This is not the traditional Boil (pronounced ba-wol) of the South: that's corn on the cob, shrimp, and crawfish all boiled together with spices, then poured out on newspapers on the table, and you go to eatin' it from there. My version contains many more ingredients (unfortunately no crawfish), and is all edible, 'ceptin the lemon quarters that give it a little zing. I will have to say there were doubters among the Southerners - who didn't think a Yankee boy could make a proper Boil - but there were many converts to this new style after it was over. And there were some very generous and appreciated comments made.
Here's how the process went:
This is Pat’s World Famous recipe for Cajun Boil. This recipe feeds 30 hungry men, with leftovers.
1. You need a large pot and burner – as from a turkey fryer
2. Put 3 gallons of water in the pot – it should not come up more than halfway. If your pot is smaller, fill only to halfway, then cut down the following ingredients proportionately. Make sure you have a deep ladle that will reach to the bottom of a full pot.
3. Bring water to a hard rolling boil. Add 1 6oz can of Old Bay
4. Add 1 – 2oz of Green Tabasco
5. Add 6 – 8 lemons, cut into quarters (the only nonedible ingredient).
6. Note the following countdown to serving time.
7. 45 min. Add 4 lbs of baby carrots, cut into bite-size pieces (½” x ½”).
8. 40 Min. Add 5 lbs of small potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces.
9. 35 Min. Add 2 lbs of celery and 2 lbs of green beans, cut into bite-size pieces.
10. 30 Min. Add 2 lbs of diced onions. (8 medium-sized).
11. 25 Min. Add 6 cans of baby corn, drained, cut into bite-size pieces. All added ingredients from this point are precooked, so you can turn off the heat.
12. 20 Min. Add 4 lbs of cooked sausage (like Kielbasa), cut into bite-size pieces. If the sausage is not “spicy”, you may want to add more Tabasco
13. 15 Min. Add 4 – 6 cans of black beans (drained, rinsed). If anyone is allergic to shellfish, ladle out their servings now.
14. 10 Min. Add 5 lbs cooked, shelled, and deveined shrimp, cut into bite-size pieces.
15. Let it brew (unheated) for the remaining time until serving. Stir occasionally. Addition of the precooked ingredients brings the temp down, so it should be just right to eat and enjoy!!
16. Before serving, check out the “heat”, and flavor. It’s best to leave it a little on the mild side, and let the guests add spices and salt to their taste. Remove and discard the lemon quarters as they come up in the ladle. Check the serving temp, warm up if needed.
17. Breadsticks, cornbread, coleslaw, and salad make a complete meal. Have containers available for your guests to take leftover boil home (unless you want to keep it for yourself.)
18. From this basic recipe, you can “personalize” it with your own favorite ingredients. Remember that everything in the pot should be bite-sized.
19. Additional ingredients you can add for flavor: a 24-oz (or larger) bottle of Ketchup. 4 cans of diced tomatoes - or whatever else strikes your fancy as unique and tasty.
Here's the result, just before serving. The legend is that if the ladle brings up a lemon quarter into your bowl, that you'll have good luck all day. Actually, I just made that up, but that's how legends start.
Here we are just before the festivities began. By the apron, you'll know who did all the work. Actually, Sister Johnson did the preparation and portioning the night before, and we brought all the ingredients in gallon baggies, excepting the potatoes and shrimp, which we diced in the Mission Home kitchen.
President and Sister Holzapfel always make us feel welcome at the Mission Home
Here's the Callister's and Sister Johnson enjoying the meal. Some (myself included) put a big spoonful of cooked rice into the bowl before adding the Boil. Cornbread, salad, lemonade, and of course some desserts all provided by the seniors made it very tasty and enjoyable. Not to mention the good company we enjoy at these events.
You can make this for our farewell.
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