When we lived in Rogers, Arkansas, hardly a thriving metropolis, in the Northwest corner of the state, I just about went nuts...hold your thumb and index finger one inch part...I came THAT close! We lived in a beautiful home, and the countryside was pretty, but there were more cows than people and the cows had more teeth in their heads than the people did, too! Not that there's anything wrong with being toothless...but it was in such sharp contrast to the other half that lived in this little community...the other half being millionaires from Wal-Mart, JB Hunt Trucking, Tyson Foods, Hudson Foods, etc., etc.,...you could throw a rock in any direction and hit a millionaire...or a greeter at Walmart...or a cow. (Oh, don't assume we were part of the other half, we weren't, we were a part of a teensy group of people in the community that fell between the millionaires and the toothless...not rich but we had all of our teeth.) We spent two and a half years in Arkansas before we escaped and most of the time I was deeply conflicted...the back of our house looked out into a pasture of cows...can I just tell you how hard it was to BBQ anything with those big, brown cows eyes looking back at me?!? It got so bad that I considered moving the grill to the front porch except in Arkansas no one has a grill on their front porch...guess it's because there just isn't enough room for a grill with the washing machine, sofa and a quarter ton of miscellaneous metal.
Please don't think my time in Arkansas was total misery for me because it wasn't. It was only 98% miserable...bugs, snakes, spiders, chiggers, critters, rodents, humidididity (humidity doubled) and tornadoes...so really, what was not to love?!? (I plan to discuss all of my "issues" with Mother Nature when we meet in the great beyond.) I did meet some wonderful people and I discovered some wonderful recipes - this is one of them.
Yes, it's green, and it's insanely good and easy to make, too. Some remoulade sauces are red, like the ones you'll find in the deep South where Paprika is used to give it a nice red color, looking more like the cocktail sauce we're all used to. Here's a little history on remoulade for you...it came from France and was originally created to accompany meat dishes. It didn't take long for remoulade to make it to this side of the pond where it became a staple on many fish dishes - almost like a spicy tartar sauce. Which is why it's so great with fish, especially fried fish, crab cakes and my favorite, shrimp! But it's also great on chicken and turkey, too...and sandwiches...a turkey sandwich with Mustard Remoulade becomes a gourmet sandwich worthy of a cloth napkin! The only similarity between Mustard Remoulade and your garden variety cocktail sauce is the kick from horseradish, but that's where the similarity ends. Mustard, green onions and parsley combine to give this sauce it's unique color and the rest of the ingredients give this sauce a depth you just can't find in a jar. It's a party in your mouth!
Mustard Remoulade Sauce - Adapted from The Junior Auxiliary of Rogers, Arkansas
Juice from two large lemons, about 1/4 cup
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons prepared Hot Cream Horseradish
3 tablespoons Hot Mustard
3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoons black pepper
Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and process for 30 seconds. Use immediately or store in an airtight container. This makes a little more than two cups and will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
