A hardwood fire is an essential part of the gumbo process
We have a couple dozen gumbo recipes in our repertoire but most of them are day in day out versions with smoked chicken and link sausage we pick up from Terranova Superette or Quicky’s. And we keep a quart jar filled with handmade roux in the fridge so we can bang out a gumbo on a Tuesday night without breaking a sweat. Continue Reading
Hoppin John is black eyed peas writ large in the southern kitchen. If you’re not afraid of a little prep work you can take our lucky New Years peas recipe straight to the stratosphere.
Here’s how.
You’re a dyed in the wool old school cook who makes scratch stocks at least once a week. You would never consider using mere tap water for any of your gumbos, soups or stews but are you making master stock?
Once you do you will never use plain old stock again.
Our master stock turned two years old a couple days ago, and it’s richer and more nuanced than ever. Of course many households and restaurants in China hold master stocks that are over a hundred years old.
The Myth Of The Holy Trinity
During this time I’ve learned that the Holy Trinity is not sacrosanct in the 22 parishes that comprise Cajun country. Continue Reading
Jacob’s World Famous Andouille est. 1928. St John The Baptist Parish Louisiana
Once out in Acadiana we procured a suitcase load of smoked sausage-the kind made by old masters who have been plying their charcuterie trade since the 1920s.
Hope y’all can make it out.
A Recipe For Shark Gumbo With Smoked Andouille Sausage
A Guide To Making The Best Gumbo You Will Ever Put In Your Mouth
Scrumptious Chef 8th Anniversary Party
A Recipe For Crawfish Étouffée With The Holy Trinity
Then-mayor Curtis Joubert courted controversy by banning electric rice cookers stating: “…rice cookers are not Cajun, and only black pots are in.” Continue Reading
When I was in culinary school in Alabama back in the 90s, I read the Birmingham News and the Birmingham Post-Herald every single day. On Wednesdays I kept a pair of scissors handy so I could cut recipes out of the food section.
Just like my mom and grandma did in the 70s. Continue Reading
Etta Cox, Lilly Taylor, Nellie Sullivan. My Great Aunts and My Grandma
Green beans, sweet corn, Irish potatoes, cabbage, squash, tomatoes, sweet onions, and peppers were just some of the vegetables she grew from seed and put up in Mason jars to get her family through the long, cold winters of Appalachia. Continue Reading
Amon’s Sugar Shack in Somerset Kentucky