OK, what is your experience with real cajun or “coonass” food. I’m just getting tired of the whole “It’s hot” thing. It’s not hot, it’s just well seasoned, and for many dishes, it’s gotta start with a roux. Real cajun food may have a little bit of salt, red and black pepper in it, but besides that most of the seasoning comes from the veggies thrown in. Green onion, whole onion, garlic, celery, and maybe a pepper every now and then. Is Tony’s Seasoning really considerd “hot” out there? BTW, blackend whatever is NOT a cajun thing. It’s a chef’s creation. BAM Emerile can bite my ass BAM
I’ve been to New Orleans three times in my life, and I remember all three: two because of Madi Gras, the third because of the food. I had the best meal I’ve ever had in my entire life there. Seriously. Ever since then I’ve had a thing for cajun. I forget the restaraunt, but the meal was blackened catfish and german (I think) potatoes and veggies… and it was perfect. I could write a thesis paper on how delicious this meal was. The gumbo there was also incredible.
Having just moved from the pacific northwest to the east coast, and having traveled around the U.S. a fair amount, I can say that I’ve looked for and ordered blackened dishes at every opportunity… some even touting “New Orleans” or “Southern” in the description. And lemme tell you, from my experience, everyone else’s definition of “blackened” is quite a bit different from what I saw down South. Nothing comes close. I’m still amazed that people have the nerve to offer southern-style things that are so not. From what you write I think you oversimplify things. If what you say is true, why do so many places and people have problems dishing out authentic cajun?
I’ve been to The Big Sleazy (I mean that in a nice way!) five times. It’s my favourite city. One thing I learned down there is that “Cajun food” is “What yo momma fixes.”
But what I really crave isn’t “Cajun”. What I really want is a muffuletta. Served hot, because I think the flavours mix together better that way.
I love cajun and creole food, and make a gumbo I will pit against Emeril or Prudhomme any time they want to have a cookoff. True, many restaurants think that by using a little garlic and cayenne pepper, it’s cajun. As the OP says, it’s about much more than just making it hot, although many cajun dishes are on the spicy side. Half of our cooking in this house is cajun/creole. It is durn near the perfect food! Gumbos, ettouffes, mudbugs, jambalayas, gator stews, beignets, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
If it takes more than one pot to cook, it ain’t Cajun…
New Orleans has a lot more to offer than just Cajun cooking; Creole is far more sophisticated, for one (anytime TM wants to make me some, I’ll be there in a flash! :)). And I think the best fried chicken I ever had was in an Irish pub on Bourbon Street. Food just happens to be something they do REALLY well in New Orleans!
I believe “blackened” cooking was a Prudhomme invention in the early '80’s. That’s what they taught us at one of those two hour cooking class tourist specials. (Did they ever re-build River Walk, btw?)
Hey, nossofast, Cerowyn, after reading what TM wrote, my tummy’s growlin and my mouth’s droolin and I think I’m in love, so the line starts behind me!!!
The absolute best Cajun food I ever ate was in litte cinder-block restaurant; southern Lousisiana; wide spot in the road not too far from 'Nawlins.
Don’t remember the name of the town–if it had one–or the restaurant but oh, good LORD, the food! The one I remember best was fresh shrimp broiled (I think) with some butter and good olive oil and some scallions, just a titch of chile pepper, I’m guessing a bit of white wine? and other stuff.
I snarfed a platter of the stuff, mopping up the juices w/ good bread, licking my elbows and mounding up the shells. Add cold beer and lotsa paper napkins: bliss. It wasn’t hot or show-offy, just spiced enough to complement the sweet/briny taste of the shrimp.
andyman. I just moved to St. Louis from CA. I’ve always been a cook, love good food, and love cajun food. I learned a lot from my brother in law, who is a creole, friends from Nawlins along with lots of cookbooks, and a lot of trial and error:) So since I have never lived in Nawlins, only visited, my only option for good creole cooking was to learn how to do it myself:)
Flyboy, same with you. If you are in the neighborhood, I’ll cook ya some grub:)
I grew up in Florida, (technically the deep south) and it was Justin Wilson more than anybody who made me want to learn to cook, and taught me that it was alright for a man to cook.
And I do make a pretty decent Jambalaya.
Anthracite, of course! RBAR is a staple! I have a fairly quick recipe for it but would love a new one!
TV, I’ll send you a recipe or two myself. Also, have you waited until the next day and taken the leftover beans and rice, made em into patties, breaded em and fried em like a crab cake? MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!!
Too bad I’m stuck up here in yankeeland, where I can’t even get good BBQ or Chili.
Been a while since I’ve been to Lousian’, but Chef Troy whupped up some mean vittles for us in Dallas last fall.
Hmmmm…hey Tequila! If’n I can rustle you up an ape-minder for the weekend of Spiffle (I have friends/family in St. Louie), woud you bring up some goodies to Springfield?
ExTank,
If you can find an ape-minder or as I sometimes refer to it, a keeper of morons, I’ll bring a pot o’ gumbo along and anything else you’d like that I can get my hands on:)
My experiences with Cajun food? Like you, I am dismayed when a person slaps some cayenne on any old piece of meat and calls it “Cajun” or burns it and calls it “blackened.” I have found that real Cajun and Creole food comes with an attitude. Being in New Orleans particularly brings it out. The food sits up on the plate and dares you to not like it. Good food should not cause a run for the beer pitcher to douse the flames, but should liven the tounge, which is exactly what good Cajun food does.
I don’t cook Cajun food at home because I have too much respect for it. We had 'gator for Thanksgiving dinner - does that count? I do, however, make Southern food (I live in the South so I really don’t have a choice, do I?) I don’t do much traveling so I wonder, flyboy, what kind of food you have seen advertised at “Southen” that you found to be icky? I imagine that food that is labeled Southern in other parts of the country is just stuff like fried chicken, biscuits, greens, black-eyed peas, etc… and other stuff that is considered staple food around here.
I had to read that sentence about four times before I could make any sense out of it.
Do you really have that little self-esteem in the kitchen?
I cook Cajun food at home, even though I live in Brooklyn, because I have access to excellent seafood and fine meat and vegetables, and no difficulty finding specialty items like tasso and andouille. And because I trust myself to be able to prepare good food, no matter what its provenance.
No, I am a pretty good cook actually. There are just some things that I can’t cook. I make a pretty good gumbo, but I don’t think that what I make is real Cajun food. It is really more of a sausage stew because that is my favorite part and so I use alot of it. I don’t think location has anything to do with it. I have no doubt that you make a mean jambalaya while so far physically from the Gulf of Mexico, I just don’t think ** I ** do it well. Part of being a good cook is knowing when to stop.
