The Best Holiday Snack Yet!

You may have heard of these before, but I haven't. Somewhere in my surfing I found the recipe for Creole Fried Bow-Ties. Copeland's in New Orleans serves these and as I hear, they're a hit! So, I decided to give it a try.

The recipe I found is probably as close to Copeland's as any, but I found them to be rather bland. I'm not one to leave a good recipe by the wayside, so I decided to improvise. To the cornmeal mixture I added garlic powder and onion powder. Then, after the bow ties had fried I drained them and then sprinkled with more cajun seasoning, light salt, and Parmesan cheese. My hubby, who is my favorite taste tester, said they were "addictive". So much so, he set aside the Chex mix to indulge! Now that's saying something!

Here's the recipe:

Creole Fried Bow Ties

8 ounces bow-tie pasta
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons spicy Creole seasoning
Oil for frying

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well, and blot pasta dry with paper towels.
2. Combine cornmeal and Creole seasoning in a large bowl. Toss pasta, a handful at a time, in cornmeal mixture to coat; shake off excess.
3. Pour oil to a depth of 2" in a Dutch oven; heat over medium-high heat to 375°. Fry pasta, in batches, 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Store pasta snacks up to a week in an airtight container. 

Special note to Southerners!....The only way these babies will stay crunchy is to make sure they stay in that airtight container. Otherwise, our humidity will make them tough as leather!





Always~
Cha