Cook Pasta in salted, boiling water for 7 minutes and then drain the 14 manicotti shells. Set the drained Manicotti on cookie sheet to dry. Cook the Alligator sausage and let cool. If you want, you can make a slit length-wise into the sausage and peel off the casing and discard. This is harder to do with sausages that are pre-cooked or smoked. (Or if you use refrigerated sausage chopped in food processor). Two extra sausage link need to be cut and diced and set aside (do not stuff) along with half (8oz) of the crawfish for the cream sauce. Once the pasta has cooled down, cut each noodle in half to leave two smaller stuffable manicotti.

Stuffing Mix
In a food processor add the chopped Alligator Sausages (2 links), add half (8oz) crawfish, one pound Goat Cheese, two tablespoons dried thyme, salt and pepper, and Cajun spices to taste. Add all the remaining ingredients to processor. Remove to a bowl and add the two eggs and one cup bread crumbs. Take this mixture and fry or bake for 30 minutes - your choice. What I did was fry it in small batches in an 8" frying pan over medium heat, I never tried to scrape the bottom, just let it develope a crust as you change batches and flip the mixture. Let this mixture cool before stuffing the pasta.

Add in separate sauce pan add a tsp butter, a tsp crushed garlic, let saute for 1 minute then add the diced sausage and the other half of crawfish (8oz) with one and a half cups of heavy cream along with the cajun spice paprika and lobster stock. Let reduce by 1/3 the volume over medium/low heat.

Stuff the pasta shells with the stuffing mixture that has cooled down enough to handle.

Fry for two minutes or bake for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. Plate and top with Alligator sausage cream sauce.

Add to the 1/2 cup of water, the chili powder, coriander powder, amchur powder and tomato paste (if using). Mix together well and set aside.

Heat oil in deep fryer or large (non-coated) pan to 350 degrees and cook potatoes then cauliflower until cooked. Set these aside.

In a large skillet, large enough to hold all the ingredients, add about 5 tblsp of the oil you just used to fry your potatoes and cauliflower in. Turn the heat to medium/low and add in the cumin seeds.

After the seeds have had a chance to toast slightly, not blacken, about a minute, add in the ginger/garlic paste, tomatoes, chili pepper, onions and turmeric powder. Saute over medium heat until the tomato pieces break down into a mush or sauce (Masala) about 8-12 minutes.

Add the water/chili/spice mix into the pan and also add the salt into the mix, then rub the methi leaves between the palms of your hands, to break it up into the mix. Also add the coriander (Cilantro) leaves.

Now add the potatoes and cauliflower, that were deep fried, into the mix and mix until the vegetable are well coated, bring to a simmer. I like to cook the liquid down to a thick gravy or until there's almost no water left. (It's up to you, some prefer a gravy style finish or like myself a dryer version). Finish by sprinkling the Garam Masala over the top. Serve.

Snap/pull the stems out of the mushroom heads and set aside.
Cut a small piece off the end of each mushroom stem (the side that was already cut, not the side that was inside the mushroom), and discard this dry piece. Set the rest of the stems aside.
[A small trick I use to stabilize each mushroom is to slice a flat side into the top of the mushroom head.]
I then add these small pieces to my good stem pile. Set aside the main mushroom cap to be stuffed.]
Now chop, very finely the stems and top pieces. Set aside.

Have all your other ingredients prepped and in place (mise en place)...
Brown the pork with a tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice, chopping up fine while cooking out the pink. Set this aside.

Using the butter & olive oil, saute the the garlic for about 1 minute on med/low heat, then add the mushroom pieces and chopped jalapeno, sprinkle with 1 tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice.
Saute this mix for 2-3 minutes and then add the other spices (sage, parsley, green onions), saute for another 2 minutes, then add a splash of liquor.
Mix well and toss in with the ground cooked pork.

Mix into the pork mix the chopped/grated cheese, the egg and the bread crumbs and salt and pepper.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Over Stuff the mushrooms about 3/4 inch above the top and place on a sheet pan that has been sprayed or greased.
Place in center of the oven and heat for 20 minutes. If the tops aren't a tad crispy you can place under your broiler for a minute or two.

Yum! Best enjoyed within ten minutes of exiting the oven!

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

Heat up a saute pan on medium low heat with 1 tblsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, pepper and garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat with the oil and let soften for 2 minutes or so.

Set the sauted vegetables on a plate spread out to cool. in a separate bowl add the crab meat, mustard, breadcrumbs, egg, cheese, melted butter and lemon juice. Mix together all the ingredients until they are mixed well. Don't forget to add in the cooled down onions, garlic and peppers.

