Cajun Food Where You Find It
Cajun French: faim (fain) – hungry
Leaving church Sunday, as usual John was lobbying for donuts. Laurie was shaking her head fervently as we walked to the truck. The truck just so happened to be parked near Joie de Vivre Coffee & Culture Café with an outdoor sign of “What’s Cooking!” Laurie’s eyes veered to the sign and gazed upon Crawfish Flatbread. John was easily convinced and in we went to try the beckoning flavors. Continue reading “Joie de Vivre Coffee and Culture Café Revisited”
Cajun French: la céleri (la sel-ree) – celery
Calorie overload during Mardi Gras – yes that was us. So, we were ready for some down home cooking. What better than Shrimp Etouffee – simple, easy, good Cajun cooking. We even made it easier by using dry roux. That is not always our method, but Mardi Gras wore us out; we needed easy.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: pétrir (pā-treer) – knead
Cajuns are an adaptable people. We take what the area offers and make it our own. So we wonder why it took not only a non-Cajun, but also a non-native Louisianan to develop the Boudin King Cake. Granted Dr. Boudin (Bob Carriker) has been living in the Lafayette area since 1997; he is not native. He calls Louisiana home and has come to embrace our culture and food. In honor of Dr. Boudin and his Boudin King Cake, we have made our own, adapting it to our tastes.
One bread recipe will make a very large king cake. We made ours in our Dutch oven so we adjusted for the size of our pot.
Mais C’est Bon!
Enjoy!! Continue reading “Let’s Eat Cake – Boudin King Cake”
South Louisiana’s climate allows growing seasons all year long. No matter the time of year there is always something being harvested. The farmers markets in the area offer an array of vegetables and fruits on a regular basis. As we travel north, the farmers markets we find are generally seasonal. In our travels this is one aspect we have to continually remember as we search for local produce. Continue reading “End of the Season”
Cajun French: le cachet (lu ka-sha) – squash
Visiting different farmers markets as we travel not only affords us various and unique vegetables but also opportunities to meet chefs, bakers, farmers, and other shoppers. The Independence, Iowa farmers market was no different. We were fortunate to visit with Chef Michael Murray-John and enjoy his vegetable curry. Michael who now lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and daughter, Lola, was previously the chef/owner of two restaurants in Wabasha, MN. We purchased his curry spice packet, which made fixing the curry very easy. Along with the packet we received the spice recipe needed to duplicate the dish. We added our own touch – onion and garlic. It is well worth the numerous spices needed…
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: la poire (la poo-ar) – pear
Finding fresh fruit at farmers markets is a treat. Today we had our choice of various apple varieties and pears. Of course we went home with some of each. Poaching pears in a wine sauce has been something we have wanted to do for quite some time. So pears were on the menu for tonight. We did it and yes, they were delicious…
This is an elegant yet easy dessert…
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: le fromage (lu frō-maj) – cheese
At the farmers market we found fresh tomatoes and our mouths were watering. Not wanting just a tomato salad, John’s creative mind went to work. The result was a tomato salad stack with a sweet/savory dressing. The best part of this salad is the taste can be changed by using different jams, dressings, and cheese. Have fun…
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: le plat (lu pla) – dish (of food)
When squash and eggplant appear at the markets, Laurie cannot resist. Living in an RV, space is at a premium and fresh produce is purchased as needed. That is except squash and eggplant – usually we purchase more than needed because there are so many different ones to choose. This week we managed to only purchase yellow squash and eggplant. Laurie was proud of herself for moderation. Grilling is a favorite cooking method of ours and tonight was grilled veggies. For a different approach we stacked the veggies and topped with grated cheese. Fresh corn was also a purchase so it was grilled also.
Mais C’est Bon!
Cajun French: la merise (la m’reez) – cherry
Shopping at farmers markets while we travel brings new and different products to our table. One such find was shishito peppers. The pepper is an East Asian variety and makes great finger food. We decided to add them to our Shrimp and ground cherries to give a sweet/hot taste. There were a few leftover so we cut off the stems, chopped them and added to eggs for an excellent scramble.
Mais C’est Bon!
Enjoy!! Continue reading “Sautéed Shishito Peppers with Shrimp and Ground Cherries”
Cajun French: le poisson (lu poo-a-son) – fish
Grilling is one of our favorite ways to cook. Tonight we did it a little different – open fire grilling. Our travels have brought us to northern Minnesota where we were finally able to purchase fish. Halibut was available and we wanted to try something different. Even though it is not a Minnesota fish, it is something we do not normally have access to. The end result was MORE! Exactly, we wanted more and we will definitely grill this way again.
Enjoy!
Mais C’est Bon! Continue reading “Grilled Halibut”
