Vegetable Gardens

» Sally Morton - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by JButler:

Joy - Well, now we have a wealth of vegetable recipe resources to turn to! Do you have something in the course on vegetable diets? My friend, Crystal, is always dieting (although she is gorgeous) and I told her the best way to lose weight is with vegetable dishes. That way, she can stay healthy too. She has two kids, a husband and a demanding job, so simple recipes are perfect for her. I will send her your link!

-Sally

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» Robert Dailey - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by Sally125:

Don't be afraid to ask. Coot gumbo is not an anthropophagus soup of old man. A coot is a bird which the Cajuns call poulle d'eau (water chicken). The scientific name is fuluca americana. It is a duck-like waterfowl that is a little smaller than a duck.

The original Cajuns were peasants (that's not a perjorative word here- they were really poor farmers, fishermen and trappers) and isolated from mainstream America for several centuries. As a result, they (we)used the natural world to feed themselves (ourselves).

Interestingly, the eating of crawfish (crayfish to Les Americaines) was considered culturally and gastronomically abominable by the New Orleans Creoles and Americans who lived in the state until it became fashionable to be a Cajun. Now everyone wants crawfish. Maybe we can start a similar trend with "poulle d'eau." Prepared correctly, they're quite tasty.
Bob

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» Sally Morton - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by bobcajun:

I'd love to try it. I love experimenting with regional cuisine. When I visit someplace new, I don't like the tourist attractions. I like to go into the little towns, find the busiest little cafe and meet the "real" people and eat the "real" food of the people. Patois (language of the people) is a part of what makes every person unique and I just love hearing it. I went on a trip to Louisiana last year and my otherwise wonderful host drew the line at letting me eat crawfish. He said "nobody eats that stuff." But I know they DO, and I really wanted to try the local version but I didn't want to offend him in order to do so. Oh well, someday I will.

Down east on the North Carolina coast, we had a similar situation as the Cajuns. The inhabitants of Harkers Island and the Outer Banks were isolated from the mainstream for so many years, they retained what is actually a very strong "Old English" version of English (like the original colonists), complete with a strong Cockney flavor. They're referred to as "high tiders." These days, the islands are not isolated and it is only the older generation that continues to speak the colorful brand of English. All their "o's" have the oi sound.

I have a down east phrase for you which you may not have heard. It is "pure tee mommicked." That means someone has been treated very badly or has had a very bad time, as in "Poor thing. He's pure tee mommicked." Since you have been so generous, I am going to post you a recipe in an upcoming blog for an authentic Down East clam bake. You'll like it, I promise - if you like clams. Another interesting piece of trivia, our famous Eastern outdoor pig pickings began as a custom of the pirates and Native Americans.

-Sally

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» Joy Butler - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by Sally125:

Thanks, Sally! The course was not written with weight loss in mind but a vegetarian diet tends to be lower in calories than most diets. Unless, of course, you go overboard on sweets! For instance, pecan pie would be considered vegetarian but it's definitely not low-cal! The recipes in the course are not specifically low-cal but they could be easily adapted. Some people say they feel more full on bulky, raw vegetables and some say they feel more full on vegetable soups so that's something to experiment with. Fiber and protein such as grains and legumes tend to stabilize blood sugar levels which seems to help with cravings. Here's the link to the course syllabus.

http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/18887...

Now you see why I love your topic!

http://dogs.suite101.com/
Joy

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» Robert Dailey - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by Sally125:

I'd love to try your clam bake recipe. What's pig pickings? Is it like a barbecue or a cochon de lait (suckling pig)?

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» Sally Morton - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by bobcajun:

Bob, I'm going to post you the clam bake and the pig picking recipes here, but I'll put them into a blog as well. I'm glad to talk to people like you and Joy who appreciate culture and regional cuisine!

Eastern NC Clam Bake

Per serving:
* 8 to 12 clams
* 6 to 8 large shrimp (leave shells on)
* 1 medium sweet potato
* 1 ear sweet corn (remove husk and silks, then put corn back in husk)
* 2 onions (peeled)
* ¼ of a chicken
* Salt
* Black pepper
* Cheesecloth

Scrub the clams under cold, running water. Scrub the potato. Rinse the shrimp. Rinse and dry chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place all ingredients in the cheesecloth. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together. Place it on a steamer rack over boiling water. Cover and steam until potato is done. It usually takes close to an hour.

Note – If you don’t want your shrimp overdone, just steam them separately. NC clam bakes are often accompanied by cold Pepsi and rolls or cornbread, and are eaten with fingers! Serve with bowls of melted butter. Keep the salt and pepper shakers handy.

A Down East Pig Pickin’

A pig picking means a hog roast or pork barbecue cooked outside. Buccaneers comes from the word boucan (which means literally barbecue) and is the technique of slow cooking over a fire. The French who practiced this technique were called boucaniers. Pirates (Blackbeard being the most famous) loved to have pig pickings where they slow-roasted wild pigs on the islands in North Carolina. There is a little debate about the origin of our pig pickings, but that is the predominant theory.

