Bayona's Sous Chef Shares a Recipe

Red Beans & Peas:

1/2 cup fresh red beans
1/2 cup pink lady peas (or any other fresh variety)
1/2 cup yellow onion, small dice
1/4 cup celery, small dice
1 quart of water
Bouquet garni: 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs thyme and 3 parsley stems bound together with butchers twine

• Heat a 6-quart saucepan (or rondo) over a medium flame and gently sweat the onion and celery until slightly translucent.
• Add the bouquet garni.
• Next, add the beans and peas and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
• Then cover with water and lower the flame so that the legumes slowly bubble uncovered. Cook for approximately 6-7 minutes.
• Once tender, transfer the contents of your pan to a shallow dish to cool.
• Once cooled, remove your bouquet garni and strain the liquid into a container.
• Do not throw away the “pot liquor.”
 

Red Bean Succotash

3 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup okra, cut in 1/4-inch rounds
1/2 yellow onion, cut in small dice
1 poblano pepper, membrane and seeds removed, cut in small dice
2 celery stalks, cut in small dice
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Silver King (or Queen) corn kernels
1/4 cup tomato concassé (peeled, seeded and diced)
1 cup of cooked Red Beans & Peas (recipe above)
2 scallions, sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Crystal Hot Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

• Heat a large sauté pan with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and sauté okra until golden brown (this prohibits the okra from getting slimy).
• Remove okra from pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan and add remaining olive oil.
• Over a medium-high flame, sweat onion, poblano and celery for 2-3 minutes.
• Add minced garlic, corn kernel, and tomato concassé and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Next, add the strained peas and beans along with enough “pot liquor” to cover by half an inch.
• Allow the liquid to reduce until the liquid is flush with the other contents of the pan)
• Once reduced, add the parsley, scallions, sautéed okra, Crystal and Worcestershire with salt and pepper to your taste and swirl in butter.
• Set aside.
 

Pan-Fried Quail

1/3 cup frying oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Crystal Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 Tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt|
2 semi-boneless quail, split in half and wing tips removed

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy, cast-iron pan.
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine buttermilk, egg, Crystal and black pepper, and “whisk like you mean it” until ingredients become homogenous.
• In another mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, parsley and salt, and whisk together.
• Marinate quail in mixture for 30 minutes.
• Once marinated, dredge each 1/2-quail in the cornmeal mixture.
• Give each piece of quail a gentle shake over the cornmeal mixture to rid the bird of excess flour.
• Lower your quail, presentation side first (skin side), into hot oil gently and cook on each side for approximately 1 1/2 minutes for a medium bird.
• Place onto a cooling rack so the batter doesn’t become soggy.
• Divide the Succotash between four plates and top each with one half fried quail.
• Place a dollop of Crysal Aioli (recipe online) on each quail and top with pickled peppers (recipe online). Serve immediately.
 

Crystal Aioli

3 egg yolks
1 1/2 Tablespoons Crystal Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Juice of one Lemon, strained
1 garlic clove, minced
14 ounces canola oil
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

  • In a small food processor combine all ingredients except oil.
  • Pulse together, then slowly add oil until the mixture becomes homogenized. (If the aioli seems to be too tart, add more oil. If the aioli seems not tart enough add more lemon juice.)
     

Pickled Peppers

1 of each small sweet pepper (yellow, red and orange)
3 garlic cloves, slivered
1 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
2 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 ounces sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • Cut peppers into rounds, cleaning the membrane as you go, place aside into quart container.
  • Combine garlic with remaining ingredients in a 2-quart sauce pan.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil; boil for 3 minutes.
  • Pour over the cut peppers.
  • Cool and serve.


 Serves 4 as an appetizer

Bayona | 430 Dauphine St. | 525-4455 | Bayona.com

 

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