Cajun Easter: Time for Paquing

Easter is a big dang deal in South Louisiana.  There's always a feast on Easter Sunday.  We use every excuse to have a big meal with extended family.  Easter is no exception.

When The Husband and I were first married, we spent a couple of Easters at MaMa and Pop-Pop's, his grandparents.  I thought my family did it big with the glazed ham, pans and pans of casseroles, bowls of veggies and salads, tray after tray of desserts.  Uh-uh.  Didn't touch MaMa's Easter spread.  Just a ham?   That's for wussies.  MaMa baked a ham, roasted lamb, and smothered a pork roast.  If she cooked three different meats, you can imagine how many sides she whipped up...in her frugally equipped farmhouse kitchen, I should add.

But when it comes to Cajun Easter, there's actually something that tops eatin'.  Paquing (pronounced pocking) the Easter eggs.

What?  You've never heard paquing?  Well, bless your little heart!  Where've you been?

Just kidding.  I lived only a couple of hours from Cajun country, but never knew the mysteries of paquing until I got married.

On Easter Sunday, Cajuns play a traditional game called paque (pock) or paque-paque.  This game involves hard boiled eggs...your pretty dyed Easter eggs.  Each person selects the egg he/she wishes to use during the game.  Two people square off, each holding their eggs firmly with the top exposed.  They knock, or paque, the eggs together.  The loser is the person whose egg cracks.  The winner claims his/her opponent's egg.  Then the winner moves on to the next victim...ur...player and a new round starts.  The winner of that round claims the loser's egg.

Round 1

The Boy lost and has to give up his egg.

Round 2

I lost and gave up my egg.  Somehow, The Husband ends up with all the eggs.  I think he may have cheated.  He's a dirty paquer.

If you've been reading for a while, hopefully you've gotten a glimpse into the Cajun world-- and not just the food (that's one of my goals anyway).  Hopefully you've come to see that Cajuns are fun-loving people who like to joke around.  Practical jokes and trickery are common-place here.  And we love it.  A lot of trickery goes on with paquing eggs.

Dr. Barry Jean Ancelet, in his book Cajun Country, reveals that some devilish paquers use dyed goose or guinea hen eggs because they have harder shells.  Some rough paquers use painted egg-shaped rocks.  And some really crazy paquers sneak in uncooked dyed eggs just for grins.

I've tried my hardest to find out how this game originated...I even got up off my lazy rear and went to the library (full disclosure: I work at the local library).  I found out that Cajuns aren't the only people who paque.  The custom is practiced in Belgium.  People in Greece also paque--although they call it tsougrisma.  How did all this tsougrismic paquing begin in Cajun country?  I wasn't able to find a source that documented that piece of info.  Probably because I was too busy thinking up sophomoric phrases.  I am my father's child.  

By the way, if you are interested in Cajun culture, give the book below a read.  It details the history of the Cajuns as well as their traditions, customs, and culture.  Especially how they relate to music, food, and celebrations.  The book is one of the most informative I've read on the subject. 

Ancelet, Barry Jean, Jay Edwards, and Glen Pitre.  Cajun Country.  Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1991.

*********************************

Every year just before Easter, people want to know the trick for perfectly hard boiled eggs...no green ring around the yolk, no hard to peel shells.  And everybody and their brother pipes up with a no-fail method.  I decided to conduct a not-so-scientific experiment and test a few of these methods out for myself.

I've already discovered a method for avoiding the green ring around the yolk, which happens when the eggs are overcooked.  Someone in my recipe swap group shared how:

Perfect Hard-boiled Eggs
Place eggs in 1 layer in a pot of cold water
Bring to a rolling boil
Boil for 7-8 minutes, depending on how "done" you like your eggs
Remove pot from burner and shock eggs with cold water
Peel as soon as you can handle the eggs

I cook my eggs for 8 minutes because undercooked eggs...well...I won't eat them.  I don't find that running the eggs under cold water is enough, so I dunk them in a bowl of ice water.  And it works!  No green at all.


Now for my next problem.  Shells that stick.  It's annoying.  It uglies up the eggs.  Not so terrible for making egg salad.  But if my goal is deviled eggs, shells that stick, leaving me with hacked up looking eggs tick me off.

Supposedly fresh eggs are more difficult to peel.  There are also numerous tricks out there that are supposed to make peeling eggs easier.  After my experience with rotten eggs, I have to use the freshest eggs possible.  So I decided to try some of these other tricks.

