Steve Engelbrecht taught himself engine mechanics by studying tool catalogs, and learned to experiment with food by reading his grandfather’s Penzeys Spice catalogs.
“Spices are like an alphabet: you find ones you like and start putting words together,” Engelbrecht said.
Using these “words” and flavor combinations, Engelbrecht likes to experiment when cooking for family and friends, often bringing together foods from opposite ends of global cuisine or reimagining local standards.
Angered by the constraints of recipes, his approach usually starts with a sharp kitchen knife and a big “What if.”
Kimchi guacamole? Deviled egg burgers with pickled okra? Gumbo Pizza? These are three of Engelbrecht’s recent creations. While I’m not convinced by the kimchi guacamole mash-up, the pictures of their deviled egg burger made my mouth water.
Steve Engelbrecht sautés shrimp in his kitchen.
When Engelbrecht and I cooked together, he recalled a more traditional mix of okra, corn, and tomato, a dish his grandfather taught him, along with how to cook squirrel, make cream of pumpkin soup, and inadvertently appreciate the deliciousness of cow’s tongue. just to name a few things he learned while living with his grandfather in Natchitoches. Intended to be served as a side, Engelbrecht deconstructed his grandfather’s recipe and created a meal by tweaking the flavors, adding shrimp and serving it over brown rice.
As Engelbrecht cooked, I saw how he paid attention to each main ingredient, not following the typical method of combining all the vegetables for a long fire, but preparing them separately. He heated all the vegetables together only briefly, adding the shrimp to each bowl at the table to allow the flavors to stand out as they worked together.
“This is how I show my love, by taking time with my ingredients,” he said with a smile as he, his wife and children chatted back and forth about the meals they’ve enjoyed together.
Since fresh fall tomatoes weren’t yet available, he taught me how to roast store-bought tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, rice vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to intensify the flavors while bringing a shine to the tomatoes a little soft Its roasted sweetness along with the prawns rounded out the flavor of the dish, giving it the heft of a meal.
Okra, corn and tomatoes with shrimp
Engelbrecht keeps a copy of Harold McGee’s “On Food and Cooking” handy to understand the science involved in the flavors he likes to bring together on the plate. Have a question about okra mucilage? The anatomy of a tomato? McGee’s book explains how to manipulate both to get the desired flavors and textures.
We enjoyed our bowls of delicious okra in the backyard, discussing past and upcoming meals as foodies are wont to do. Engelbrecht detailed how he once turned the quartet of okra, corn, tomato and shrimp into a pizza with red sauce and smoked gouda. As I savored the flavors in my mouth, I was able to follow her imagination and write down the recipe.
Okra, corn and tomatoes with shrimp
Makes 6 servings. The recipe is from Steven Engelbrecht.
3 large tomatoes
4 ears of corn
1-2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, more for sautéing shrimp
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds okra, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
Sal
cayenne pepper
white pepper
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails can be left on for presentation)
Cajun or Creole spice mix
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lightly chop the tomatoes, then heat them in boiling water until the skins begin to release. Remove to cool.
3. Blanch the corn in the same boiling water for two minutes. Remove to cool and then cut the kernels off the cob.
4. Peel, seed and cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
5. Spread the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with rice vinegar, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce. Bake for 35 minutes. This step can be skipped if using flavor-rich tomatoes such as heirloom or locally grown tomatoes.
6. Preheat a deep pan over high heat. Add olive oil to coat the pan, okra, onion, bay leaves, plus salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook until the okra no longer produces its characteristic stringy slime.
7. Lower the heat to medium-low, then add the corn and tomatoes to the okra. Stir and cover, allowing the dish to keep warm over low heat.
8. Sauté the prawns in a pan lightly coated with olive oil over high heat until done.
9. Serve okra, corn and tomatoes over white or brown rice with sautéed shrimp on top. Season with your favorite spice mix. Pairs well with a Louisiana brewed pilsner.
Pizza with okra, corn, tomato and shrimp
Makes 6 servings. The recipe is from Steven Engelbrecht.
3 medium tomatoes
2-3 ears of corn
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil, more for sautéing shrimp
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound sliced okra
Sal
cayenne pepper
white pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
15 ounces prepared pizza dough at room temperature
¾ cup tomato-based pizza sauce
1 ½ cups unpackaged cheese (aged provolone or smoked gouda)
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lightly chop the tomatoes, then heat them in boiling water until the skins begin to release. Remove to cool.
3. Blanch the corn in the same boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove to cool and then cut the kernels off the cob.
4. Peel, seed and cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
5. Spread the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with rice vinegar, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce. Bake for 35 minutes. This step can be skipped if using flavor-rich tomatoes such as heirloom or locally grown tomatoes. (Remove seeds and watery pulp from fresh tomatoes.)
6. Preheat oven to 500F.
7. Preheat a deep pan over high heat. Add olive oil to coat pan, fry okra until golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Sauté the prawns in a pan lightly coated with olive oil over high heat until done.
9. Divide the prepared dough into three balls. Work with one ball of dough at a time while the others are covered with a clean cloth.
10. Roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch thick.
11. Place the following ingredients on the dough, leaving the edges exposed: ¼ cup of pizza sauce, ⅓ of the sauteed okra, ⅓ of the corn, ⅓ of the tomatoes, ⅓ of the shrimp and a little ½ cup cheese.
12. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients to make three thin crust pizzas.
13. Bake on a pizza stone for about 8 minutes.
