It’s Fat Monday, ya’ll! Lundi Gras (French for Fat Monday) ramps up the Mardi Gras holiday with a full schedule of parades, balls, and of course, the Courir de Mardi Gras—the rural Cajun celebration before the beginning of Lent. Break out your capuchon (a cone-shaped ceremonial hat), don a colorful mask, tank up with your…
Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew
This hearty beef stew is rich with the umami flavors of mushrooms, beef, dark roux, and Guinness. Yes, Guinness Extra Stout beer. My Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew is a bowlful of St. Patrick’s Day happiness. I’m green with envy at communities that passionately celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It is an upbeat holiday that every…
Venison Bourguignon
With a depth of wild flavor bathed in red wine and a bouquet of herbs, this Venison Bourguignon is a Southern backwoods expression of a classic French dish. There are flavors here that tantalize: Wild game simmered down in a dark roux-infused gravy spiked ever-so-gently with red wine and punched with fragrant herbs, umami-rich mushrooms,…
Pork Curry
Coconut-kissed stock infused with the aromatic flavors of curry and a sweet spike of pineapple combine in this bowl of Cajun pork neck bones to build a Pork Curry soup that ramps up the flavor to international levels. Listen up: I am a sucker for Asian spice. I’ve never been to Asia, but with my…
Squirrel Stew
This is camp cooking at its tastiest: meaty morsels of squirrel meat rendered fall-off-the-bone tender in a rich dark gravy with a spicy Cajun kick of seasoning. Squirrel Stew is a twice a year seasonal treat that rural folks look forward to every fall and spring. Of all the small game species, squirrel is a…
Catfish Head Stew
On a crisp, cool Friday morning on my way to Eunice, Louisiana, to stock up on my favorite garlic smoked sausage at my friend Kermit Lejeune’s smokehouse, I drove past a little market on the highway heading west out of Opelousas. I did not have seafood on my mind, but it was the colorful exterior…
Catfish Courtbouillon
My Cajun recipe for Catfish Courtbouillon uses a pungent seafood stock (I make mine from dried shrimp) and the addition of a couple of spoonfuls of dark roux. Rather than the red gravy Creole version, in this Cajun recipe for courtbouillon I use a light hand on the tomatoes favoring canned diced tomatoes rather than…
Pork Rib Fricassée
My Pork Rib Fricassée is a tried and true French preparation that is just as popular in Acadiana. Pork ribs, cooked down in a savory fricassée, is a classic old-school Acadian stew. Dressed up with smoked sausage, fresh rosemary out of my herb garden and field okra from Gotreaux Family Farm, it is a satisfying one-dish…