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Chuc's Lazy
Cornbread Dressing - Chuc Ryan - Houma, LA
Two
- 16 oz. containers of Savoie's Real Cajun Dressing Mix.
Two pounds Owens sausage (mild).
Comes in 1 and 2 pound rolls.
1 lb. ground meat.
6 cups frozen chopped onion, celery, bell pepper seasoning mix.(*)
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup.
1 can Swanson's chicken broth (for added moisture if needed).
A triple batch of cornbread. 1
batch is usually 1 cup flour and one cup cornmeal.
I use the recipe off the
Clabber Girl Baking Power can.
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(*) OR instead of frozen onions etc.
seasoning mix...
3 large or 6 medium onions chopped fine
2 stalks of celery (chopped) fine
1 bell pepper (chopped fine)
2 shallots (chopped)
4 parsley sprigs or 1 Tablespoon dried
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Make
your corn bread the day before and let it dry out and become a bit
stale. Only about 2 of the batches will go into the dressing, one
batch is to eat on. See
corn bread recipe below.
Brown
the Owens sausage roll and ground beef completely.
This should be completely cooked.
Dump into a colander and allow it to drain.
Sauté
the onions, pepper and celery until beginning to brown. Add
the Savoie's Real Cajun Dressing Mix to the seasonings and bring to
a boil.
DO
NOT ADD ANY WATER. This
mixture has to be rather dry.
Put
the cooked ground meat back into the pot with the onions and
Savoie's and heat it all until it simmers. You
can turn off the fire at this point and add the cream of chicken
soup. Stir the whole
mixture around really good. You
are now finished cooking.
Somewhere
in the midst of all this, one needs to crumble about HALF the
cornbread up in a large mixing bowl.
Most of the pieces should be about the size of a grain of
rice. Some can be as
large as your little finger nail.
I do a triple batch because vultures usually descend and eat
some! So one probably
only needs 2 batches or a little less for the actual dressing.
Start
adding the meat mixture to the corn bread.
Fold the meat mixture into the cornbread without gumming it
up.
I
like a proportion of about half cornbread and half meat.
The real secret of a good cornbread dressing is one that is
not too dry and not too moist for your family.
That is why I suggesting only crumbling about half the
cornbread to begin with. You
can add more cornbread to get the right consistency.
One
does not have to bake this dressing.
Everything is completely cooked.
Elois (mom) always put hers in the oven in a casserole pan.
Probably because it was made the day before and had to be
heated.
The
baking process is simply to heat it up.
This is an opportunity to add more fluid if the dressing is
too dry. Chicken broth
works well but add it by the teaspoon not by the cup or you will end
up with soup.
I
have been packaging mine in containers of about a pint and a half
for the frig or freezer.
It's
a good idea to have a "gravy" (see below) on the table as
some folks like it more moist than others.
Cornbread
Recipe
Cornbread
recipe is right off the Clabber Girl Baking Power Can.
1
cup yellow corn meal
1 cup sifted enriched flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening, soft.
Mix
together dry ingredients into bowl, add egg, milk and shortening.
Beat
with egg beater until smooth, about 1 minute.
Do not Overbeat.
Bake
in greased 8 inch square pan or greased muffin pans in hot oven (425°F)
for 20 to 25 minutes. (Bake
on middle rack in oven.)
BELLE'S
TURKEY GRAVY
1
can cream of of celery soup
1 can of water
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet
1 cup turkey or chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 fresh sprigs
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
CORN
BREAD DRESSING WITH OYSTERS
For
an oyster cornbread dressing follow the above, plus:
1
pint of oysters, saving juice to moisten cornbread. Oysters should
be placed in one cup of boiling water along with a half of chopped
onion and stalk of chopped celery.
Cover and steam for about 5 minutes.
(Save this water for cornbread).
Obviously all of the liquid cannot be used.
One has to choose which liquid to use as far as the taste
desired.
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