eG Foodblog: PopsicleToze (2011) - Honeysuckles and Huckleberries... F

[PopsicleToze]

Your photos, not just your food, are really good: the one of the clothes on the fence is wonderful, as is the face on that little girl, and the watermelon...gorgeous.

Well, I hate to break it to you -- but the two specific photos you mentioned just happen to be two photos from the Louisiana Dept of Tourism. Don't worry; I do have their permission to use them for this blog. They work hard to promote Louisiana; tourism is a big industry here.

Rhonda

[LindaK]

Just when I thought I couldn't get any more jealous of folks who live in warm weather climates--then I see all those figs. Wow. Where do you pick them? Did I miss a tour of your fig trees?

[llc45]

TURTLE SOUP

Now, we've already established that I won't be cooking turtle soup this week, so I can scratch that off the list. You can buy turtle meat around New Orleans, but I haven't found any around here, and driving to New Orleans during this blog is out of the question. However, I can at least show it to you.

New Orleans turtle soup is as unique as gumbo to the culture. If you go to Cajun Country, the turtle soup is, well, soupy with large chunks of turtle meat -- kindof like a beef stew sans the vegetables and not as thick. Don't get me wrong -- it's good stuff, and I like it. But in New Orleans, the soup is thick and is almost a stew. It is traditional to serve turtle soup with sherry at the table. When the waiter brings your dish to you, there will be a little cup of sherry that you add to the soup at the last minute. It's good stuff!

Rhonda

Wow - I can't wait to show this to my Dad when he comes to visit this weekend. He made turtle soup all of the time when I was growing up. He would find a turtle on his long commute home from work and put it in a garbage can for a day or two and feed it corn to clean it out (from what I remember). The soup did not look anything like this. I never ate his but I sure would like to try this version!

[PopsicleToze]

Just when I thought I couldn't get any more jealous of folks who live in warm weather climates--then I see all those figs. Wow. Where do you pick them? Did I miss a tour of your fig trees?

No, there was no tour of the fig trees. My Aunt Toni has huge fig trees in her backyard, and I go there to pick them. I only have one little fig tree. The poor thing was struck by lightening and almost died. He's real little, but he's a fighter. I maybe got 24 figs from it last year.

Rhonda

[kayb]

If you are not now, or have not at some time made your living from writing, you have missed your calling. You're a wonderful storyteller.

[PopsicleToze]

When I was preparing for this blog, I decided to make some pickled eggs. You can still find them in grocery stores around here, and pickled quail eggs can be found at just about every farmers market.

The first time I heard of them was in jr high school when we had to read the Diary of Anne Frank. On one of the pages the story told how Anne's mother knew hard times were coming, so she pickled two huge jars of eggs to make sure they had food. Later, when their house was searched, the eggs were taken from them. I can't tell you how much that broke my heart just imagining what she went through, and I think about her every time I make them.

If you go to New Orleans, you might want to stop by the D-Day Museum, or click here for more information on it.

I use the recipe from the Prudhomme Family Cookbook.

Now, we're making another jar because someone told me that you could use canned beets and they would taste the same. I knew they wouldn't be the same, but what the heck? I went ahead and bought a can just to experiment.

Look at the difference between the jars, and the color of the ones made with real beets was even more vibrant after a few days.

The only place around here who serves eggs like this is Fleur de Lis Pizza, and if you go there, you had better like pizza and/or pickled eggs, because that's the only things they have! If you want a salad, eat one before you leave home. I think we're going there to eat tomorrow night. I'll post some pictures.

How long do you let them sit until they are ready to eat? Prudhomme says the aging period is 3 weeks. The guy at the pizza place says he sticks them in the cooler for 2 weeks before eating them. Me? I start eating them the day after they're made.

Rhonda

[Jon Savage]

Enjoying this blog immensely Rhonda.

[PopsicleToze]

If you are not now, or have not at some time made your living from writing, you have missed your calling. You're a wonderful storyteller.

Thank you! I do love to write, but it's easy if you love the subject matter.

[PopsicleToze]

Enjoying this blog immensely Rhonda.

Thank you, Jon. It's a lot of fun!

