Smothered Okra is as southern as it gets and it’s easy to prepare. It’s one of my absolute favorite dishes and I make it every chance I get. If you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh okra in the summer, put Smothered Okra in rotation. I use cayenne pepper, black pepper and liquid crab… Read More Spicy Smothered Okra with Shrimp
Want to start a food fight in Louisiana? Start talking about the “right” way to make potato salad. Somebody call Michael Buffer because hands might just get thrown before this conversation is over. We’ll get into a great starter recipe that my folks use and I’ll include some variations on this theme as we go along. Alright! Let’s… Read More Traditional Potato Salad
You know a recipe is a hit when your family asks you to make it over and over. Shrimp and Grits is a deeply satisfying dish that lends itself to dozens of variations. This iteration is spicier than Version 1 and will encourage you to experiment with different cheeses and seasonings. This recipe serves 2. What I… Read More Shrimp and Grits, Version 2
My mother grew up eating fried green tomatoes as a breakfast food alongside home-cured bacon and ham, but this Deep South classic can be found nowadays in the swankiest restaurants, often accompanied with top-shelf seafood sauces and elaborate presentations. I revisit this dish in a much humbler setting – my own little 7th ward kitchen – and with tomatoes picked… Read More Fried Green Tomatoes
Want to make something impressively delicious on the fly? Seafood cornbread is the way to go. Yesterday my cousin Deadra and I tested an original shrimp cornbread recipe that was savory and satisfying. It is a perfect intersection of South Louisiana spice and Mississippi Delta comfort. We’re going to do more testing with a crawfish version, but… Read More Shrimp Cornbread
I’ve always been a strange one. When liver and onions was announced for dinner, other kids went running for the hills. Me? I’d arrive at the table with napkin tucked in shirt, knife and fork in hand, and a smile from ear to ear. I’d even order it sometimes when we went out to eat.… Read More Liver and Onions
A really good gumbo is a dish you might eat a few times a year. Crawfish bisque – made in the traditional, labor-intensive way – is a dish you might eat a few times per DECADE. Cleaning and stuffing and stewing, oh my! But it is so, so worth it. My question is: how many extra… Read More Crawfish Bisque – Part 1
Benedict “Benny” Moliere was my parrain, or godfather, and one of my favorite people: a massively strong man who could work and drink with the best of them, he also had a quiet nature that bordered on shyness. According to my father, as Uncle Benny saw it, a chuck roast was just a “steak” and he’d cook one up… Read More Parrain’s Pot Roast
As the only person in my tribe who had never eaten a tea cake, I felt it was my duty to finally tackle this entrenched southern confection. My good friend and sorority sister, Donna, declared with all seriousness, “Nicole, a good tea cake will change your life.” Getting someone to share a guarded family recipe was no easy… Read More Tea Cakes: Part 1
The first sit-down restaurant experience that I remember was of Morrison’s Cafeteria in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans. Back in the seventies, the waiters at Morrison’s still wore tuxedo-like uniforms and carried your tray to your table. My seven- or eight-year-old self was impressed beyond belief not just with the waiters but with the seemingly… Read More Rice Pilaf
Nicole Moliere 