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…
Pure Vegetable Soup
Ok, I’ll admit it: I grew up eating vegetable soup out of a can and at the time, I liked it. You know the kind I’m talking about—the alphabet noodle kind. I’m not proud of it and as I grew into adulthood, I came to realize how disgusting the tin can taste of that mushy…
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…
Crawfish Boil Chowder
If you live in crawfish country, you know all about South Louisiana’s favorite springtime pastime–the backyard crawfish boil. Suckin’ heads and pinchin’ tails is always a tasty occasion, but what to do with all the leftover crawfish and vegetables? Crawfish Boil Chowder time! Making soup with Louisiana seafood is a familiar recipe for most Cajun…
Kale, Black-eyes and Pork Jowl Soup
Soulful simplicity. It doesn’t take much of a story line to sum up what this Kale, Black-eyes and Pork Jowl Soup is all about. If stewing down a pot of black-eyes is just too basic, then infuse it with garden-fresh kale, the soul-food flavors of smoky pork jowl, and intense dark chicken stock–the essential ingredients…
Creole Cioppino
Fish soup is as essential to French cuisine as gumbo is to French Louisiana. I love the flavors of briny stock-infused shellfish and finfish swimming in a bowl of herbs and vegetables. In my younger years, I once traveled the length of France searching for the perfect soupe de poisson, and two weeks later I…
Heirloom Tomato Soup
You say tomato, I say soup. It goes without saying that a steaming hot bowl of tomato soup is the ultimate comfort food. You know exactly what I mean–it feels warm and cozy just like that old pair of fur-lined slippers you refuse to throw out (c’mon, admit it). Tomato soup is quite good right…
Smoked Turkey Neck Gumbo
Smoked turkey neck gumbo is not timid. Its very design is to grab your full attention as you ascend, no dive, into the dark depths of its culinary abyss. The smoky, bony knobs of neck meat render tender with a moistness that makes them burst with earthy flavor. The tantalizing taste of your first bite…
Guinea Gumbo
I remember it like it was yesterday: the day, over 30 years ago, that I first tasted a guinea gumbo and was immediately initiated into the colorful world of Cajun cooking. That one deep dark bowlful taught me volumes about a cuisine that has been heralded by many and misunderstood by many more. Our Cajun…
Corn and Crab Bisque
Louisiana cooking is famous for pairing farm-to-table vegetables with fresh Gulf seafood. Oyster and spinach is a common duo in many soups and shrimp and artichoke shows up frequently as well. But my all-time favorite is a traditional soup: Corn and Crab Bisque. This cream-based soup has its origins in the Creole culinary culture of…