My friend, LSU classmate and sorority sister, Monica Joseph Butler Johnson, was a woman in a thousand: exuberant, intelligent and the life of every space she ever stepped into. In south Louisiana, it’s not a party unless there’s some seafood pasta, and I humbly dedicate my Pasta Monica to the girl from St. James, Louisiana who embodied everything… Read More Friends and Foodways: Pasta Monica
Five years ago, I was a guest columnist embarking on an interactive weight-loss challenge chronicled in The Washington Post. As we close out National Gumbo Day, I’m sharing “Breaking The Connection Between Food And Emotions”, a piece I wrote during that period about Louisiana’s official state cuisine and the role it played at a pivotal point in… Read More National Gumbo Day
If you still think of cole slaw as that gloopy, depressing, “they could have kept this!” side order from your local fast food joint, you haven’t been paying attention. Slaw is on everything these days, from bahn mi to pulled pork sliders and seafood tacos. My version, Tiger Slaw, pays tribute to LSU’s mascot, Mike VI. It’s purple, gold… Read More Tiger Slaw
A couple of weeks ago, I told my son that LSU’s famous tiger mascot, Mike VI, was dying of cancer. My son was in the middle of doing something, but he stopped short. “What?! But he’s MY Mike. The Mike of my time at LSU.” Yesterday, when I heard the news that Mike VI had… Read More Friends and Foodways – Mike the Tiger
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
One my first stops on the road for SoulCreole: The Cookbook was Houston, Texas, by invitation of my sorority sister, Tracy, and relatives and friends of hers that have become friends of mine. As we all laughed and talked late into the night, one theme was clear: you can take the woman out of Louisiana,… Read More Friends and Foodways – Houston, by way of South Louisiana
Listening to Celia Cruz’s “Azúcar Negra” inspired this dish one day as I walked among the oaks of New Orleans City Park. These pralines are a mix of my maternal grandmother’s Mississippi belief that every dinner should include dessert, my mother’s mastery of traditional “pecan candy”, and my own nod to the tropical influences present in New Orleans, often called the… Read More Rum and Coconut Pralines
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
Nicole Moliere 