Let me start by saying this: a kind of instinctive, carnivorous joy comes from digging into a braised whole pig’s leg. This isn’t the tidy, delicate dish you’d find at a fine-dining restaurant. No, this is rough, meaty, with the soul of something primeval—steeped in history and soaked with the kind of flavors that make…
Cajun Crawtator Casserole
Smashed Yukon Gold potatoes infused with fresh herbs, Cajun spice, and creamy Greek yogurt reaches new culinary heights with the addition of rich Louisiana crawfish tail meat. And the crunch of Zapp’s Crawtator kettle-fried potato chips is the pièce de résistance. It’s pure comfort in a casserole dish. I first crossed paths with the late…
Shrimp and Okra Gumbo
Just last week I was telling a good friend that I had plans to make Shrimp and Okra Gumbo for the weekend. Without hesitation, she asked, “Cajun gumbo or Creole gumbo?” Oh, here I go again. After a 10-minute explanation, I could see my friend regretted even asking the question. But, it is a difficult…
Soupe à l’oignon Gratinée – The French Louisiana Version
According to the French there are two ways to make classic onion soup – the right way and the wrong way. And even though the French are accustomed to being a bit arrogant when it comes to their cuisine, I must agree. Here’s why. Like many, for years I made my onion soup with the…
Coq Au Vin – My Tribute to Julia Child
“I love cooking with wine – sometimes I even put it in the food!” – Julia Child One tough old bird. No, not Julia. Although she certainly was, I have too much respect to talk in those tones when paying homage to the one-woman, gastronomic tour de force that wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking,…
Peggy’s Skillet Fried Chicken
Peggy is my momma. She passed away some time ago, but not before I learned her secret to the perfect fried chicken that I affectionately call Peggy’s Skillet Fried Chicken. She was a wiz in the kitchen and taught me the basics of cooking simply. She was a patient cook and knew that time was…
Orzo, Shrimp and Kale Salad
More and more, I see orzo pasta showing up on the Acadiana table of folks who didn’t even know it existed a few years ago. Cajun and Creole home cooks are a stubborn bunch who hold to Cajun recipe tradition more so than most cultures. But in my Orzo, Shrimp and Kale Salad recipe, this ingredient…
Braised Beef Shanks with Parsley Pecan Pesto
Let’s cut to the meat of this story–whole sectional cuts of beef are irresistible to me. They harken back to pioneer days and more rustic farm-style butchering techniques. But beef shanks are rarely seen whole in the supermarket. My guess is that retailers fear that timid customers will panic and run screaming from the meat…
French Mustard-Braised Rabbit
Smothered down in a wine-infused braise of two mustards, the rich white meat of rabbit cooks low and slow in this tart and tantalizing combination of flavors. It’s Louisiana French meets European French in this French Mustard-Braised Rabbit recipe. The people of South Louisiana have many ancestral ties to their French cultural roots–cooking included. For…
Crawfish and Pumpkin Bisque
As Halloween and Thanksgiving approach, this hearty Crawfish and Pumpkin Bisque defines the holiday season in Acadiana for me and represents the best of rural farm-to-table sourcing. Combining the sweet tail meat of crawfish and fresh seasonal corn cut from the cob, it is certainly a winning combination. But, when you introduce pumpkin along with…
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