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


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

I love your fleur de lis drain!

That salad sounds really good. I love fruit in salads, too. Here is a salad I made a few weeks ago with blueberries, goat cheese, onions & candied pecans. Pecans are very big around here.

salad.jpg

Thanks for liking the fleur de lis drain. It was a Christmas present. :laugh:

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Mustard greens!!! :wub::wub::wub::wub:

Didn't know they were cooked much in America!

Oh, yes -- especially in the deep south. They're typically served with corn bread and a big deal is made about the "pot likker" in the greens. Every drop is consumed. :wub:

I didn't know they were cooked much in India. How do you cook yours?

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^^^

They are a much loved green in the North, especially the Punjab. Sarson ka saag (or sarson da saag in punjabi) is a delicious dish of mustard greens (and often spinach and/or other greens) cooked for a long time till lovely and tender, then mashed with what I like to call a swizzle-stick, thickened a little with corn flour (not the white corn starch we mean when we say cornflour in the UK, but a cornmeal like flour). It is seasoned with spices that often include ginger, garlic, onion cumin seeds, chillies and garam masala. Best served with makki di roti, which is a flat bread made from corn flour (think a bit like corn tortillas), plenty of butter and a tall glass of lassi or buttermilk…. :wub:

Btw, just to clear any confusion, I live in the UK. I am part Indo-Trinidadian though, and that little bit of ancestry has given me a huge passion for India and Indian food. :smile:

Edited by Jenni (log)
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^^^

They are a much loved green in the North, especially the Punjab. Sarson ka saag (or sarson da saag in punjabi) is a delicious dish of mustard greens (and often spinach and/or other greens) cooked for a long time till lovely and tender, then mashed with what I like to call a swizzle-stick, thickened a little with corn flour (not the white corn starch we mean when we say cornflour in the UK, but a cornmeal like flour). It is seasoned with spices that often include ginger, garlic, onion cumin seeds, chillies and garam masala. Best served with makki di roti, which is a flat bread made from corn flour (think a bit like corn tortillas), plenty of butter and a tall glass of lassi or buttermilk…. :wub:

Btw, just to clear any confusion, I live in the UK. I am part Indo-Trinidadian though, and that little bit of ancestry has given me a huge passion for India and Indian food. :smile:

Jenni, that sounds fantastic, and thanks for clearing up the confusion. I thought you lived in India, but now I get it. Oh, and we must some common denominator in our food culture, because buttermilk is very much beloved here, too. Well, not by me, but by a lot of people! :raz:

Rhonda

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AMITE OYSTER FESTIVAL

The Amite oyster festival took place just this past weekend. Amite is about 10 or 15 miles north of Hammond, but that's still not far. On the way, I passed Independence, and I remembered about the Italian Festival. Dang! We missed that one by a week! Oh, well. There's always next year!

Many people do not realize the Italian influence in Louisiana and think it's all about France and Spain, etc. Well, the Italians have been here since New Orleans' founding in 1718. Chef John Folse notes in his book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine that, "By 1850, New Orleans' Italian population numbered 915, which was larger than that of any city in the United States, even New York, which was home to just 833 Italians." Ever heard of the famous muffuletta? (Hi, Kirk!) :biggrin: Well, we owe that to the Italians, too.

Anyway, back to Amite and the Oyster Festival. When I first arrived I noticed a little girl having a snowball. She was so cute! One of the newest things is to have colorless flavors. For instance, I always have spearmint, and they are delicious! However, it's embarrassing walking around with a green tongue and teeth after I eat it, so I probably would have just passed it up. Now, with the colorless spearmint, yes, I think I'll have one. It's warm today, maybe 80 deg F or so, not too hot for now, but definitely hot enough for a snowball.

