You may have noticed my use of Andouille sausage in my recipes. Many people think that Andouille and Hot Sausage are the same thing. Although andouille can be spicy, it is no where near the same as hot sausage. Andouille is seasoned with garlic and other spices.
Andouille is often found in many different New Orleans dishes. It is the sausage of choice. What makes andouille different is the fact that it is double smoked. This helps to reduce the amount of fat in the sausage. I remember a friend of mine telling me after taking a cooking class in New Orleans, “Now I know why you use andouille for gumbo. There is no fat to skim off the top of the gumbo.” The double smoking makes all the difference.
Not far upriver from New Orleans is the town of LaPlace. They claim the title of Andouille capital of the world. Any time you have some andouille from LaPlace, you have a great quality sausage.
Now to the recipes. Here is a soup that uses two ingredients that are Louisiana staples, sweet potatoes and andouille. This recipe is adapted from the Palace Café, a restaurant owned by a friend of mine, Dickie Brennan.
Sweet Potato and Andouille Soup
6 pounds Sweet Potatoes 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter 1 pound Andouille Sausage, diced 1 cup Celery, minced 1 cup Onion, minced 3 quarts Chicken Stock 1/2 cup Molasses Salt and White Pepper to taste
Place the whole unpeeled sweet potatoes in a baking pan and bake at 350℉ for 1 hour or until easily pierced with a knife and the sugars began to release. Cool, peel and chop the sweet potatoes.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the sausage. Over medium heat, cook until the sausage is brown. Add the celery and onion and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Add the sweet potatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the flavors blend.
Purée the soup in batches in a food processor or blender. Return to the saucepan and stir in the molasses, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes and keep warm until ready to serve.
One night, I was wondering what I could do with some boneless pork chops. I had a small amount of shrimp and andouille I was doing nothing with. Not having enough of these items for a meal of either, I thought a stuffing would make a great way to use these items. My wife, who is not a fan of dishes like these, thought it was a great combination.
Stuffed Pork Chops with Cane Gastrique
4 8-ounce Boneless Pork Chops 1/2 pound Shrimp, peeled, deveined and diced into small pieces 1/2 pound Andouille, diced 1 tablespoon Butter 1/4 cup Onion, diced 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced 1/4 cup Seafood or Chicken Stock 1/3 cup Seasoned Panko Breadcrumbs Creole Seasoning, Granulated Garlic and Smoked Paprika to season Pork Chops
Preheat oven to 325℉.
Trim pork chops of excess fat and butterfly ( sliced 3/4 of the way thru the width of the pork chop, they should resemble a butterfly when the pieces are fanned out).
Over medium heat, melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the shrimp and sausage. Cook for two minutes, making sure not to overcook the shrimp.. Add the stock and breadcrumbs and cook for 2 minutes. ( You can add additional breadcrumbs and/or stock to reach desired consistency of the stuffing. You want it moist but not liquidly.) Season with creole Seasoning to taste. Allow stuffing to cool.
Stuff each pork chop and secure with a toothpick or two. Lightly spray a baking dish with olive oil. Season both sides of the pork chops with Creole Seasoning, granulated garlic and smoked paprika. Add a little layer of stock or water to the pan.
Cook for 1 hour at 325℉. Remove toothpicks and serve with Cane Gastrique.
Be careful with this sauce. It is very addicting. Steen’s Cane Vinegar can be ordered online thru various websites.
Cane Gastrique
3/4 cup Steen’s Cane Vinegar 3/4 cup Steen’s Cane Syrup In a 2 quart saucepan, bring the the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until it has been reduced by 1/2. Serve over Pork.
If there are any recipes you would like to see featured, send me an email.
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