[Kent Wang]

You are already reminding me of those days--the turtle soup! And I must say, we don't "farms" like yours where I come from. I don't think I realized that alligators were specifically raised for food. Your photos, not just your food, are really good: the one of the clothes on the fence is wonderful, as is the face on that little girl, and the watermelon...gorgeous.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think gators are primarily raised for their hides, which are more valuable than their meat. What did T-Mike say about this?

[PopsicleToze]

You are already reminding me of those days--the turtle soup! And I must say, we don't "farms" like yours where I come from. I don't think I realized that alligators were specifically raised for food. Your photos, not just your food, are really good: the one of the clothes on the fence is wonderful, as is the face on that little girl, and the watermelon...gorgeous.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think gators are primarily raised for their hides, which are more valuable than their meat.

You are correct. On one of the shows a representative from an Italian design house went on one of the hunts. When he told the hunters that an alligator hide jacket from his company would retail about $25K, you should have seen the look on the hunters' faces!

[Dejah]

Just catching up with your blog, PopsicleToze.

I was very interested in reading about your cookbook venture. My daughter "stole" some of my recipes and food pictures and had a cookbook printed up for me this Xmas past. It's a thin volume but is giving me the nudge to start compiling family recipes, anedotes, etc.

Thank you for sharing your venture. It'll be very helpful for my "second printing".

[Pierogi]

Rhonda, I'm lovin' this ! Those red beans and rice are right in my wheelhouse ("Pops" too !).

Is the Prudhomme Family book available at stores in your area? I've been looking for it, since I love his "Louisianna Kitchen" so much, but it's out of print. I'd love to lay my hands on a copy.

[PopsicleToze]

Just catching up with your blog, PopsicleToze.

I was very interested in reading about your cookbook venture. My daughter "stole" some of my recipes and food pictures and had a cookbook printed up for me this Xmas past. It's a thin volume but is giving me the nudge to start compiling family recipes, anedotes, etc.

Thank you for sharing your venture. It'll be very helpful for my "second printing".

Yeah, but I don't want to bore everyone with it who doesn't want it. After this blog is over, I'll email you information.

[PopsicleToze]

Is the Prudhomme Family book available at stores in your area? I've been looking for it, since I love his "Louisianna Kitchen" so much, but it's out of print. I'd love to lay my hands on a copy.

Good morning, Roberta! No, it's not available, but I find a lot of out of print old cookbooks at garage sales, used book stores, etc.

Rhonda

[HungryC]

That out-of-print Prudhomme family cookbook is a treasure. It contains a bunch of serious Cajun home cooking; "sticky" chicken, smothered potatoes, etc. I scored one at a used bookstore, and I can't understand why someone would have ever let it go. Alibris has a few cheap copies listed right now.

Rhonda, your fig tree's production sounds about like mine. I planted it (the "LSU Purple" variety) the winter after Katrina, and last year I harvested no more than a dozen figs. Bah.

Also funny you should mention Swamp People--I was in Bayou Sorrel this weekend, home of Willie (from the show). Saw a gas station advertising "Willie t-shirts are here". Guess the locals are proud of him.

[PopsicleToze]

Quick breakfast of frog in the hole. We never had this growing up. The first time I saw it was during the movie Moonstruck. They had a fantastic scene when the mother was cooking this while lecturing Cher. I thought, "Wow! That really looks good." She had some pancetta cooked and put on the top of it.

I don't put bacon on it or anything -- just eggs, bread and butter.

And no picture -- but apple juice. Unless I have enough oranges for fresh squeezed orange juice, I usually opt for apple juice.

[PopsicleToze]

And now a quick tour of one of the produce markets I visited. This one is in Denham Springs, and it is the one I mostly frequent just because it's the closest one to me.

Many of the markets have wooden rocking chairs made out of cypress. When they are stained, the beauty of the natural wood really stands out.

Here is the tasteless watermelon we ate yesterday.

Here are the tangerines. Louisiana Satsumas are better, but this is what was available.

The okra was huge and tough. If it would have been good, we could have had smothered okra and tomatoes. Yum! But it wasn't, so we passed.

The new potatoes looked awesome, and we just happen to need a few!

Crawfish season is upon us, and there are standard things needed when boiling them. I've seen this display in many of the markets. The produce and seasonings needed for the crawfish boil are arranged in a pirogue (old Cajun boat). Cute.

Here is what we purchased.

[PopsicleToze]

Celeste,

Thanks for the info. That cookbook is great. The thing is -- I don't cook much from it, but it is the real deal and I love reading it.