1-amite.JPG

2-snowball stand.JPG

3-little girl eating snowball.JPG

4-games.JPG

5-kid food.JPG

6-poboys.JPG

7-fried stuff on a stick.JPG

8-alligator sausage poboy.JPG

9-alligator sausage.JPG

10-shrimp pasta.JPG

11-italian sausage.JPG

12-greek food.JPG

13-another snowball stand.JPG

14-spitale\

15-oysters.JPG

16-eating oyster.JPG

You will see beer stands at just about all of the festivals; they are a big sponsor. Evidently, Budweiser sponsored this festival because Bud and Bud Lite were the only beers there. Wine? Daiquiri? Forget about it! It's in their contract. :laugh:

17-bud.JPG

18-bud lite.JPG

19-boiled crawfish.JPG

There was a lady in a back booth selling grating plates. She looked lonely so I started a conversation with her. I asked her how business was, and it wasn't great. She's in the wrong place to be selling this, but I didn't say anything. She said she sells them at home and garden shows all of the time for $22 (because that would be her audience), and she said that she was selling them for $10 at the festival and they still weren't selling. Yes, I bought one.

20-grating plate.JPG

And now we come to the most unfortunate booth of all -- Chocolate Covered Desserts. Did I mention it was 80 degrees outside, and this lady was selling cold food without any refrigeration. The chocolate was melted, of course, and it was one hot big mess. I didn't ask her how business was doing, because I knew.

21-choc dipped desserts.JPG

22-choc dipped strawberries.JPG

23-choc dipped cheesecake.JPG

24-strawberry shortcake.JPG

25-band is setting up.JPG

The band was just starting to set up when I had to leave. I would have loved to hang around for y'all, but it was Saturday and I had plans for that evening.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Rhonda

Edited by PopsicleToze (log)
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Tim, that was toooo kind!!! My picture is not here because yours truly is the photographer, and I would really hate to mess up an otherwise okay picture! :laugh::rolleyes::biggrin:

Oh, I talked to Ben, and he said, "Tim? The banker?" :cool: Anyway, he had some Zaya last night and said to tell you hello! :biggrin:

Rhonda

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

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

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Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

The one time I made it with smoked turkey necks, it was very good. I think the key is to use a heavily smoked turkey neck and that's what gives it the pork taste. I had the butcher cut the necks (they were already smoked) into 2-inch pieces. Then, I added the meat to the pot the same time I added the beans; they cooked together. They developed the stock as they cooked. Then, remove the meat at the end of cooking from the bones and add the meat back to the pot. What I did not with this dish, but usually do, is add a handful of chopped parsley and green onions to the pot just at the very end of the cooking stage. This really perks up the flavor.

Rhonda

ETA

I don't think smoking a whole turkey would work too well. If you smoke just the necks, those pieces can withstand a lot of cooking, add a lot of flavor and still be great. Not the same can be said for other pieces from the turkey. I bought the necks at Scallan's Meat Market in Baton Rouge. I'll try to get by there and take a picture for you. They're very dark -- almost as dark as the andouille sausage I posted earlier -- and they have an intense smoky flavor.

Edited by PopsicleToze (log)
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"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. "

Oh that's so funny! My mom used to call toad in the hole "Moonstruck eggs" for just that reason. Great blog so far!

Edited by auds (log)
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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.

Abe Books has a lot more copies available (some cheaper, too).

Once at our office Christmas dinner/party, we had appetizers of deep fried alligator (along with rattlesnake, ostrich, and turkey "oysters" :wacko: ). From what I recall, the alligator was quite good. But then you could probably deep fry a hockey puck and I'm sure it would be palatable. :laugh:

Thanks, Rhonda, for the pictures and the tours! I am thoroughly enjoying your blog.

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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Another huge fan of mustard greens here. I grow them because they "grow like weeds" and the bugs seem not to favor them compared to other greens.

The markets here that sell piles of collard,mustard and turnip greens for the Southern greens lovers also carry smoked turkey necks and wings alongside the smoked hocks.

I have never seen a "grating bowl" before. Does it work well besides being pretty?

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

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

Lots of people who avoid pork make RB&R using smoked turkey. Like Rhonda suggests, commercially smoked turkey parts work well...necks are common, but I really like the smoked turkey wings. After all, you need a little fat to infuse the smoky flavor throughout the dish. Smoked necks & wings are very common ingredients in soul food cooking; if your usual grocery store doesn't carry 'em, find a browner neighborhood & shop those stores. Around here, you can also find turkey tasso(a heavily spiced, smoked, boneless hunk of turkey thigh), which is also good.

Best beans I ever tasted were made with "pickle tips"....a/k/a pickled rib tips, a pork cut packed in a vinegary brine. Pickled & salted pork are pretty common "seasoning meats" for beans. I prefer salted pork in my field peas.