A Down East pig picking is simply a hog that is slow-roasted (over a low fire of oak, hickory, coals or today, sometimes gas cookers) in a pig cooker (which is specially made in these parts usually from an oil drum sawed in half and welded to an axel and a trailer hitch). It is an all day process. When the meat is finally done, you bring your plate to the pig cooker and “pick” off what you want. That’s why it is called a pig picking. Of course, we are usually civilized and use forks and tongs, but sometimes NOT.

It is a BIG DEAL to cook barbecue in Eastern NC. They have pig cook-offs regularly and almost always, the chefs are men. They get the fire to the right point, then put the split pig onto the rack, baste it liberally with sauce and close the lid. You lift the lid every hour, put on more sauce and close the lid. Continue all day until it’s done.

Each man’s sauce is a closely guarded secret. The difference in Eastern NC BBQ and Western NC BBQ is the sauce. Eastern is vinegar-based (and the best by far) and Western adds tomato. If you visit Eastern NC and want to try the local specialties, go to Kings Restaurant in Kinston, Rolands in Beaufort, or Moores Restaurant in New Bern. None are fancy, but all have great BBQ.

With the barbecue, locals usually eat collards (another Down East MUST; the favorite is the old fashioned yellow cabbage collard variety, cooked with seasoning meat like ham hocks and cornmeal dumplings), potato salad (mustard based), and cole slaw. Lots of iced tea and hush puppies (small pieces of deep fried cornbread) finishes the main meal. For dessert, choose banana pudding.

A basic Eastern pork barbecue sauce (Experiment and develop your own extra ingredients!)

*2 quarts cider vinegar
*1/4 cup salt
*2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
*3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
*1 cup light brown sugar
*1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, light brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce. Stir it until salt and sugar have dissolved. Cover the bowl, and let sauce stand at least 3 hours. Add just one secret ingredient and you are ready to try your skills in a cook-off!

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» Robert Dailey - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by Sally125:

Both those recipes sound wonderful, and I can't wait to try them.
In South Louisian we have a cochon de lait (suckling pig) which we cook for about 12 hours in what is euphemistically known as a Cajun microwave (it's a big oaken box, lined with steel.) Hot coals are continuously placed on the top of the box, and replaced about every 15 minutes. Sometimes we'll throw a turkey in there too just for extra food.
We French (Cajuns) also believe that the word barbecue itself also came from the buccaneers. They would leave goats on islands as later sources of food.
When they returned to the island, they would spit the goats de barbe au cue (from the beard to the tail) and roast them over an open fire.

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» Sally Morton - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by bobcajun:

Bob, you're a fount of knowledge. It makes me almost wish I had some French ancestry! But I have to live with English (Howard - from the line of Lord Edmond and the Dukes of Norfolk, no less / Arundel (from Sir Thomas Arundel, a Count of the Holy Roman Empire); English (Green, from the line of Furnifold and Thomas Green); Germanic/English (Hansley/Haynie); Denmark (Riggs); Scotland (Morton and Scott -from Scottish clans - and Pollock - from Renfrewshire & once owners of Balgray); Willis (Greece); Farr and Kellum (I haven't researched where these lines originated - could it be French????), and two Native American ancestors we believe were Cherokee.

One of the British officers (Ferguson) called the Americans 'mongrels' before he met his untimely demise in the American Revolution.

It's good to see the melting pot theory was not all truth - I think it is important to retain the culture, customs, and knowledge of our ancestors, and to some extent, we all have.

Apparently, you do too!

I thought of the rest of your book title, Cajun Cuisine and Desert Gardens: Some Like It Hot

LOL!
-Sally

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» Robert Dailey - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by Sally125:

Sorry it took so long to reply. I really like the name for the book.
I am only half Cajun, although my culture (growing up in South Louisiana) is more than half-Cajun.
My grandfather was Irish, so I have the worst of both worlds. Additionally, I was taught by Irish priests for high school and part of college, so I do have a smattering of that culture as well (I make a mean Irish soda bread).
Like many people, I have ancestors who fought on both sides during the Civil War (many southerners still call it the "War between the States,") and I too have some Native American blood, although we're not sure what tribe, possibly Houmas, Choctaw or Natchez. Add to that a little English, German, and Creole, and you get...an American!
My kids can add Italian to their mix.
This is what excites me still about the U.S.: We have created a "new people," a melange of cultures that has blended all the spices, tastes, smells and sounds of the world.
I like our inclusivity, rather than exclusivity, because it brings new ideas, new cultures and vibrant concepts to keep us alive.
b

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» Sally Morton - Okra Gumbo

In response to Okra Gumbo posted by bobcajun:

Yes! I agree completely.

-Sally

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