A roux cooked to a deep reddish-brown is what gives gumbo it 's distinctive flavor. This gumbo incorporates andouille sausage, cubes of beef, crab and shrimp in a highly seasoned stew with okra.
Prepared in a pressure cooker, kidney beans are cooked with fennel seed and cayenne pepper. This is very good mixed with cubed ham, or in red beans and rice.
Think of this dish as southern barbecue with an Asian twist. The pork is slow-cooked in a blend of hoisin and soy sauces and can be made a day or two before your gathering.
Here's a simple maple-flavored roast that will feed a crowd. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare, then slow roasts in the oven until it is fall-apart tender!
Slow cooked shredded ham in a brown sugar and mustard sauce. This is the sort of thing you prepare a day or so in advance so that when you serve it you don't really have to do much of anything at all. Great for times when people will be in and out, eating irregularly all day.