* adding 1/2 tsp salt to the water
* adding 1 tsp baking soda to the water
* adding 1 Tbsp vinegar to the water
* a control (plain water)

All eggs were cooked with the same water (tap) on the same stove, for the same amount of time.  All eggs, no matter what the treatment, were shocked in ice water for the same amount of time.  I wrote treatment names on each shell so I'd know which was which after the ice water bath.  Different pots were used for each treatment since I don't have 4 pots that are the same.

The winner: SALT
The loser: CONTROL (nothing added)


Salt added to the water: Beautiful, smooth surfaces & easy to peel.  No shell stickage at all.

  

Baking soda added to the water: The shells stuck a little bit, but not on every one.  The whole egg below was the worst looking one.  Not bad, but not as good as the salt treatment.

Vinegar added to the water: Out of all the additions, this was the worst.  The shells stuck on every egg and more so than with baking soda, leaving me with gouges on every egg.

  

Control (nothing added to the water): This was the worst overall.  When compared to the other treatments, the shells here stuck like white on rice (ok, maybe not that bad).  Lots of gouging on the surface of every egg.  Not suitable for deviling.

  

Boil your Easter eggs.  Dye them.  Have a paquing good time!


Linked with
Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

BBQ Shrimp (no grill required)

The New Orleans staple, BBQ Shrimp, was created at Pascal's Manale.

Pascal's Manale, a Creole-Italian (Sicilian) restaurant on Napoleon Ave., opened in 1913. Can you believe?  With all the come-and-go restaurants these days, it's hard to believe that one has been around for so long. And it's still owned by the original family. Even more astounding is the fact that this isn't New Orleans' oldest. Antoine's and Tujague's have been around since about the mid 1800s.  And that's no typo.

According to Kerri McCaffety in her book Etouffee, Mon Amour: The Great Restaurants of New Orleans, BBQ Shrimp was first concocted in 1954 by Pascal Radosta (the second owner...Frank Manale was the first), his brother, and a friend. They called it "BBQ" because the sauce was rich and spicy. (88) 

The sauce found in BBQ Shrimp is not at all what people think when they hear "BBQ sauce."  If you've never had BBQ Shrimp, don't expect KC Masterpiece.  The sauce is made with butter, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, garlic, and misc. other seasonings depending on the cook.  Oh, and there's no debate about gas v. charcoal...these shrimp don't go anywhere near a grill.  The dish is baked.

Tom Fitzmorris, in his cookbook, New Orleans Food, provides more info on how this dish came to be: "a regular customer came in and reported that he'd enjoyed a dish in a Chicago restaurant that he thought was made with shrimp, butter, and pepper. He asked Pascal Radosta to duplicate it." The customer's review: Pascal's BBQ Shrimp was "not quite the same, but actually even better." (98)

Unfortunately, word on the street is that the BBQ Shrimp found at Pascal's Manale, while the original, is no longer the best in town. Others have taken the recipe, tweaked it, improved it.

Some people use margarine, some butter (I'm a butter girl).  Some use beer, some white wine, a lot of home cooks use Italian salad dressing for extra sauce.  I stick with butter and natural shrimp juices.  Shrimp juices...sounds off but dat's good, yeah!  My mom always added Italian salad dressing because my dad could drink gallons of the stuff.  I'm not much of a fan.  Some people use special super-duper secret spice blends, some just use Tony's and dried herbs.  Obviously, many variations on BBQ Shrimp exist.

It's pretty much a given that the shrimp will have their heads.  The shells and "fat" in the heads add flavor.  Do you know how hard it was to find shrimp with their noggins still attached?  Since most people prefer to buy shrimp that have already been cleaned for them, I had to run all over town.  Finally, I got tired and started calling around. 
"Hi...do your shrimp have heads?"  
A few people thought it was a prank. 

Someone at work told me a man was down the road selling shrimp out the back of his van.   But I don't know...we're about an hour to an hour and a half from the coast.  Plus I recently watched Silence of the Lambs and was kinda iffy about a scruffy guy with a van.  Shrimp with heads intact didn't seem worth the potential for food poisoning from spoiled seafood...or being turned into a lady suit.

Winn-Dixie came through for me.  I got my heady shrimp with their okra seed-looking eyes and no one tried to wear me as a dress.  Whew.
**************************

This is a lot of butter.  Just felt like I should get that warning in.  Can't have people falling outta their chairs, now, can we?  You may slip from your chair due to a butter-induced coma or heart attack after you eat, but by that point you'll have read my BBQ Shrimp babbling.

