Low Country Boil

Less than 24 hours after returning from a lovely weekend in Charleston, one of our cats puked on my freshly unpacked luggage. The reason I am sharing this tidbit of info with you, is because one miraculous aspect of the culinary ecology of living with a variety of animals in your home made itself evident. After seeing the cat vomit I just walked past it, cursing the felines, not able in my pregnant state to muster the stomach to clean it up. The next time I past it, the vomit was gone.

I asked Chef if he had picked it up, and he answered no. Thus, the only possible explaination is that one of our dogs...most probably Pumpkin the ultimate scavanger, our living vacuum cleaner ate it. While I curse our pets for the messes they make, every once in a while they prove themselves to be useful in the most wonderful ways.

Back to the weekend in Charleston...three girlfriends from college, myself and our significant others and offspring rented a great house on Isle of Palms. Each couple took a meal to make, ours was dinner the final evening. It was the birthday request of Kate, my old college roomate, for Chef to make Low Country Boil.

Low Country Boil is a quintessential coastal dish of the Southeast. It is one I have grown up with my entire life, and it is so simple and delicious anyone can make it. What made this particular boil special is that earlier that day a group from our party went out on a boat and caught blue crabs to add to the mix. It was the perfect meal to end a perfect weekend beach trip!





Good Life Recipe # 11/ Low Country Boil/ Chef Scott Schwartz
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs of small red potatoes
• 2 medium onions quartered
• 5 quarts of water
• 1/2 cup blackening seasoning
• 2 lbs of kielbasa, or andouille sausage cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 ears of corn halved
• 4 pounds of large fresh shrimp (peeled and deviened optional)

Directions:

• Add potatoes and onions to large pot
• Add 5 quarts of water and seasoning
• Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil. Cook 5 minutes
• Add sausage and corn, return to a boil
• Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender
• Add Shrimp to stockpot, cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink
• Drain and serve with sauce of your choice