I'll bet you have this one, too! I found it in a used book store, and it is fabulous.

I guess what amazes me most about this cookbook is how well people were eating in New Orleans in 1901. It is amazing! They even had truffles! It makes sense with New Orleans being a very major port city that they were able to get things shipped in that were unavailable to many places, and they just knew how to cook. There's also menus, little notes to the housewife with advice like what she should do if she's making turtle soup and the turtle possesses no eggs.

I'm going to post their suggested Menu for Easter Sunday, because it's almost that time, and here we can see how the people of New Orleans were eating in 1901:

BREAKFAST

Strawberries and Cream.

Small Hominy, Milk.

Boiled Tenderloin Trout, Sauce a la Creme.

Potatoes a la Parisiene.

Cress. Radishes. Olives.

Breakfast Bacon. Scrambled Eggs.

Broiled Woodcock on Toast.

Flannel Cakes. Louisiana Syrup.

Cafe au Lait.

The Daily Picayune. (Note: The Picayune is the City's newspaper, and they wrote this book.)

DINNER

Caviars sur Canapes.

Oyster Soup. Crackers.

Mangoes. Olives. Salted Almonds.

Broiled Pompano. Sauce a la Maitre d'Hotel.

New Potatoes aux Beurre a la Maitre d'Hotel.

Pigeons Sautes aux Champignona.

Ponche a la Cardinale.

Roast Lamb, Mint Sauce. Green Peas.

Cauliflower au Beurre.

Asparagus.

Salade aux Laitues et aux Cerfeuils.

Teal Duck sur Canapes.

Angel Cake. Brandied Peaches. Lemon Ice.

Bouchees Glacees.

Fruit. Nuts. Raisins. Roquefort.

Cafe Noir.

SUPPER

Warmed-Over Lamb. Currant Jelly.

Celery Salad.

Waffles. Louisiana Syrup. Fruit.

Tea.

---------------

Whew! I'm exhausted just reading the menu. I believe it's safe to say that the ladies who served this menu had cooks in the house preparing it for them.

Rhonda

Edited March 23, 2011 by PopsicleToze (log)

[PopsicleToze]

I am also going to post their description of

An Easter Decoration

On Easter Sunday the dinner table should always be decked with flowers, or at least some bit of green indicative not only of the resurrection of all nature, but also of the most glorious festival of the year. A beautiful decoration for those who can afford it is to arrange a cut-glass bowl on a mirror and fill it with Maiden-hair Fern and Calla Lilies. Fill the center of the Caila Lilies with sprays of Maiden-hair Fern; garnish the edges of the mirror with bits of fern and smilax, and the effect of all will be a miniature pond, with the lilies reflected within and the banks overrun with smilax.

If this decoration is beyond your means, the home gardens are filled at this season with hyacinths, and violets, and narcissus. Smailax runs wild in our Louisiana woods, especially around New Orleans, and is to be had for the gathering. A bowl of hyacinths or violets, or sprays of roses, mingled with Maiden-hair Fern, or even a simple bowl of smilax, young mint and rose leaf greenery, will make the table beautiful, and whisper the Easter message to the heart. It is really wonderful how a bit of green brightens up an apartment.

One of the most beautiful and effective Easter decorations ever seen in New Orleans was at the home of the gentle poet, "Pearl Rivers" (Mrs. E. J. Nicholson), who so long directed the management of the Picayune. It consisted entirely of smilax. There were miles and miles of it around the rooms. Graceful sprays ran hither and thither in delicate tracery about the table, over the center of which there hung from the chandeliers beautiful clusters and sprays of smilax, which lit up with a wondrous glow, brightening the minds of guests with springtime freshness, and suggesting the green fields, the wooded forests and the beautiful spring of the year and of the heart. And all this beautiful decoration cost nothing but the gathering of the graceful smilax from the woods around New Orleans.

Smilax on Fence

Isn't that beautiful?

Rhonda

[PopsicleToze]

A BIG MESS OF GREENS

Mustard greens are my favorite. Many people mix mustards, turnips, collards, etc. for a mixed greens special. Growing up we had a garden and grew our own vegetables. Mustard greens were Mom's favorite, so that's what we had. We don't have a garden now, but friends and family will often drop by with a big box of greens to give you. Country neighbors are some of the best!