BBQ Shrimp isn't something you'll eat often.  I mean, you'll want to eat it often...but you really shouldn't.  When I want to be good, I make Italian Shrimp to get my fix.  It's similar, but not as rich (due to the lack of butter and shrimp heads) or as lemony.  The Italian Shrimp recipe could be jacked with to ...as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard would say...make it so.  But I'd still give BBQ Shrimp a try too.  You only live once.

Mise en place for BBQ Shrimp. 
But feel free to make subs for seasonings.  I know you will anyway.
Head-on shrimp, butter, finely chopped onion & garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, pepper, Tony's, dried rosemary, dried oregano, lemon juice

Rinse the shrimp well and drain.  Especially if you bought them out the back of a van.

Place the shrimp in a baking dish.  Dust with Tony's, black pepper, and a little salt.  Not too much salt because Worcestershire sauce is already salty.  Let this sit while you work on the sauce.

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the onion, garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs, and lemon juice. 

Pour the sauce over the shrimp.
The mix of Worcestershire sauce, butter, and shrimp...
I'm suddenly 10 years old sitting at the kitchen table doing homework while mom cooks supper.  Funny how aromas can give you such a clear picture. 
~~Proustian moment over~~

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.  But this depends on the size of your shrimp.  Super colossal jumbo behemoth shrimp will take longer.  You'll have to check them.  Baste every 5-7 minutes.

Serve with a nice crusty French bread to dip in the rich, buttery, flavorful sauce.
If you don't, you're only hurting yourself.

On second thought, if you don't I'll have to hurt you for being a putz.

There are A LOT of recipes for New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp out there.  Here's my version:

BBQ Shrimp
from Ms. enPlace

1 lb large shrimp, shell and head on
black pepper
Tony's Creole seasoning
salt
1 stick butter
about 1/4 c finely chopped onion
4 large cloves finely chopped garlic
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
5-7 shakes hot sauce
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (crushed in your hand)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
juice of 1 medium lemon (or to taste, I like lemon)

Preheat oven to 350.

Rinse shrimp in cold water and drain.  Place shrimp in a baking dish and sprinkle with a layer of black pepper and Tony's.  Sprinkle with salt, but not too much since Worcestershire sauce is salty.  Let shrimp sit while you make the sauce.

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the onions, garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs, and lemon juice.

Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the shrimp.  Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, basting every 5 or so minutes.  Adjust baking time according to the size of your shrimp--colossal shrimp may take longer than 15 minutes.

Serve with French bread for dipping in the sauce.  Serves 2-3

Note: if you'd like lots of sauce, consider adding about 3/4 c of white wine or beer.  Or about 1/2 c Italian salad dressing.

Sources:
Fitzmorris, Tom.  Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food.  New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2006.

McCaffety, Kerri.  Etouffee, Mon Amour: The Great Restaurants of New Orleans.  Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 2002.

Gumbo Goes Green, I Try to Get Lucky

No.  Not that kind of lucky.  This is a family show.  Think St. Patrick's Day, Luck o' the Irish lucky.

Usually I'm all about recipes that I grew up eating or current family favorites.  I rarely feature something I haven't eaten or made at least a few times.  But I couldn't pass this up. 
* I'm a few weeks into a meatless series
* It's St. Patrick's Day 
I felt in my bones that Gumbo Z'herbes was the way to go.

Gumbo Z'herbes, from the French gumbo aux herbs (gumbo w/ greens), also called green gumbo, is what the title suggests: a gumbo made from lots of green stuff.  Not just lots though.

It should be an odd number of greens...5, 7, 9, 11, and so on.  The lore behind this dish is plenty.  Some say you must use 7 types of greens for good luck.  Some say the number of greens you add to the pot will be the number of new friends you'll make within the year.  My question: does this count only for the first pot of the year?  What if you make this 4 times in a year, adding 11 greens each time?  Poo-yie!  I can't keep up with that many people.  My Facebook account would explode.

It seems the term "greens" is used loosely.  While all the recipes I read had things like collard greens, mustard greens, beet tops, spinach, and cabbage, also included in the count were green onions, parsley, and bay leaves.  I guess if it's green and a leaf it's fair game!

Traditionally, Gumbo Z'herbes was served during Lent...often Good Friday.  (Most families I know have a fish fry or crawfish boil that day.)  Gumbo Z'herbes can be made with seafood stock or just water to keep it meatless.  But there are also recipes that use chicken stock and have andouille, ham hocks, or bacon.  People can't resist piggy greens.

This isn't too well known in Cajun country, but can be found in and around New Orleans...even on a few restaurant menus.

