Maque Choux. Bless you.
I didn’t want to post about gravy tonight. It just didn’t seem right with how hot it’s been. I mean, I could eat gravy any ol’ time, but I wanted to tell you about something more appropriate for the season. So you get a naked post, a post without a picture, because my only ready-to-go pic is gravy. And I don’t want to post about gravy tonight.
Me and Vegan Dad are on the same wave-length. Must be the French influence – he in Canada, me misplaced Louisianian. Or could it be that it’s corn season? And hot? And you want a delicious meal without spending 8 hours heating up your kitch? Either way, we’re on the same wave-length, with slight variations. Here’s the recipe I use.
Read me now, believe me in a week.
Eula Mae’s Maque Choux*
(from Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen Cookbook)2 tablespoons vegan butter (Earth Balance)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup seeded and chopped green bell pepper
4 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen, thawed)
1 medium-size ripe tomato, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Original TABASCO®**
Melt the vegan butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the corn, tomato, salt and TABASCO®. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the corn is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.***
*Edited to make vegan.
**I use at least 1 teaspoon, probably more, because a 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco isn’t quite beautiful enough. So add Tabasco to taste. While you’re at it, you’ll probably need more salt. And how ’bout some freshly ground black pepper.
***I serve mine over rice. I don’t know why. But talk about good!
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
Forgive my ignorance: is Earth Balance a butter substitute? I know vegans are going to recognize your lingo, but I know you won’t be mad at me for asking. Can I get it at WF in the dairy section? If it is something you use in place of butter, then could I just make this recipe by starting with olive oil? If it’s not, I’m real curious about the times you choose to use it, say if you’re going for a certain flavor or consistency. Thank you, Scrumpdillady!
(I don’t know if that nickname is going to work: reminds me of “epilady.”)
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Earth Balance is a butter substitute that tastes surprisingly … just like butter. You can get it at most grocery stores, not just the specialty ones. The specialty grocers tend to carry the non-GMO version if you’re into that. I’ve also seen it at Trader Joe’s. Earth Balance is so delicious, it made me want to eat toast on a regular basis. (The toast acting as a simple conduit for the EB.)
I suppose you could make the recipe using olive oil, but you might want to try a dab of corn oil mixed with canola or corn oil on its own. The corn oil will have a more buttery flavor and I think “buttery” works well with this recipe. Definitely experiment, because olive oil rocks almost anything right out of the universe. I’ve never tried making my Maque Choux with oil. I’ve always used EB (or butter in pregan days).