Voodoo In The Kitchen

Anyone who has ever been to New Orleans knows that the heart of the city is comprised of two key elements; food and music and both are exceptional. A new television program on HBO “Treme” is tugging my taste buds to visit New Orleans again. Kevin made a delicious Shrimp Creole last night – he spiced it up a little more than usual with Victoria Gourmet New Orleans seasoning. This stuff is like crack! I can’t get enough of it. I put that seasoning on fish, shrimp and even mix it with salt and put it on baked French fries. Mmmmm.

For a moment I was transported to the smells and tastes of New Orleans. I haven’t been there since the flood and I know the city will be forever changed because of it but there is no amount of water that is going to wash away the deep roots of New Orleans.

Besides visiting as many Zydeco bars as I can fit in, there are certain foods I must eat, and only eat in New Orleans. The first dish on my list is Barbecue Shrimp at Pascal’s Manale. The image conjured by the name of the dish leaves one to think that this is shrimp cooked on a barbecue grill. In fact, BBQ Shrimp New Orleans style is served shells on floating in a bowl of “spicy, tangy sauce”. A basket of fresh hot French pistolet bread is plentiful for dunking in the sauce. Pascal’s Manale does not have a website and try as I may; I have not been able to find their recipe anywhere. A Google search will result in thousands of variations of this recipe but none of them are the original from Pasqual’s. The closest I have ever come to replicating it is from a menu in a little homemade cookbook called "Voodoo in the Kitchen'. The book is out of print and has only a few recipes but the recipes are authentic.

The second dish on my list is Creole Gumbo from Antoine’s Restaurant. I make a mean gumbo in my own right but let’s face it, Antoine’s has been making the stuff for decades. I have eaten gumbo in hundreds of restaurants but none of them compares to Antoine’s. Antoine’s has a cookbook in which they share all of their recipes.

Creole Gumbo by Antoine's Restaurant
The Bouillabaisse of Louisiana appears in many forms. Ours is the classic Creole seafood gumbo.

Ingredients:
- 3/4 stick butter
- 2 cups chopped green onions
- 2 cups sliced okra
- 1 cup chopped white onions
- 2 cups raw peeled shrimp
- 2 cups raw oysters
1 cup chopped tomato pulp
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 1/2 quarts Fish Stock
- 3 crabs (top shell discard, cut into 4 pieces)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon File (sassafras)
- 3 cups cooked rice
- salt, pepper, and cayenne

Directions: Melt the butter and sauté the green onions, okra, white onions and crabs. In a separate pot put the shrimp, oysters, tomatoes and tomato juice with 1 1/2 quarts of Fish Stock and bring to a boil. Let boil for a minute, then add to the first pot. In a small skillet cook the butter and flour together until brown. Blend this brown roux with the File and some of the gumbo liquid and add to the gumbo. Add salt and pepper and cayenne to taste. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. To serve, pour 1 1/2 cups of gumbo into each bowl over 1/2 cup rice. Serves 6.


Third on my list is a Mufaletta sandwich at the Central Grocery. Central Grocery or CG as I like to call it, is located on Decatur Street. I recommend calling ahead if you want to have lunch there. The place is always booked.

What is a Mufaletta?

Muffuletta (Muf' a lotta) and a lotta it is!
Super-large, round, fat sandwich filled with salami-type meats, mozzarella cheese, pickles, and olive salad

I have never seen a store like Central Grocery anywhere in this world. There are literally cans and jars and boxes of great food, spices, herbs, relishes….stacked to the ceiling. Why Central Grocery? It’s the home of the Mufaletta. Other restaurants serve these wonderful sandwiches but I am perfectly happy with the one from CG.

There are so many great restaurants in New Orleans and I encourage you to try as many as possible. Get off the beaten path to find some real gems but be careful. Voo Doo does lie around some of those dark corners. I prefer to do my Voo Doo in the kitchen!