Grease a baking sheet or a baking dish with butter or olive oil. Give the fish a little salt and pepper or some cajun spice. Now depending on how you want to "stuff the sole" there are a few ways to do it.
The first way is mound an egg shape size of stuffing on the dish or sheet and place the sole on top of it, smoothing down the sides of the fish over the edges of your stuffing mound.
The second way lay the sole with the flat side up, place a handful of the stuffing in the center and wrap the fish around the stuffing, then place the either on their side with a toothpick holding the edge together or on the seam side down.
The third way is the opposite of the first way, place the fish flat side down, mound an egg shaped handful of the stuffing on the center of the fish and spread out along the whole fish length.

Bake center of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve with rice pilaf or some mashed potatoes.

Mix all ingredients together. Add protein and marinate for 2-6 hours.

Coat the pork butt/shoulder chunks in Tony's Cajun Spice and put at the bottom of large pot along with the onions, garlic, bay leaves, coriander seeds, salt, cinnamon and cumin.

Now pour in the Orange juice, if your using shortening or lard put it in now and with using some cold water until it covers the rest of the pork butts by an inch.

Turn the burner onto medium and when it reaches a boil, lower it to a simmer, for about 3 hours.

Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. When the Carnitas are done turn off the pot, and with a pair of tongs remove the meat to a baking sheet pan/cookie tray, smoosh the pieces of pork down a little if they didn't already break up upon removal of the pot of liquids and discard any other solids like the bay leaves.
Place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they gained a nice crisp.

Serve over soft shell tacos with cheese and salsa - YUM!

Stores in the fridge for 3 days, in the freezer, 4 months! Enjoy!

Marinate the chicken for 2 hours in the soy sauce, vinegars, bay leaves, sugar, peppercorns, garlic, green onions and hot pepper (if your using).

Reserving the marinade, heat up the oil in a fry pan and sear the chicken on all sides, working with 2 or 3 pieces of chicken at a time. Once all the chicken has been seared, add all the chicken and marinade into a large pan and bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for 30 minutes.

Flip the chicken pieces over and recover and continue simmering for another 25-30 minutes.
The marinade will be syrup-like when its time to serve, if the marinade is still too liquidy but the chicken's done, you can thicken the sauce with a corn starch slurry. (add a tsp of cornstarch to 2 tsp of warm water, mix it well and stir into the sauce quickly, it will thicken once it starts to simmer.

Serve over Jasmin rice and garnish with green onion slices and sliced hot pepper if your using them!

Instructions

Place chicken pieces into stockpot. Add garlic, onion, 2 tsp of cinnamon, turmeric, allspice, mace, cloves, coriander, cumin, thyme, parsley, apricot nectar, apple juice, salt and pepper. If necessary, add a little water to barely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to a simmer (low), cover and cook until the chicken is very tender and falls off the bone. (about 2-3 hours) Remove from heat, cool chicken in stock. Remove chicken and discard the bones and skin. Cut or shred the chicken into small pieces. Put aside.

Strain the cooled stock into a sauce pan over high heat and reduce to about 2 cups. Add the eggs, reduce the heat to a low simmer, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until the eggs are thick & creamy, now reduce until all of the moisture is evaperated. (about 15 minutes) Remove from heat. Remove the egg mixture and set aside.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the almonds and cook until the almonds are golden. Cool and combine almonds with the powdered sugar and remaining 1 tsp cinnamon.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a flat work surface. Keep remaining sheets covered with a damp cloth. Using a wide pastry brush, brush lightly the phyllo sheet with the cooled butter to cover it completely. Top the phyllo sheet with a second phyllo sheet, placed at a 45º angle to the first sheet. Brush with butter and repeat until you use 8 sheets of phyllo dough and they form a circle of dough. Make a second stack of 8 buttered sheets in the same manner.

Reserve ½ of the almond mixture. Sprinkle ½ of the almond mixture on each stack of phyllo dough, forming a 8 inch circle in the middle of each stack. Cover each circle of nuts with ½ the reserved chicken. Now equally divide the remaining egg mixture in ½ and cover the chicken fillings, then top off the eggs with the remaining almond mixture equally divided amongst the two sheet stacks.

Bring one side of the phyllo up and over to cover as much of the filling as possible and brush the top of the dough with butter. Bring the remaining sides up and around, one at time, overlapping and buttering as you go, until all sides have been folded over the filling. Repeat with the second stack of phyllo.

Preheat oven to 375° .

