Here's a classic version of this Creole favorite, just in time for Lent. Similar to the crawfish variety, shrimp étouffée is generally lighter, as crawfish tails are packed in their own fat. The recipe is of the straightforward "first you make a roux" Louisiana variety. Jus... Read more

This fancy fresh peach pie is like your best summertime memories, baked into a classic double crust and served with a scoop of vanilla. It wraps ripe seasonal peaches, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweetness in a delicate and flaky French butter crust. The whole pie takes two stic... Read more

This recipe is a great alternative to stuffed peppers as a way to use up all those summertime bell peppers. It turns them into a handy and useful form, ready to be added to sandwiches, served as a side dish, or as a ready-make pasta sauce. They'll last in refrigerator for a... Read more

Native to the Iberian peninsula, and not usually associated with Louisiana's culinary heritage, gazpacho nevertheless turns up in local cookbooks, like Pirates Pantry (Quick Gazpacho Soup) and River Road Recipes (Cold Tomato Soup I & II). Not so surprising, given our Spanis... Read more

With rice, as with riffs, dirty is good! Dirty rice, a kind of Proto-jamalaya, is staple of many varieties of Southern cooking, including Creole and, of course, Cajun. It's a pretty fool proof and forgiving dish. Most recipes include a couple of varieties of meat and the f... Read more

Potatoes and leeks make for a versatile pairing of ingredients. In the three overlapping recipes below, we'll adapt a simple basic procedure to very different ends.  The simple version of potato-leek soup is a great recipe if you're trying to learn to cook -- pretty fool-p... Read more

Preserved lemons are a great, handy condiment to have on hand. While they are best known as an ingredient in North African tagines, they can give lots of dishes that little something extra. Use them in pasta, sauces, and anywhere else that calls for savory lemon flavor, lik... Read more

This month we have three recipes for preparing nuts for the holidays: a very simple procedure for simple Glazed Pecans; a somewhat more complex recipe for spicy-savory peanuts (or almonds, if you prefer); and finally, Cinnamon Pecans, which requires a bit of candy-making te... Read more

Each November, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation celebrates Louisiana's most iconic food with the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival. Emerging from 18th century Louisiana, gumbo's evolution was shaped by African, French, Spanish, Native American, Caribbean and German infl... Read more

 There are many versions of Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice) around the world--it's near-universal family-friendly comfort food. This colorful Latin American version, which features saffron and lots of tomato, is a kind of country cousin of paella, though with long graine... Read more