Cajun Pasta

One of my all time favorite restaurants is Fishbones located in Delafield, WI.  I know it is located thousands of miles north of New Orleans, but these boys know how to cook Cajun style!  One of their most popular dishes is Raging Cajun Pasta.  Imagine shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage and mushrooms in a cream sauce over a bed of pasta.  It is divine, a piece of heaven on earth!  

Now that I live in Virgina I can't just stop into Fishbones for dinner, so I decided to make my own version of this amazing dish.  

Cajun Pasta

4 Chicken Breast (w/ skin)

1 Large Andouille Sausage 

1 lb Shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 small container of mushrooms

1/3 cup yellow/white onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 stick butter

1/3 cup vodka

2 T flour

1 cup half and half

1 t dried oregano

salt/pepper to taste

spinach to garnish

I cook this entire dish in my Le Creuset cast iron pot on my stove top.

On medium heat melt butter.  Saute garlic, onion and mushrooms.  Cook until tender, and mushrooms brown.  While your veggies are cooking take the skin off your chicken breasts, and slice the chicken and andouille sausage into strips

Remove your cooked veggies and set aside in a bowl. In your now empty pot, melt the rest of your butter (1/4 stick)over medium heat. Add chicken, chicken skin (chicken skin adds flavor, but it is not necessary), and sausage.  Cook through, stir mixture so it does not burn. 

When your meat has browned and cooked through add sauteed mushrooms and onions back to the pot. Add your spices, 1 t basil, and salt and pepper (I like about 1 t. salt, and 1/8 t pepper). Pour in vodka.  Stir.  You are going to cook off all of the liquid.  It takes only a few minutes, so don't go anywhere! Add cup of half and half.  Bring back to a low boil.  

In a bowl, coat pealed and deveined shrimp with flour.  Pour shrimp into the pot.  Stir.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Sauce will thicken up. 

I like to serve this sauce over Angel Hair pasta with crunchy french bread.  Garnish with shredded spinach and Parmesan cheese. 

Yummy!



I know I am going to be making this dish in the next few days to celebrate Mardi Gras!  Hope you try it too!  Enjoy.

Rebekah