I took a little-a-this-little-a-that approach, mostly trying to use things I already had.  Like the half a head of green cabbage just sitting in the fridge looking sad & rejected and a few green onions that didn't make the cut during last week's meals.  And parsley seems to find its way into my produce drawer even when I don't remember bringing it home.  How does it get there?

I also had a supply of bay leaves and celery.  The part of celery we eat is the petiole, or leaf stem.  It's part of the leaf structure, but I don't know just how picky Luck or all this friend-making business is, so I tossed in celery leaves too just in case. 

I bought collard greens and mustard greens. 

So the final count was: cabbage, parsley, green onions, celery (incl. leaves), bay leaves, mustard greens, collard greens.  Looks like LUCKY 7 to me.

For extra flavor, I sucked it up and used the last of the shrimp stock I've been rationing.  I also decided on a little liquid smoke, making up for the lack of smoked sausage.  I checked the label--no animal products involved.  So God, luck, and whoever/whatever is out there overseeing my friendships should all be pleased. 

When it was show time, I wavered.  It may have felt right in my bones, but my head and taste buds weren't too sure. Southern I may be...but I'm not much for greens.

Let's see how all this went down.

Mise en place for Gumbo Z'herbes: oil & flour for the roux, garlic, onion, celery (+ lvs), green onion, parsley, cabbage, collard & mustard greens, bay lvs, liquid smoke, Tony's, salt, black pepper, red pepper, shrimp stock, & water

As usual, have everything ready before you start the roux.  Wash, chop, slice, dice.
Here's an easy way to prep the greens.

Hold the leaf with one hand on the midrib (large, central vein).  With your other hand, fold the leaf blade down.

Tear the blade away from the midrib by pulling down on the blade, up on the midrib.

And then you'll have the part you eat and the part you compost.

If the leaves aren't too thick, you can even stack a few at a time.

I decided to precook some of the tougher greens (cabbage, collard, & mustard greens) since a few recipes I consulted did this.  Added them to a large pot, tossed in a little salt, added about 1" of water, simmered for about 20-25 min. 

They were on their own while I made a roux...

A dark roux.  A beautiful roux.
I love making roux. 

In typical gumbo-making fashion, the onions, celery, and garlic go in.  Cooked 'em until soft. 

The greens were done and waiting.  In went a little over half of the pre-cooked collard greens, mustard greens, and cabbage. In went most of the parsley & green onions & the celery leaves. Ya know, just in case the "stalk" didn't count.

In went the shrimp stock and some water (both warmed), liquid smoke, seasonings, and bay leaves.

 

Got out the stick blender and pureed the remaining cooked greens.  I thought that would help thicken the gumbo and give different textures.

Ok, now!  Everybody into the cesspool. 
Yeah, I know.  Enticing.
Looks like I went out to the swamp and brought back a bucketful.

This all simmered for about an hour to an hour and a half. Honestly, I just put it simmering, went off to clean the house and sort of forgot about it.

Oh, and started wringing my hands because I wasn't pleased with how this looked.

Dinner time, Shrek!

Then I ruined my chances at luck & friendship.  I sprinkled file' powder (fee-lay) on our individual servings.  File' powder comes from ground sassafras leaves (that are harvested under a full moon).  All that work for nothing! 
Will I be unlucky & friendless? 

The verdict: The Husband knew I was iffy about making this...well more about serving it.  He passed by the kitchen and asked, "So...what's it lookin' like?"  I sighed, "Barf, Honey.  It's lookin' like barf." 

But what did it taste like?  I was pleasantly surprised.  It had the nutty, rich flavor I'd expect from gumbo made with dark roux.  It also had a nice bite from some of the greens and green onion.  It was much more filling than I expected.

But would I make it again?  Not sure.  If I'm going to make gumbo, I think I'd prefer chicken and andouille.  After half a bowl, this seemed like too much of the same thing spoon after spoon.  But I'll keep it in mind for parties when I need vegetarian option for gumbo.

My version of Gumbo Z'herbes
from Ms. enPlace

1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs and leaves, chopped (keep leaves separate)
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small head green cabbage, chopped
1 bunch collard greens, torn in pieces
1 bunch mustard greens, torn in pieces
1/4 c + 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, divided
4 green onions, chopped and divided
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour, plus more for adjusting the roux
1 tsp liquid smoke
2 c shrimp stock, warmed
about 3 c warm water
1 tsp Tony's Creole seasoning
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper, or to taste
2 bay leaves
cooked white rice

Make sure the vegetables are chopped before starting.

