Maque Choux Soup

Maque Choux (pronounced mock SHOE) is a Native American dish that was snagged and flavor boosted by the Cajuns. Most often I've seen it listed as a side dish, but in some areas it's also served as a soup.

I made the traditional version for Family.com to be included in a recipe section for Disney's The Princess and the Frog. If you hit that site and click on 'community' and then 'cooking' you'll find seven of my Cajun-inspired recipes there.

I took that recipe and turned it into a colorful soup. There are several things to keep in mind when making this:

1. Cut all the vegetables into a small dice - just larger than the corn kernels so that everything will cook uniformly.
2. You don't need bacon in this, but it adds a smoky dimension that I really like.
3. Other than the first boil to bring it up to temperature, do NOT boil this soup. A simmer is all that is necessary.
4. A beurre maniér is achieved by kneading together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup unsalted butter. In fact, the name means 'kneaded butter'.

Maque Choux Soup
Printable Recipe
Ready In: 50 minutes
Serves: 8

4 ounces bacon - diced small (freeze for a few minutes to make slicing easier)
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
2 stalks celery - diced small
1 cup red onion - diced small
1 cup each red, yellow and green pepper - diced small
3 cups fresh corn or frozen sweet corn
6 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 2 Tablespoons fresh
1 bay leaf
2 cups peeled, seeded and diced tomato
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups half and half
beurre maniér to thicken

1. Saute together bacon, garlic, shallot, celery, onion, peppers and corn until they start to 'sweat', or leach juices.
2. Add stock, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add tomato and cook for 10 minutes more.
4. Remove bay leaf, pour in half and half and thicken with beurre maniér by pinching off small pieces and whisking into soup. Once all the thickener is added simmer gently for 10 minutes until thick and smooth.

*Note- Beurre Manier is French for "kneaded butter". It consists of equal parts four to butter. Combine flour and butter and knead until well combined. Add a small amount at a time to a simmering liquid and whisk until smooth. Add more as needed.

Anne's Chicken Gumbo

This is the gumbo I've been making for over 15 years. It was something my dad liked and everyone who has had it raves about it. I'm not sure how it would stand up in NOLA, but up here in the northeast it's pretty good chow. This one has an addition of hot sausage to it, add that in to the beginning vegetables and it will work well.

Anne's Chicken Gumbo
Printable Link

1/2 cup butter or oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion - medium dice
4 stalks celery - medium dice
2 large green peppers - medium dice
1 red pepper - medium dice
1 yellow pepper - medium dice
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup tomato puree
4 tomatoes concasse (peeled seeded diced)
2c. okra cut in 1" slices
1 pound boneless skinless chicken (breast or thigh) cooked and diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano
pinch Thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 Tablespoon filé powder (ground sassafras leaves)
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
cooked rice for serving

1. Heat butter or oil in a large pot - add flour and cook until mixture is the color of a copper penny - not a new penny - an old one - nice and dark.
2. Add onion, celery and peppers - cook for several minutes until they begin to 'weep'.
3. Add stock slowly while stirring and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender - about 20 minutes.
4. Add all tomato products and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Add chicken, okra and all seasonings except filé powder.
6. Bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer 15 min.
7. Turn heat off and add filé powder - stir well, remove bay leaf and serve.

For seafood gumbo:

Use 1/2 pound shrimp and 1/2 pound scallops in place of
chicken. Add during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Use fish stock if available (otherwise chicken is fine) and replace parsley with chervil and add 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning.

Originally posted at Cooking with Anne on September 15, 2005.