Brush 1 phyllo sheet with butter and lay it over the top of a filled phyllo pie. Butter and overlay 7 more sheets, positioning them to form a circle over the filled pie. Butter the underside of a section of the top stack and fold it down under the pie, continue buttering and overlapping to form a slightly hexagonal shape.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Decorate with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

 

Wash the chicken livers in cold water. Cover the chicken livers in milk (to leach out the liver toxins) for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile chop the 2 onions into medium sized slivers by cutting the skinned onion in half lengthwise and then cutting it into 8 slices then cut those slice in half in one cut, then repeat on the other onion haf and then the other onion repeat, then set onion shards aside. And cut up the 6 shallots into halves then add to a processor and finely mince them and set aside. Now add all the garlic and process it until it's finely minced and set aside.

Add just enough milk to the bread to soak them for 5 minutes.

Now that the chicken liver has soaked in the milk for 15 minutes, drain the milk away and rinse the livers two more times in cold water again and then drain away the water. Now remove the sinew and fat from the livers, saving the livers aside.

Add 3⅔ tblsp butter to a hot wok or large frying pan on medium heat, add half the minced garlic and half the minced shallots and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Now add the chicken livers and stir fry until they are medium well done (a small amount of pink left). Strain away the liquid and set the chicken livers aside. In the same pan devoid of liquid, add another 3⅔ tblsp butter over medium heat and add to it the other half of the minced shallots and garlic, stir fry for 1-2 minutes and add the ground pork and mix into the garlic and shallots, then add the onions and stir fry them all with pork, ginger and garlic until medium well (some pink in the pork).

In a large steel bowl or pot, combine the chicken liver mixture with the ground pork and onion mixture and add the ⅓ cup of sugar and the ⅓ cup of chicken bouillon, 3 tsp fresh cracked black pepper and the bread (drain the milk but don't squeeze out the bread), now add in the 10½ oz of butter and then the 6 eggs and then mix well.

In a blender we're going to grind this all, in batches, until it is of a smooth consistency. A nice milkshake! Not!

Prepare a few loaf pans with 3 slices of bacon across the length of the bottom of each loaf pan, using a ladle or pouring carefully fill the rest of the loaf pan up with the pate mixture, leaving about a half inch of room from the top. Cover tightly with foil. Put into a steamer for 2 hours. Remove and discard the bacon and then refrigerate the pate loaf for another hour, before serving.

Remove the stems from the chilis and toast in a pan over medium/low heat until lightly charred.

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and wash and dry them. Place in a medium/low heat pan and you want to soften the tomatillos up, so turn them often, for about ten minutes. Let cool.

In a food processor or blender add the toasted chilis a scant (barely) ¼ cup water, pulse until blended well. OR, using a spice grinder, grind the toasted chilis then add to the blender with the tomatillos (after they have cooled down) and garlic and a pinch of salt in with the chilis and pulse blend until it is salsa! Serve with your favorite Mexican food or with your breakfast!

Fry bacon till crisp. Drain of grease and set aside.
In same pan, on medium heat, cook onion, ground beef, salt and pepper and celery until meat is done and onions are tender, then add garlic, cook until beef has browned through.
Pour off most of the grease, then transfer the meat mixture to a larger stock pot.
Now mix beef bouillon in a tblsp hot water, then stir bouillon into the meat mixture. Add the beans, ketchup, mustard.
Cover and simmer (low heat with little bubbles), on top of stove for 1 hour.
Crumble/Cut bacon and stir into beans. Serve.

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
Heat a 10" saute pan, medium high heat, add the oil. Let the oil come to temperature. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper garlic and ham. Saute for 3-5 minutes. Add in the crawfish. Bring the crawfish to temperature. Sprinkle in the flour, using a whisk, stir constantly until a white roux is formed, cook for 3-5 minutes so the raw flour taste gets cooked out.

Now add the tomato sauce and slowly add in the chicken broth until a sauce is formed. (You may not need all the stock!)
Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with S&P and tobasco.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. (preferably overnight)

In a small mixing bowl combine the egg, milk and water, this will be your egg wash to brush on the outside of filled dough and to seal the edges of the dough, set aside.
cut 3 inch circles out of the pie dough.
Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place about 1 tsp to 1 tblsp of filling in the center of the circle brush the edges with a little egg wash, fold in half and seal the edges by using a fork and pressing into the edges crimping them shut, so no filling leaks out. Pierce the top of the pie so steam can vent out during the baking and brush the top with egg wash. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and bake for 20 minutes.

For the sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and reserve.

Boil 3 quarts of water in a 6-quart pot. Cook the noodles for about 10 minutes or until al dente, rinse and drain well in a colander. Place the noodles in a large serving bowl.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a frying pan over high heat. When you see wisps of white smoke, add the garlic and ginger. Add the pork, breaking it up and tossing for 2 to 3 minutes until brown and almost cooked through. Add the preserved vegetable to the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with sherry and add the baby spinach, cooking until wilted. Then add the reserved sauce stir-fry and folding constantly for 1 more minute or until pork is fully cooked.

