Crawfish Cornbread & Tex-Mex Rice

__________________________________________________

            FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

I'm glad that the words "legal drink" qualify this one from reader Caryn
as a food funny:

All of his life Ole had heard stories of an amazing family tradition. It
seems that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been
able to walk on water on their 21st birthday. On that day, they'd walk
across the lake to the boat club for their first legal drink.

So when Ole's 21st birthday came around, he and his pal Corky took a
boat out to the middle of the lake. Ole stepped out of the boat and
nearly drowned! Corky just managed to pull him to safety.

Furious and confused, Ole went to see his grandmother. "Grandma, it's my
21st birthday, so why can't I walk across the lake like my father, his
father, and his father before him?"

Granny looked into Ole's eyes and said, "Because, you dummy, your
father, grandfather and great grandfather were born in January, you were
born in July."

__________________________________________________

            TODAY'S RECIPES
__________________________________________________

This popular Cajun dish is really more of a casserole than a bread, so
treat it more as a side dish than something to spread butter on. Frozen
crawfish are widely available in the US these days, but they still tend
to be on the pricey side so feel free to substitute shrimp and still
achieve excellent results.

Crawfish Cornbread

1 lb (450 g) cooked and peeled crawfish tails or shrimp
1 cup (250 ml) cornmeal
1 cup (250 ml) milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1/2 lb (125 g) grated cheddar cheese
1 8-oz (226 g) can corn kernels, drained
1 8-oz (226 g) can cream-style corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp (2 ml) baking soda
1-3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine thoroughly.
Pour into a greased 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish and bake in a
preheated 375F (190C) oven until the top is puffed and golden brown,
about 45 minutes. Cut into squares or scoop with a spoon to serve.
Serves 8 to 12.

**************************************************************

Every Tex-Mex restaurant serves rice like this on virtually every plate,
and even though you're not likely to find rice like this anywhere in
Mexico, the flavors all come from south of the border.

Tex-Mex Rice

2 Tbs (30 ml) lard (traditional) or vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper (capsicum), cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup (250 ml) long-grain rice, rinsed
2 Tbs (30 ml) tomato sauce
1 tsp (5 ml) chile powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock or water

Heat the lard in a pot over moderate heat and saute the onion, bell
pepper, garlic, and jalapeño until tender but not brown, about 5
minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with oil. Stir in the
tomato sauce, chile powder, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 to 3
minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring
occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and cook tightly covered for 15
minutes - do not stir. Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 10
minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Wed Jul 25 06:52:34 2007