The Cajun Cheesehead says Jane Austen would have loved this, and so will you, by Jack Caldwell

Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here.

The theme for this month is Fantabulous Food. Something a Cajun Cheesehead knows all about. After all, I live in a place that literally lives to eat.

Now things over here really didn’t get started until after that unpleasantness called the War of 1812. Before then, our food was a mixture of French, Spanish, and Caribbean, using local ingredients. The English influence didn’t get to Louisiana until the early 1800’s, after the Regency.

So, what can I offer that folks in the old country would have liked?

My mother’s people were High Church Anglicans who came over from England to Massachusetts in the 1600’s, and eventually ended up in California. Luckily for me, Mom’s family moved to New Orleans when she was twelve. She met my Dad at Tulane University, and the rest is history.

Mom’s cooking was a mixture of English and Creole, with a bit of Cajun thrown in. She discovered a Louisiana spinach dish and messed around with it. Her perfected recipe became a holiday staple for the last fifty+ years: her version of Spinach Madeline.

When you see what’s in it, you’ll agree that not only would Miss Austen love it, so will you, and especially your kids!

The ingredients are:

• 3 – 10-ounce (283g) packages frozen chopped spinach
• 3 tablespoons dried onion flakes (or finely chopped onion) *
• 1 garlic clove, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• ½ cup (118ml) dry white wine*
• 3 tablespoons (85g) butter
• 3 tablespoons (85g) flour
• 1 cup (236ml) half-and-half or milk
• 3 tablespoons (89ml) sour cream
• 6 slices cheddar or American cheese
• ¼ cup (56g) fine dry bread crumbs

You’ll notice I’m using frozen chopped spinach in this recipe. I have two reasons for that. First, frozen chopped spinach is an excellent product available year-round in America. The second reason is that it allows easy scaling up or down. If you choose to use fresh spinach, you will have to chop 30 ounces of the stuff before cooking it down for a bit. (* – If you use fresh onion, omit the white wine.)

Scaling is the reason I use pre-sliced cheese. Each slice is 3/4 ounce, or 21 grams. So, total cheese is 4.5 oz or 126g.

In a large saucepan, place the frozen spinach and the dried onion, garlic and wine.  Cook over medium heat until the spinach is hot. This should take about 20 minutes. (Fresh spinach will take less time.)

In a saucepan, make a white sauce (also known as a Béchamel sauce) by melting the butter over low heat and whisking in the flour.  Stir the white roux constantly for five minutes, to cook out the “flour” taste.  Slowly add the milk and mix well. 

Now things get interesting! Mix in the sour cream.  Blend well; the mixture should be slightly thick. 

Add drained spinach mixture.  Why now? Because it’s easier to blend in the spinach into the thick sour cream sauce.

Now we add the cheese, two slices at a time, until all melted in.  I do it this way because it’s easier to make sure all the cheese is melted evenly.

(By the way, you’ll find other Spinach Madeline recipes out there calling for jalapeno jack cheese. For heaven’s sake, don’t use that stuff! This is a side dish, not a dip for chips!)

Add salt and pepper to taste at this point, because cheese has a lot of salt in it.

Pour mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle a thin layer of bread crumbs over the dish.

If cooking right away, bake uncovered in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 30 minutes.  If made the day before, increase cooking time to 1 hour. 

It will serve 6 to 8 hungry people. The best part about it is your kids will love it. I guarantee.

It freezes well, so you can make some ahead of time. But be careful! If you bring this to holiday feasts, parties, or pot-luck dinners, you may be doomed to making this for others FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Trust me, I know.

BTW: PERSUADED TO SAIL is out. Buy a copy. You won’t be disappointed.

Until next time, this has been the Cajun Cheesehead Chronicles.

It takes a real man to write historical romance, so let me tell you a story…