Cajun Maque Choux Cajun Succotash Recipes

CAJUN CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Shuck corn by removing the husks and silky tassels. Cut kernels from cob. Run knife up and down cob to remove any residual corn "milk". (See Tip 2)
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes, or until onion begins to turn translucent. Add bell pepper and jalapeño pepper; continue sautéing for 3 minutes.
• Add Cajun/Creole seasoning and salt; stir to combine.
• Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat until corn is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add cream; cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
• Correct seasonings.
• Yield: 4 servings.

MAQUE CHOUX - RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it becomes nice and crispy, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the corn onion, peppers and Cajun seasonings. Cook until they soften up, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
• Add the heavy cream (or chicken stock). Let it warm for about 2 minutes, stirring a bit, then remove from heat.
• Serve!

CAJUN CORN AND BACON MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Cut corn off the cobs by thinly slicing across the tops of the kernels; place in a medium bowl. Cut across the kernels again to release milk from the corn, add milk to bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper, cook until onion is transparent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Combine corn, tomatoes, and milk with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 20 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Do not boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Lower heat, cover skillet, and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in green onions and bacon. Remove from heat and serve.

SHRIMP MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large straight-sided skillet or wide, shallow pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion white and light-green parts, onion, peppers, celery, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring a few times, until vegetables are crisp-tender and golden in places, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in corn kernels and milk, then vermouth; boil until liquid has mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in stock, cream, and shrimp. Bring to a simmer (but do not let boil), reducing heat as necessary, and cook until shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard thyme sprigs, stir in dark-green scallion tops, and serve.

CAJUN MAQUE CHOUX / CAJUN SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a frying pan until crisp.
• Drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside.
• Melt butter in the bacon fat over medium heat.
• Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, saute for 5 minutes or until onion has softened.
• Stir in corn, okra, tomatoes, cayenne and cajun seasoning, cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add chick broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook partially covered for 45 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in crumbled bacon and serve.

CAJUN CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• 1. Cut the kernels off of the corn into a large bowl. Using the back of the knife, scrape the sweet corn milk from the cobs to extract about 3 tablespoons and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet and when melted, add the celery, bell peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, scallion whites, garlic, tomatoes and corn. Cook until thickened, 10 minutes.
• 3. Serve garnished with the scallion greens and reserved bacon.

MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Working with 1 corn cob at a time, set the ear of corn upright in a medium bowl. Shave the corn from the cob by slicing down the sides using the tip of a sharp chef's knife, holding the knife almost vertical. (This gives you neat tablets of corn that land squarely in the bowl and keeps the kernels from scattering all over the counter.) Using the back of the knife, scrape each cob to release all the nibs and the "milk" of the kernels into the bowl. Repeat with remaining ears of corn, then snap the cobs in half, and add them to the bowl.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and celery, and season with 1 or 2 pinches of kosher salt. Stir constantly until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter and the bell pepper, poblano and serrano, and stir constantly, adding another pinch of kosher salt, letting the butter melt and the peppers soften and become translucent, about 2 or 3 minutes. You will smell the peppers' sweetness and their mild capsaicin releasing.
• Add the final 3 tablespoons butter and the corn mixture from the bowl, cobs included, and another pinch of kosher salt. Stir constantly to coat with the butter and combine thoroughly.
• When everything starts to hiss and sound hot, but isn't cooking so hard as to take color, add 1/2 cup water and a healthy few grinds of black pepper, and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to steam/shallow braise the mixture.
• Remove the lid, and stir well, noticing the corn releasing its liquid and the kernels softening, and the cobs turning somewhat translucent, if however vague. You will notice a general softening and melding together. Return the lid, and let cook a few more minutes, noticing the water evaporating and the remaining liquid reducing and gaining some "body" and gloss. Discard the corn cobs, but do suck them before tossing - those buttery juices make a nice cook's treat.
• Taste for salt, and serve. It should be sweet, spicy, a bit wet and surprisingly complex, given the few ingredients and their ordinariness. If you want a smoky taste, add a good pinch of smoked paprika.

GRILLED MAQUE CHOUX (A CAJUN SUCCOTASH)

Steps:

• grill 2 ears of the corn directly over the heat until black-speckled on all sides.
• grill the peppers until quite blacked on all sides and place in a plastic bag to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.
• slice the corn off the cob (about half way down the kernels) and using the back of a knife, scrub the juicy remains of the corn kernels into a bowl.
• Do the same with the grilled corn.
• Remove most of the blackened skin from the peppers, seed and chop.
• Cook the onion and corn in a large cast iron skillet, stirring for 15 minutes.
• If too dry or if corn is sticking, add chicken broth to adjust.
• Add the peppers and milk and continue to cook while scraping and stirring about 5 minutes more.
• Season to taste and serve.

MAQUE CHOUX - CAJUN

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook it until it is browned up and crispy, approximately 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon, with a slotted spoon, to a paper towel lined plate so it can drain.
• Add butter and onions to the pot and cook until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add the Creole seasoning and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Increase the heat to med-high and then add the okra, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper and cayenne. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the okra is crisp tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring once and a while. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Last, add the salt and reserved bacon, stir to combine and serve!