I had an errand to do in Baton Rouge with about half an hour to kill, so I went to Fresh Pickins and took a little looksie around to see if they had fresh mustard greens. Here are all of the syrups, jellies, jams, etc. I thought you might want to see it.

And here is fresh corn meal

They also have frozen chopped trinity, but definitely don't buy that.

Here's what we are in the market for today

I usually get three or four bunches. Today I purchased three. You need to always buy a lot more greens than you think you need, because they cook down to practically nothing. You'll start with too many greens to fit in the pot, and before long you'll only have half a pot of cooked greens. Also, don't let these things fool you. They are very, very dirty, and there's nothing so bad as grit cooked in your greens. This is the underside of a leaf. Yuck! And they come with a few bugs, too!

“Can I get the grit out of greens I have already cooked,” you ask. Nope. Just give up, and be sure to wash them better the next time you make them.

They can be purchased these days in cellophane bags pre-washed, pre-cut, and ready to go, but I never buy them like that because I like the stems removed, and they just cut the greens right across the stems and everything.

Here are my greens ready to be washed (stems discarded).

Now, you have to wash them in the sink – not sitting in a colander or anything – just floating in the sink. Wash well and let the grit fall to the bottom of the sink. Remove the greens so you can clean out the sink and repeat the process several times. Look at the sink after soaking the first cleaning. Pretty nasty. Three times is usually sufficient, but these were particularly dirty, and I had the wash them four times. Also, since I noticed a few bugs, I did add some vinegar to the first washing to make sure they were gone.

Now, after your greens have washed, you need to cook some seasoning meat. We use bacon ends and pieces.

I like the taste of bacon with the mustard greens, but I don't like the flaccid pieces fat floating around it. The white fat turns a little greenish and I just don't like to look at it. Therefore, I buy Wright's bacon ends and pieces. I use the large chunks for seasoning meat, and I render the bacon fat. Then, you can brown the bacon in its own fat. Sounds like a lot of work, but I usually do all of that on a prep and stock-making day so that the bacon meat is in the freezer ready to go and my bacon renderings are cooked and stored in a mason jar in the refrigerator. So, on cooking day, it's a breeze. Here we have the bacon in the pot, which has browned enough to my satisfaction, so I've added some rough-chopped garlic. I should have minced it. I was being lazy. Garlic is great in greens! Most people saute an onion, too, and sometimes I add an onion, but I always add garlic.

Add the greens that will fit in the pot. Cover the pot and let them steam a little bit. Now, when they have gone down a little, you can add the other ones. I use chicken stock; Mom adds water. Assertively salt and pepper the dish. Eat with Crystal hot sauce or pepper vinegar.

Oh -- and don't forget the cornbread. That is on our list of things to make. We'll get to it.

Also, one more thing, a lot of people around here will tell you to wash the mustard greens in a pillow case thrown in the washing machine. I only did that one time maybe around 1990 or so. My Uncle Carroll told me to wash them in the washing machine. He has a HUGE garden, so I figured he knew what he was talking about. Well, he is also a trickster, and he did NOT tell me about the pillowcase. So, I did it and then spent forever picking out the little green bits stuck inside the washing machine. This method MAY work, I don't know, but I'm not doing it again!

Rhonda

[Shelby]

SWAMP PEOPLE

Now, we need to go back and finish our field trip from yesterday. We left off after I left the strawberry farm. We were in Ponchatoula -- and that is right next door to Hammond.

Are you familiar with Swamp People? It's a series on the History Channel and it documents several families of alligator hunters in South Louisiana. Click here for more info.

When it first came out, I thought, "Wow. We need that like we need a hole in the head. Just more stereotypical profiles about Louisiana." However, then I started watching it. What makes this show so special is that they're not stereotyping these people. It's the real deal; this is what these people do, and I love the series. Now, not all of us hunt alligators, and not all of us have extreme accents, but these people do, and they do it well. If you haven't watched it, the new series begins March 31st.

Why did I tell you all of that? Because one of the families lives in Hammond, Louisiana, and that's right next door. I didn't know where it was or even remember the name of it, but Hammond is a small place and I figured that I would find it. It's an alligator and turtle farm, and I wanted some turtle meat to make you some soup. It's my favorite ever!

