These days, home cooks are moving toward freshly prepared, light, and healthy dishes. However, Louisiana cooks don’t always follow conventional wisdom. This time of year, you are just as likely to see a hearty etouffée or a platter of steak, rice, and gravy on the dinner table. But with my Cream of Cauliflower Soup, you can…
Gumbo Z’herbes
The heady aroma of fresh greens (collards, spinach, chard, and kale, to name a few) simmering on a stovetop is heavenly. And with just one bowl of this roux-infused Gumbo Z’herbes, you’re praying for a second helping. As in most culinary cultures, religion has an impact on the dishes of South Louisiana with gumbo z’herbes…
Red Bean, Mustard Green, and Green Onion Sausage Soup
Beans and greens mean winter to me. And this hearty soup filled with creamy red beans, bitter mustard greens, and acidic tomatoes can only be elevated with Cajun green onion pork sausage. I love the depth of flavor and spice in this Red Bean, Mustard Green, and Green Onion Sausage Soup. And I love the…
5-Bean Kale Soup
With the smokiness of ham and bacon as the backdrop for the assortment of beans, fresh kale, herbs, and spices, my 5-Bean Kale Soup is packed with soul-satisfying flavor. As south Louisiana comes out of hibernation, kale begins showing up at markets everywhere. And when the windy March chill sends you shivering, I pull out…
Lentil, Leek, and Mirliton Soup
Beans are a South Louisiana tradition, and I’ve written much about red beans and white beans, and how they have multiple uses in the Cajun kitchen. But lentils don’t normally come to mind in the Cajun cooking conversation. Not sure why. Lentils are a tradition of French cooking, and the good folks at New Orleans-based…
Chicken Leg and Sausage Gumbo
It’s fall gumbo season, and time to break out the black iron pot and the rice cooker. The knob of juicy dark meat at the end of a chicken drumstick is my favorite cut of the bird, and when soaked for two hours in a rich roux-infused gumbo, these legs have me running to the…
Mushroom Soup
Rich, intense flavors explode in your mouth with my Mushroom Soup recipe. As a side dish or soup entrée, this one delivers a wallop of taste. It goes without saying that I’m a meat-lover, but from time to time, my wife requests an all-vegetable dinner. Okay, I’m in. But with bold and meaty flavors, my…
Potato and Broccoli Soup
This Potato and Broccoli Soup is easy, cheesy, creamy, dreamy, and just about the most delicious bowl around. If you’ve ever made mashed potatoes, you’re half way to one of the tastiest soups. All we’re doing here is adding aromatics, spices, chicken stock, and cream, oh, and broccoli. Yeah, it’s the fresh florets of broccoli…
Rox’s Roux
Making a dark Cajun roux from scratch is a dying art. Not too many years ago, there wasn’t a Cajun or Creole household in South Louisiana that didn’t have the unmistakably intense aroma of a dark roux, in all its glory, wafting through the kitchen. Home cooks were taught basic roux-making skills early on, and…