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"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. "

Oh that's so funny! My mom used to call toad in the hole "Moonstruck eggs" for just that reason. Great blog so far!

Thanks! Moonstruck Eggs :biggrin:

I like that. From now on, that's what I'm going to call them.

Glad you're liking the blog.

Fixing to have to run out for awhile.

Will be back later.

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

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

Pam, (and Rhonda), I've used smoked turkey legs in RB&R before when I couldn't find ham hocks. It worked very well, maybe a little less smoky that with the hocks, but pretty good. They may be easier to find than the necks.

--Roberta--

"Let's slip out of these wet clothes, and into a dry Martini" - Robert Benchley

Pierogi's eG Foodblog

My *outside* blog, "A Pound Of Yeast"

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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.

Abe Books has a lot more copies available (some cheaper, too).

Once at our office Christmas dinner/party, we had appetizers of deep fried alligator (along with rattlesnake, ostrich, and turkey "oysters" :wacko: ). From what I recall, the alligator was quite good. But then you could probably deep fry a hockey puck and I'm sure it would be palatable. :laugh:

Thanks, Rhonda, for the pictures and the tours! I am thoroughly enjoying your blog.

Just got one for $6.78 used at amazon!

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

Those red beans and rice looked amazing. If I wanted to make a non-pork version could I just smoke a turkey and use stock from the bones, then add the meat at the end? I've never had red beans and rice but it looks so good I want to try (a kosher) version.

Pam, (and Rhonda), I've used smoked turkey legs in RB&R before when I couldn't find ham hocks. It worked very well, maybe a little less smoky that with the hocks, but pretty good. They may be easier to find than the necks.

I do sell smoked drums that would probably work, but a whole, smoked turkey is a beautiful thing. When it warms up enough for me to get the smoker out I'll have to try this -- smoking a whole turkey means I get to have plenty of smoked meat on top of what I'd use in the beans. I can't wait to try it.

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Once at our office Christmas dinner/party, we had appetizers of deep fried alligator (along with rattlesnake, ostrich, and turkey "oysters" :wacko: ). From what I recall, the alligator was quite good. But then you could probably deep fry a hockey puck and I'm sure it would be palatable. :laugh:

Thanks, Rhonda, for the pictures and the tours! I am thoroughly enjoying your blog.

Toliver, other than alligator sausage, deep fried alligator is all I've ever tasted, too. They just deep fry the tail. Used to, pre-K, there was an "Alligator on a Stick" booth in the French Market. When it was cold and I was playing tourist, I would always buy one to eat while I walked around.

Glad you're enjoying the blog!

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Another huge fan of mustard greens here. I grow them because they "grow like weeds" and the bugs seem not to favor them compared to other greens.

The markets here that sell piles of collard,mustard and turnip greens for the Southern greens lovers also carry smoked turkey necks and wings alongside the smoked hocks.

I have never seen a "grating bowl" before. Does it work well besides being pretty?

I've only used it once. Thought it would be nice to grate fresh parm cheese at the table when serving Italian Sunday Gravy. I used it when we were making the red beans (but I didn't include the garlic pictures). I think the grating plate would be good to make a little dipping sauce for bread, too. However, when grating the garlic, you can't grate it all (because it hurts your fingers), so I just chopped. By the time everything was said and done, I could have smashed the garlic with a knife and minced it in about the same time.

grating plate with garlic.jpg

Edited by PopsicleToze (log)
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Lots of people who avoid pork make RB&R using smoked turkey. Like Rhonda suggests, commercially smoked turkey parts work well...necks are common, but I really like the smoked turkey wings. After all, you need a little fat to infuse the smoky flavor throughout the dish. Smoked necks & wings are very common ingredients in soul food cooking; if your usual grocery store doesn't carry 'em, find a browner neighborhood & shop those stores. Around here, you can also find turkey tasso(a heavily spiced, smoked, boneless hunk of turkey thigh), which is also good.

Best beans I ever tasted were made with "pickle tips"....a/k/a pickled rib tips, a pork cut packed in a vinegary brine. Pickled & salted pork are pretty common "seasoning meats" for beans. I prefer salted pork in my field peas.

Thanks, Celeste! The only time I've used smoked turkey wings was in greens (a la Patti LaBelle's recipe). Great information to have!

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