It’s been four years since my first cookbook Acadiana Table debuted to an audience hungry to learn about our Cajun and Creole food culture. And now, I’m dishing up a second helping. With the publishing of my second cookbook, Fresh From Louisiana: The Soul of Cajun and Creole Home Cooking, you’ll take a deeper dive into the foodways of Louisiana.
Order Now: My newest cookbook is in stock and now shipping. (Photo credit: George Graham)
In the pages of Fresh From Louisiana, I’ve delivered a road map of the culinary delights that await you and the fresh ingredients that will astound you. Eating in the South is tied to the seasons, and Louisiana is no exception. Farm-fresh and wild-caught are the cultural mandates of Louisiana cooking and the essence of what sets it apart.
FRESH FROM LOUISIANA:
THE SOUL OF CAJUN AND CREOLE HOME COOKING
By George Graham
Harvard Common Press | Buy online or at booksellers everywhere
240 pages | 104 recipes | Over 100 full-color photographs | Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1592339761
15% DISCOUNT | NOW SHIPPING | AUTOGRAPHED COPY
The recipes I’ve chosen for this book are divided that way to ensure the freshest ingredients are available during the respective growing season. As a child, I learned to anticipate the market seasons: Ponchatoula strawberries in the spring, Creole tomatoes in the summer, Evangeline sweet potatoes in the fall, and a pot full of farm-fresh collards in the winter. And the Louisiana soil I grew up on delivered.
Traditional risotto takes a Cajun spin with the addition of fresh Louisiana shrimp.
I’ve had a lifelong love affair with the food culture of Louisiana. I love the Louisiana recipes living inside this cookbook for the history that calls me back to the table and for the ties that bind me to the memories of food and family. I love the way a spicy crawfish pie weaves its lyrical melody and sings to me with a Doug Kershaw accent, how a pork and apple-stuffed duck is only a vessel for the sweet, duck fat–roasted onions that accompany it, and how the perfumed scent of fresh basil wafts from a crispy-crusted Creole tomato tart as it comes out of a hot oven.
The pages showcase creative recipes for Southern classic dishes like Sweet Tea-Brined Chicken.
Visit our online STORE, buy the book, and join me on my journey. You’ll receive an autographed copy at a 15% discount. I promise you it will be a tasty adventure.
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With over 100 recipes and full-color photos, this cookbook focuses on the seasons of Louisiana. (Photo credit: George Graham)
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Made the chicken leg and sausage gumbo at the duck camp. The turkey necks are the bomb in that recipe.
Hey Phillip- You are right about that. I tell people all the time that smoked turkey necks are my secret weapon for flavor and smoke. I buy mine at Billeaud’s Meat and Grocery in Broussard, LA; Billy Billeaud is my go-to butcher. And he carries Rox’s Roux, too. All the best.
Hey George. Congrats on the new book. I will be ordering it soon. The first one was great, and I am sure this one will be, too. Quick question: Is there a rule of thumb for how much roux to add to gumbo. I make it in a 4qt pot and just add until I like it. My favorite gumbo has been Mahoney’s in Biloxi, with a close second to The Half Shell Oyster Bar; there is one in Covington.
Hope everything is well with you. Take care
Hey Terry- Great to hear from you, and I love Mary Mahoney’s restaurant in Biloxi, too. When it comes to gumbo, there are no rules. Some like it thick, some like it thin. Folks in north Louisiana like a lighter gumbo, but in Cajun country, we like it dark. The ratio of roux to liquid (stock or water) is best to start with 2 heaping tablespoons of roux per quart of liquid to make a medium-thick gumbo. Once it has combined in the pot and thickened, you can always add more to your own taste for a thicker gumbo. Be sure to remember your “roux ratio” for future gumbos. Hope this helps. All the best. P.S.: Thanks for buying the book; there are several roux recipes in it.