Pork and Sausage Jambalaya With Black-Eyed Peas

What You'll Need:

8 ounces smoked sausage or andouille, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 pound lean pork chunks, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 cup low sodium chicken broth or stock
1 cup water or more low sodium broth or stock
1/4 cup butter
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (if using spicy sausage, add cayenne to taste)
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 (15 to 16 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup sliced green onion tops

How to Make It:

1.In a heavy 4-quart kettle or Dutch oven, brown the sausage and pork in hot oil. Season with the Cajun seasoning.

2.Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cover and cook over medium heat 20 to 30 minutes, or until pork is nearly done. Skim off excess fat.

3.Add water, chicken broth, butter, salt, to taste, and the black pepper and cayenne. Bring mixture to a boil.

4.Add rice and black-eyed peas, stirring to blend.

5.Cover and cook 20 to 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. If you use brown rice, allow 10 to 15 minutes cooking time.

6.Add the parsley and sliced onion tops the last 5 minutes.

Classic Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya With Sausage

What You'll Need:

1 broiler chicken, cut up, about 3 pounds
paprika
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound smoked sausage, thinly sliced
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain rice
2 teaspoons leaf thyme, crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

How to Make It:

1.Rub the chicken pieces with the paprika.

2.Heat olive oil in a large skillet; add chicken and brown on all sides. Remove chicken from skillet.

3.Add onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Sauté over low heat until onion is tender, about 10 minutes.

4.Stir in sausage, tomatoes, chicken broth, rice, thyme, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Add chicken and turn to coat with sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

5.Stir in shrimp and cook about 3 to 5 minutes longer, or just until shrimp turns pink.

Easy Skillet Fried Potatoes

What You'll Need:

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 large onion, quartered, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium clove garlic, finely minced, optional
6 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to Make It:

1.Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet or electric skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and sauté until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.

2.Add the diced potatoes, paprika, about 1/2 teaspoon salt, along with the freshly ground black pepper. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender. Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally turning, until the potatoes are golden brown.

3.Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt, if needed.
Serves 4 to 6.

Tips and Variations:

1.Partially cook the potatoes to give them a head start and shorten the total cooking time. Arrange the diced potatoes in a microwave-safe dish, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on 100% power for about 5 minutes.

2.Instead of dicing the potatoes, slice them thinly.

3.Add some bacon drippings or diced cooked bacon during the last 3 to 4 minutes of cooking time.

4.Herb Home Fries - Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs. Parsley, chives, and fresh thyme are good choices.

5.Home Fries With Leftover Potatoes - Slice or dice the potatoes and add to the pan with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, until browned on the bottom. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil (or butter or bacon drippings) to the pan, flip the potatoes over, and cook for about 5 minutes longer, or until the bottom is browned.

Fried Okra with Sweet Chile Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup white cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 large eggs
1 pound large okra, halved lengthwise
Sweet Chile Sauce

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

1.Fill a large saucepan with 2 inches of oil and heat to 350°. In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. Add the milk and eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the okra and turn to coat.

2.Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Add 10 or 12 pieces of okra at a time to the hot oil and fry over moderately high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve right away, with the Sweet Chile Sauce.

Fried Pickles with Spicy Mayonnaise

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil or rendered chicken fat (schmaltz), for deep-frying
1/2 cup mayonnaise
5 half-sour or dill pickles, quartered lengthwise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko (Japanese bread cumbs)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 small garlic clove, minced

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

1.In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the garlic and cayenne and season with salt and black pepper.

2.In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 350°. In a food processor, pulse the panko until finely ground. Transfer the panko, beaten eggs and flour to 3 shallow bowls. Dust the pickle spears in the flour and tap off the excess, then dip them in the beaten egg, letting any excess drip off. Dredge the pickles in the panko to coat thoroughly.

3.Fry the pickles in 2 batches until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve hot, with the spicy mayonnaise.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS:

4 pounds chicken wings
3 tablespoons cooking oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
2 scallions including green tops, chopped
5 teaspoons vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
8 ribs celery, cut into sticks

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

1.Heat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine the wings, oil, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and the cayenne. Arrange the wings in a single layer on two large baking sheets. Bake until just done, about 25 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, in a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, blue cheese, scallions, 1 teaspoon of the vinegar, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper.

3.In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, the remaining 4 teaspoons vinegar, and the Tabasco sauce. Add the wings and toss to coat. Serve the wings with the celery sticks and blue-cheese dressing alongside.

SERVE WITH:
Pair these wings with more finger food. Corn on the cob would go nicely. Roasted potato wedges are a good alternative and can be cooked alongside the wings.

SUGGESTED PAIRING:
Beer is a no-brainer with the salt, spice, and heat of this barfly classic. For a more festive alternative, serve a crisp sparkling wine; it will refresh the palate and tame the heat of the dish.

Sticky Baked Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup ketchup

1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

5 pounds chicken wings, split

1/4 cup canola oil

Kosher salt
Pepper
Thinly sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro, 
for garnish

Lime wedges, for serving


HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

1.In a medium saucepan, whisk the ketchup with the vinegar, soy sauce, honey and gochujang and bring to a boil. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened 
and reduced to 1 cup, about 
15 minutes. 


2.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with the oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange 
in a single layer on each of the prepared baking sheets. Bake until cooked through and lightly browned, 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 450°.


3.Using a slotted spoon, transfer the wings to a clean large bowl; discard any juices from the baking sheets. Toss the wings with the gochujang sauce and arrange in a single layer 
on each of the prepared baking sheets. Bake until glazed and lightly charred in spots, 10 to 
15 minutes more. Transfer 
the wings to a platter and garnish with scallions, sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.