Paper Chef Roundup at last

[[UPDATED]]
I’m sorry for the delay in getting the roundup done. It had nothing to do with the fact that we had a record-breaking 19 entries all anchored in the spirit of doing a little something to simultaneously celebrate New Orleans and contribute a little. Instead it was to do with me getting a little overwhelmed with other projects. I’m proud of being a part of the food blogging community for the way it has stepped up to help in ways like this one and in encouraging general donations and specific aid for restaurant workers and restaurants. Of course, as you will see if you read to the end, I was right to wait this long….

I really love http://myhomekitchen.blogspot.com/2005/09/paper-chef-10-ingredients.html”>Paper Chef #10 Ingredients
http://myhomekitchen.blogspot.com/2005/09/paper-chef-10-beer-smoked-creole-hot.html”>Paper Chef #10 Beer-smoked Creole Hot Sausages
Paper Chef #10 Louisiana Hearts of Gold
Paper Chef #10 Akudjura and Cajun Prawn Cocktail
Belly Timber where Chopper Dave and Mrs. Deedop rule the roost with a unique sense of humor, fun and whimsy. Except this time. They opened their hearts to us this time and really dug deep just to enter and pointed us to some passionate links about poverty and devastation. They made us Chopper’s Northwestern Jambalaya and Stuffed biscuits with spicy gravy.

Shauna’s Gluten-Free Girl is a new food blog to me but one that went straight into the rotation. She cooks fantastic things with the added handicap of remaining gluten-free. And she really put thought into her The Gumbo Pages, run by cocktail/food/politics/music blogger Chuck, one of the great contributors to Digital Dish. She wasn’t the only one to be influenced by Chuck, either as you will see.

Stephen over at Stephen Cooks, a food blog that has that crystalline professional quality I so envy really melded the theme and made it local (to him – Maine) and New Orleanian at the same time with his Beer-Boiled Shrimp Po’Boy along with his own remembrance of New Orleans and a plea to help displaced restaurant workers.

Sylvie at Soul Fusion Kitchen has the name to really get into the theme. She also has the instincts. To quote directly, “[my entry] is a simple New Orleans style soup. I followed no recipe but instead relied on my instincts.” Good instincts indeed – and this meal is ready in minutes to boot!

Charlotte at Love and Cooking didn’t have much experience with either Creole or Cajun cooking but relied on an old friend who she reports that she heard from safely after the hurricane. Her friend, Janine, gets credit in the recipe for Blading towards dinner, a Canadian food blog, was new to me and is, of course, a newcomer to the Paper Chef. This was also a tag-team effort with Paul’s friend Aaron. And what a creative entry it is too, a Beer pork and shrimp Love Sicily’s entry for the Is My Blog Burning relaunch and has more than a nod toward the paper Chef. He’s another participant inspired by Chuck’s Gumbo Pages and specifically the gumbo recipe Chuck contributed to Digital Dish. While you are there, make sure to click through to the Love Sicily main pages to see Ronald’s Sicilian vacation opportunities – they are worth the time to look even if you never get to go!

Nupur runs One Hot Stove, a fantastic Indian food blog that is one of my favorites and she actually had an entry up by Friday evening (so a long time ago now!) for a Beer Chili she made. Nupur hadn’t cooked with beer before so she was happy for the opportunity.

Mantia’s Musings is also a newcomer to the Paper Chef although not a newcomer food blog. Alyce writes from Mantia’s International Food in Memphis Tennessee and served us up a dish that contains one of my favorite Southern ingredients of all – grits. Go check out her Shrimp ‘n’ Grits Katrina!

June at June’s Blog was also a very game first time entrant who made a shrimp, sausage and tomato tempura-like dish using beer in the batter. Since she is both underage and very law-abiding, she used non-alcoholic beer.

We got a group blog entry – a really big group blog! Recipe Maven not only had a post urging people to take part, but one of the contributors, none other than capnjacksparrow contributed an exotic and suitably piratical Voodoo Bayou Balayez…

Perhaps the most amazing entry was Carolyn from 18thC Cuisine (who does most if not all her cooking as if she were living in French Canada in the 18th Century) who brought us not a dish but a full day of menus.
Breakfast
Beignets or
Brioche or Croissants (with jam and real butter)
Café au lait

Lunch
Paté de Campagne
Crusty baguette
Cornichons
Brie or Camembert
Fresh fruit
Bottle of wine

Supper
Chicken & Okra Gumbo (Thanks to Jan and Donna from Metarie, LA, who helped me perfect my roux)

Aaron over at the Naked Ape, another new blog to me, provided us with two recipes, a “Jambalaya” Salad with Chicory Stout Ice Cream. I have to try the chicory stout ice cream some day – that’s the kind of ice cream I can imagine getting used to! Plus he clearly prefers brewing his own stout!

Daffy’s Kitchen Crazy Daffy is a long time favorite here at the Paper Chef. Her enthusiasm is infectious and she has been known to take part even though she went away for the weekend (to Paris that time, so our admiration is tinged with envy). This time she made us a very lovely looking (wish I could get prawns that looked as nice) Asian Inspired Pesto Pasta with Drunken Prawns, Pork Frankfurters and Garlic Tomatoes for three.

Next entrant isn’t technically an entrant since he is the JUDGE! (and he has already judged – but we’ll get to that in a minute). Kevin at Kevin’s Beer Bread.

Next up is Alanna, of Veggie Venture, a blog set up specifically to cook a new vegetable every day for a month. Obviously successeses since it is now on Day 151! Alanna is also the author of a syndicated column for newspapers specifically for small-town cooks. Find out more at Kitchen Parade. Alanna made us an inspired Hurricane Rice.

Chubby Cat of Chubby Cat Cooks, planned a dish for the IMBB virtual relaunch involving beer and then checked back only to discover the Paper Chef association for this month. Too late to alter course midstrem, we bring you a delicious sounding beer-marinated lamb that unfortunately has no tomato, sausage or shrimp anywhere near it! Incidentally, Chubby Cat didn’t enter this. I found it in my vigilant hunt for all entrants.

And (not quite) finally – just to prove that I was RIGHT to wait so long to do the roundup, I got an email today from Scott at Desert Island Foods‘ The Pragmatic Chef who made us a Gumbo with chicken, sausage and shrimp.

Well, as noted below, I did miss somnebody. Rachael at Fresh Approach Cooking is a professional and made an appropriately beautiful and fast dish. I couldn’t quite figure out what to call it – maybe New Orleans Style Rice Cakes with Shrimp? Anyway, Rachael is a superstar and I’m sorry to have missed her out initially.

Finally, last but not at all least – the winner(s) are already announced over at Seriously Good.

I’m certain to have missed someone despite all this delay and my hypervigilance. So give me a shout in the comments below or by email and I’ll add you in!