Roasted Corn and Jalapeno Jack Bread Roll Etouffee

If you’re vegetarian, you can’t the experience signature dishes of some cuisines, unless someone somewhere comes up with modifications.  I consider Etouffe the quintessential cajun dish, usually served with seafood or chicken.  Some have used mushrooms and that comes out really well as well.  I wanted to Etouffee (smother, in French) cheesy bread rolls with the quintessential sauce.  I imagined the result being a spicy, cheesy, sweet mouthful of goodness!! And the result was exactly that…

What You Need

For Cheesy Bread Rolls

1. 6 slices of whole grain bread
2. 2 cups of shredded jalapeno jack cheese
3. 1 Egg (or egg substitute; 1 Tablespoon of Agar Agar cooked in 1/4 cup of  hot water, mixed with 1/2 tsp of baking powder)
4. 1 Cup of Trader Joes Frozen Grilled Corn
5. Salt and Pepper to taste
6. 2 tsp of olive oil, and some to spray on

For Etouffee Sauce

1. 3 Tbslps of Olive oil
2. 2 Tbslps of flour
3. 1 Small Onion
4. 3-4 Celery Stalks
5. 2 cloves of garlic
6. 1 Bell Pepper
7. 3 Cups of Warm Water or Stock
8. 2 Tbslp Tomato Paste
9. 2 Tsp Cajun Seasoning
10. Salt and Pepper to taste

How its Done

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Shred the bread into bits, add whisked egg or egg subtitute, defrosted corn, cheese, oil, salt and pepper and mix. Form into small balls or rolls and place on a cookie sheet.
3. Spray with oil and bake for 15-20 minutes till golden brown, flipping over once.
4. While the bread rolls are baking, prep the ingredients for the Etouffee sauce – dice the vegetables.
5. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the flour whisking and mixing till the roux turns a nutty brown. I didn’t wait till it was the rich, dark brown, as I wanted the lighter roux. There is no stepping away during this process as the flour can burn quickly.
6. Then add the vegetables and continue to saute and cook the vegetables till tender, about 10 minutes.
7. Now, add the tomato paste, water or stock and seasoning and let come to a boil and thicken.
8. The bread rolls should be done by now. Serve bread rolls smothered with etouffee sauce.

Yum…is all I can say…the spicy sauce with the cheesy bread rolls explode with flavors in the mouth. Seconds is the only way to go!!

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