready to strain and use, shrimp is cleaned and ready, now it's time for the rest of the story.
                                                              My Jambalaya        

Seasoning Mix ( from Paul Prudhhome cookbooks)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2tsp white pepper
1/2tsp dry mustard
1/2tsp cayenne pepper(I prefer less)
1/2tsp gumbo file - optional
1/4tsp cumin
1.4tsp black pepper
1/4tsp dried thyme leaves
Combine seasonings and set aside.
*(Mr Prudhhome is very big on using more than 1 kind of pepper. He says there is a difference in flavor. Obviously there is between red and black pepper. I had not known there was such a thing as white pepper until I started using his cookbooks. And so there is a difference, though not so pronounced between white and black pepper.)

For Jambalaya

4T margarine
3/4c ham - Tasso is preferred and authentic.
2/3c anduille sausage (authentic) or Kielbassa. I use Johnsonville anduille style sausage
3/4c chopped onion
3/4c chopped celery
1/2c chopped green bell pepper (here is the "Cajun mirepoix"
3/4tsp chopped garlic
1c uncooked rice (If following a Prudhhome recipe, he almost always uses converted rice. I have always used regular white rice. If using brown rice, I would cook it about half way done before adding to Jambalaya)
2c shrimp stock - mine is made without salt, so be sure to check to make sure salt is to taste.
 1c extra stock to add if needed.

Use a large, heavy skillet and melt margarine over high heat. Add ham and sausage and cook with stirring 5 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits.

Add onions, celery, and green peppers. Stir. Add seasoning mix and stir well. Cook 10 minutes and scrape up any browned bits.

Stir in rice- yes, uncooked rice now. Cook 5 minutes, scraping bottom often. Add stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer  partially covered about 20 minutes, until rice is mostly tender. Add more stock if needed. Remove bay leaves. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are just pink and slightly curled.
Serve while hot.


Serves 4 or maybe 5.
Prep time for stock is about 4.5 hours, including peeling and deveining shrimp.
Prep time for Jambalaya is about 45 minutes, cooking 45-50 minutes.

I served this with green beans (for my mom who is watching her carbs - the Jambalaya had plenty), and Corn Maque Choux (corn and onions with a bit of sugar, carmalized. My version then has Co-Jack cheese and a little milk added in and melted (also not on my mom's list of things to eat, but she had a tiny bit)). Lightly buttered garlic bread was also served.

      My middle and youngest son were here for supper, then off with friends. I had to laugh when the middle son  came back just a few minutes ago - he was hungry for another piece of strawberry pie! That's all he came back for - a piece of pie to take back to his friends house. I guess that is a compliment to my pie! That will be a recipe for another time, as my strawberry pie is handed down from my grandmother and is unlike any other strawberry pie I've seen.
      I hope you enjoy this Jambalaya. It has been a favorite of ours for some time. Please let me know.

Another Post Wednesday, just in time for Christmas. Bye for now.