Pour the meat sauce over the noodles toss well and top with scallions, chopped peanuts and if your using the extra Sichuan peppercorn powder.

(One day in advance) Place the dried chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl filled with water to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Soak overnight for 18 hours (longer if the chickpeas are still too hard). When ready, drain the chickpeas completely and pat them dry.

My food processor is not large enough to hold all the ingredients at once, first I add to the processor the chickpeas, onions, garlic and spices, run the food processor on low speed for up to 40 seconds at a time, you may need to stop and use a rubber spatula to get stuck chickpeas off the sides. Process until well mixed. Remove from processor and add all the herbs, after grinding them up, add them to the chickpea mixture, mix well, then return half of the mix (at a time), back to the processor so now the mixture will look much greener all the way through. Repeat with the other half.

Transfer the falafel mixture to a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or (up to one whole night) until ready to cook.

Just before frying, add the baking powder and sesame seeds to the falafel mixture and stir with a spoon

Fill a medium saucepan 3 inches up with oil. Heat the oil on medium-high until it bubbles softly (365°F.). Carefully drop the falafel patties Avoid crowding the falafel in the saucepan, I fried them 4 at a time, in batches, for 5 minutes.

I used 1 & 1/8th oz. egg shaped balls, formed by an old ice cream scooper! You can use what you have or simply a table spoon. You can even shape into patties, but remember not to make them too thin because you want the inside to be fluffy, so about ½ inch thick!
If your sprinkling with toasted (or untoasted) sesame seeds, keep an empty paper plate on the side where you can hold the falafel over and sprinkle sesame seeds over it before dropping into the hot oil, also you may want to give the seeds s light and quick press with your fingers to make sure they all don't fall off in the oil. Fry for about 5 minutes or until crispy and medium to dark brown on the outside. I only used about an inch of oil in my pan so at 2 and one half minutes I flipped the falafel for even cooking. Test one, inside it should be cooked and not wet, but fluffy, outside crispy and delicious

If your using only your hands, it helps to have wet hands as you form the patties or scoops. Another trick is if you using a scoop to coat the scoop lightly in oil before you start.

Place the fried falafel patties in a slotted tray or a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil from the falafels.
Assemble the falafel patties in pita bread or Lavash bread with tahini or hummus or tabouli or babaganoush or simply enjoy on their own.

See my recipe for my Deluxe Falafel Wrap

Original recipe from The Mediterranean Dish

Prepare the chicken in a small bowl, set aside, mix all the other ingredients togather, then either add the chicken to them or add them to the chicken, mix well and let them marinate for 1 hour, if its warm in your kitchen put them in the fridge while marinating and remove 15 minutes prior to being ready.

If you haven't done so already cut out 16 squares of tinfoil (4"x4"), now wrap up 3-4 pieces of chicken, about 1 tblsp worth, in the center of the foil, now grab a corner of the tinfoil and match it with the opposite corner of tinfoil, flatten it into that triangle, then fold over the edge along the seam of the triangle ¼ of an inch do the same for the other open seem, now fold ¼ inch corner back in ¼ inch. Repeat until all the chicken and foil is used, about 20 packets.

Heat the oil up to 350-365°F. depending on how much room you have in your fryer, add 4-5 packets at a time and let them fry for about 4 minutes.
The cooked foil wrapped chicken should be juicy and caramelized. Repeat until all the chicken is fried then dab the outsides of the foil with a dry paper towel and serve.

Bring &frac134; cup of water and 1 tsp salt to boil with the beans, bring down to a simmer, when the water is gone, about 20 minutes.

Using a rubber glove, if you have one, or you can wait until the beans cool down a bit, using a small paring knife, be careful, make a slit and pop/remove the bean from the outer waxy shell and discard the shell, put the fava beans back in the pan and add 2 tblsp of the olive oil and then the crushed garlic, saute for few minutes, then partially mash the beans with a fork (so they can absorb the rest of the ingredients) and then, turn off the heat and add the cumin, chili pepper flakes and parsley, arrange in the center of a bowl or plate, top with the rest of the olive oil and add a pinch of cumin and chili pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some chopped cucumber and tomato salad with thinly sliced mild onions or green onions  Eat with warmed pita bread, lavash or naan to dip.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until browned on both sides and remove.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the oil and then add in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes.
Do not go too brown and burn the roux if your using butter.

Lower the heat to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter.
Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery and cook for 10 minutes.

Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the parsley (except the garnish parsley). Cook for 10 minutes, stir frequently.

Add the 4 cups chicken stock while whisking. Add the sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes. Just before serving, add the green onions and chopped parsley.