The place is called Kliebert's, and it's just off I-55. When I arrived, I met T-Mike; he's on the show. He's the son of one of the hunters. (T-Mike is short for Little Mike or Mike, Jr. In Cajun culture, they just put a T in front of the name.) Anyway, he was very nice, but I found out they don't sell turtle meat. The turtles they have are alligator snapping turtles, and they are on the endangered list. Most of the turtle soup today uses the common snapping turtle. You can tell the difference between the turtles by their shell. The common snapping turtle has a smooth shell, and the alligator snapping turtle has jagged points on it.

I was a little disappointed and but he was kind enough to take me on a little tour. The largest alligator on the farm is 19-feet. The large alligators were hatched from eggs by his grandfather. They are 54 years old this year.

The place has a funky smell, and I asked him what they fed the alligators. T-Mike drives to Henderson (that's in Cajun Country) weekly and buys fish heads and parts for feed. So, you can just imagine fish heads and guts rotting in the ponds not far from where we were walking!

I asked T-Mike if he was familiar with Lloyd's Smokehouse. He wasn't and said that he buys his andouille at Jacob's in LaPlace (sound familiar? Lol). He asked me if it was good, and I told him that I hadn't eaten it yet, but it sure smelled good. Then I remembered that it was in the car, so I told him that I would get him a piece and be right back. I forgot the stuff was frozen, so I just broke off a link and wrapped it in a napkin and brought it to him. He was so thankful that he insisted on giving me a package of their alligator sausage! (I haven't tried it yet; I'll let you know.)

Anyway, enjoy the pictures, and T-Mike told me to tell you hello. We won't be having turtle soup this week, however, but he was a very nice guy and I'm glad I stopped by.

We love Swamp People!!!! My mom and step dad watch it, too.

[Shelby]

And now onto today's dessert. I tried to think of what would be a typical dessert for us when we were growing up. We didn't have dessert much; it was more of a special occasion when desserts were served. I don't eat too much dessert even now. Most of the time after dinner, a cup of coffee is served.

However, one of my favorite desserts is watermelon! I don't know if you know it or not, but it gets hot down here. Watermelon is just the thing to cool you down. It's always eaten outside sprinkled with just a little bit of salt.

Does anyone remember Nathalie Dupree? She used to have a cooking show years ago. She messed up all of the time. Seriously -- every single episode. It was so funny. Every time she would mess up, she would say, "Well, if we lived in a perfect world," or "In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen," etc.

Well, in a perfect world, if we wanted to eat watermelon, this would be July and that watermelon would be from Washington parish. They have *the* best watermelons in the world.

This little watermelon? Ahhh -- it's alright. It's from Mexico, and it doesn't have a lot of flavor. I knew not to buy it, but I thought it would be alright. It would be an example of a traditional dessert we had, PLUS I wanted to make you watermelon rind pickles. Then, I just opened it this afternoon, and the rind is so small that it's not worth fooling with. (Scratch that off the list.)

I do like canning, and both of my grandmothers canned. Mom? Not so much. Bread and Butter pickles are one of our favorites, and the one time she canned them, she peeled the cucumbers. Anyway, I learned how to do it from my grandmother. Here is a batch of last year's bread and butter pickles.

Also, fig preserves are big around these parts. It's not fig season right now, but I kept some pictures of some I made last season. The thing about picking figs is that you have to get up early in the morning and get to them before the bluebirds get them!

I love that she peeled the cukes! Heck, maybe she started a new trend!

I've been on a life long mission to eat a fresh fig. You just can not find them here. I've even tried to find a place that will mail them to me. You aren't that far away.....I may just have to take my own field trip lol.

[PopsicleToze]

Shelby,

Come on down! The figs don't ship well, and won't even sit around for very long without going bad. I've seen fresh figs at Whole Foods, however, and they were pretty good. Figs are so much better fresh eaten just after they have been picked. I like fig preserves okay (on biscuits for breakfast in the morning), but fresh ones are divine.

Rhonda

[Shelby]

Shelby,

Come on down! The figs don't ship well, and won't even sit around for very long without going bad. I've seen fresh figs at Whole Foods, however, and they were pretty good. Figs are so much better fresh eaten just after they have been picked. I like fig preserves okay (on biscuits for breakfast in the morning), but fresh ones are divine.

Rhonda

I've always wanted to make a salad with figs and bleu cheese...it sounds so good.

I love your fleur de lis drain!