Chow down with some of Chappy's recipes
When I stumbled across one of Mom's cookbooks, it was like visiting with an old friend.
As often as she could, my mom dined at Chappy's in Long Beach, Miss. To her, Chappy Chapman's Sunday brunch was awesome. So awesome, that my mom who rarely cooked had to have a signed copy of his cookbook.
That's the cookbook I found while whittling down boxes of stuff. I had forgotten that Chapman had written a cookbook, but thumbing through it brought back memories of the brunches, lunches and dinners we had at his restaurant.
When I first moved to the Mississippi coast, friends kept praising his blackened fish. Allen and another couple tried it when Chappy's was in a smaller location in Long Beach. It was spicy, and I did and still do like spice. Once my mother tried it, she was hooked.
The Long Beach Chappy's is no more, but those who ate there will likely remember some of these recipes. Chapman wrote "Looks Good To Me" in 1999 and included appetizers, soups, entrees, vegetables, desserts and, but of course, a little lagniappe.
As Chapman said in his book, "Food has to look good to taste good."
True, we taste with our eyes first.
My mom's favorite dish was his Trout Long Beach. He shared that sauce in the book. It could be used as a topping for fish, pasta or even veal.
LONG BEACH SAUCE
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 ribs finely chopped celery
1 bunch finely chopped green onions
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 heaping teaspoon Chappy's Garlic Spice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon Chappy's Zydeco Spice
2 cups milk
8 large sliced mushrooms
1/2 pound crab meat
1/2 pound boiled shrimp
Melt butter in stockpot over medium high heat, add flour and stir for 5 minutes. Put in celery, green onions and bell pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add spices and mix well. Add enough milk to cover the vegetable mixture in the pot. Bring up the roux with milk (by that, I mean to gradually add the milk until the roux actually rises). Do not boil. You don't want the sauce to be too thin or too thick. Stir well and cook down slowly for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat. Add mushrooms, crabmeat and shrimp. Add remaining milk. Mix sauce and continue to simmer for 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serves 12.
-- From "Looks Good To Me" by Chappy
Another of Mom's favorites was Chappy's oyster and artichoke soup.
OYSTER & ARTICHOKE SOUP
1/4 pound butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 rib chopped celery
1 bunch finely chopped celery
1 bunch finely chopped green onions
10-ounce can quartered artichokes, drained; reserve liquid
2 dozen raw oysters (reserve liquid)
2 teaspoons Chappy's Garlic Spice
1 teaspoon salt
1- 1/2 cups milk
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
In large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until it dissolves. Make sure it mixes well together, about 10 minutes. Add green onions and celery. Mix well in pot.
Add artichoke hearts, separating them as you add them. Add the "oyster liquor" (that's what we call the reserved liquid from the oysters) and keep mixing the saute. Add spices. The mixture should be thick and well blended. Add enough milk to cover the mixture. Keep stirring. Add oysters. Keep mixing. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mix again. Reduce heat, cover the pot and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Serves 8-10.
-- From "Looks Good To Me" by Chappy
BLACKENED REDFISH SALAD
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 pound butter
2 redfish filets
1 head lettuce
1/2 cup Chappy's Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 cup croutons
Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Dredge redfish filets through mixture. Melt butter in a skillet over high heat. Allow butter to get very hot. Place filets into skillet. Turn heat down to medium Cook on both sides for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Remove fish from skillet and reserve juices for presentation.
Fan lettuce leaves over platter. Slice redfish and fan across the lettuce. Ladle the reserve juices on the redfish. Sprinkle Chappy's Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe follows) and top off with croutons. Serves 6.
-- From "Looks Good To Me" by Chappy
CHAPPY'S VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
2 whole eggs (can use pasteurized eggs)
1- 1/2 cups cottonseed oil
2 teaspoons mustard powder
3 teaspoons Chappy's Zydeco Spice (information follows)
2 teaspoons Chappy's Garlic Spice (information follows)
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons paprika
4 chopped green onion tops
2 teaspoons black pepper
In mixing bowl, whisk eggs. Add oil while whisking. Whisk until the mixture looks like mayonnaise. Add spices. Whisk slowly and add the red wine vinegar. Next, add the paprika and green onions. Whisk until you have a smooth consistency. This blends well in a blender mixed at medium high speed. Serves 6-8.
-- From "Looks Good To Me" by Chappy
CHAPPY'S GARLIC SPICE
Ground garlic is so much better to use in cooking that garlic salt. "Garlic is a great spice that always adds extra flavor. You can't use too much," Chappy said in his book.
CHAPPY'S ZYDECO SPICE
"Zydeco is spicy Cajun music," Chapman said. "This blend of spices is a great substitute for salt and pepper."
He used salt, garlic and various spices.
My guess for some of those spices would be cayenne, black pepper and maybe some thyme.
At the time he wrote the cookbook, his spice brands were available for sale.
Lookout for this
"I am writing to see if Lookout Steakhouse could be persuaded to give you the recipe for a menu item they no longer have," said Terri Jones. "It was a decadent seven-cheese crabmeat casserole that was delicious."
I will ask owner Rob Stinson if he will share the recipe. Seven cheeses with crab? That dish has to be awesome!
Good gumbo recipe?
Lynette Faul wants a good chicken and sausage gumbo recipe. Readers, I know some of you make terrific gumbo. Please share your recipes.
Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net and takes requests at Cook's Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535-4567.
This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Chow down with some of Chappy's recipes ."