Place chopped cabbage and torn mustard and collard greens in a large pot.  Sprinkle in some salt and add about 1" of water.  Partially cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron or stainless steel pot.  Sprinkle in 1/2 c flour and make a roux.  Stir and scrape constantly, until the roux is a dark brown.  If pools of oil form on the surface, sprinkle in more flour during cooking.

Add the celery (not the leaves), onion, and garlic to the roux.  Saute until softened.  Add a little over half the cooked greens, plus cooking liquid, 1/4 c parsley, 3/4 of the chopped green onion, and celery leaves.  

Next, add the shrimp stock, water, liquid smoke, seasonings, and bay leaves.  Puree the remaining cooked greens and add to the gumbo.  Cover and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Serve over cooked white rice.  Sprinkle each serving with reserved parsley, green onion, and file' powder.

Shrimp Count Too

At one time a shrimp was someone small or insignificant.  Calling someone "shrimp" doesn't seem to happen much any more.  People have moved on to other insults, I guess.  Never understood it anyway.  I mean, shrimp count too!  Even as meatless Lenten meals.

By the way, the American Coot, or mud hen, or marsh hen, or poule d'eau (pull-doo if you're an adult, poo-doo if you aren't or are my dad), as it's called in S LA is also fair game for Lent (get it? game...it's a type of water fowl).

That's right...special dispensation (aka "a cheat") was given so that poule d'eau could be consumed during Lent.  The reasoning was that their diets are more fish like than fowl.  They're strange birds no matter what.  But I'm off track as usual.  Supposed to be talking about shrimp today.

Around here, in Cajun country, people tend to want crawfish during Lent.  The two seasons occur at the same time.  Yeah, yeah...I'm gettin' to the shrimp.  Promise.  This year, crawfish are hiding.  Really, they are.  We've had some mighty cold weather, even snowed twice.  And recently there was ice a good inch thick on the crawfish ponds (I stopped off on the side of the road and saw it for myself).  This means that crawfish burrow underground (why they're called mudbugs).  This means traps have been pretty bare and prices high.

But not to worry...remember I said shrimp count too.  I ate more shrimp growing up in New Orleans than crawfish anyway.

Today I have a shrimp dish that my whole family loves.  When I last made it, The Boy (also known as Yob for any Looney Tunes fans--spell it backwards)...anyway I was saying that The Boy came inside from playing with the dog and shrieked, shrieked, "Shrimp & Bread!  Oh Boy!"  I loved that he could identify what we were having that night just by smell alone.  I was proud even.  But that's not what the dish is really called--would be a pretty dull title, don't ya think?  It's Italian Shrimp (don't know why it's called that either) and I got the recipe from a recipe swap group I belong to on Babycenter.

Here's why I like this dish:
It reminds me of BBQ shrimp.  BBQ shrimp has nothing at all to do with grilling or BBQ sauce.  Speaking of titles, it's a strangely named dish.  But it's a New Orleans staple.  Mom used to make this often.  But then evil such as "high cholesterol" and "trans fats" and "LDL" came barging in and she didn't make it so much anymore.  I plan on making BBQ shrimp and posting about it soon (be patient!), but here's a glimpse: it involves about 1 full stick of butter for every pound of shrimp.  Gasp!  Faint!

Italian Shrimp, however, is not so unhealthy.  I found it to be a pretty good sub for BBQ shrimp actually.

Other reasons to like it: it's easy and quick to make.

But here's the downside.  It's messy, just like BBQ Shrimp.  The shrimp are cooked shell-on in a flavorful sauce/broth.  So when you eat them, you peel them--all dripping with cooking liquids and herbs and garlic--at the table.  Juice runs down your arms, your glass gets shrimpy each time you take a drink, you come away needing a hose-down.  I don't cook this for company.  It's too embarrassing.

Mise en place for Italian Shrimp: olive oil, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, garlic (roasted or not), oregano, rosemary, shell-on shrimp.

This would be even better with head-on shrimp.  There's fat in the heads that give off great flavor.  But the decapitated shrimp were on sale and I can't pass up a deal.

If you're tempted to make this with peeled shrimp...well, I wouldn't advise it.  Yes, it would be less messy to eat, but the shells provide much of the flavor to the dish.

Add everything to a pot.  Really, it's that simple.

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

A note about the garlic: we like it roasted first.  That's an extra step and the dish is still very good without roasting.  But if you like roasted garlic, do this...even ahead of time. 

Serve in bowls.  With crusty bread. 

You MUST serve with crusty bread. 

And you MUST dip that bread in the juices. 

 I also recommend having a bowl out on the table to collect the shells.  I mean, we may be sitting there covered in shrimpy juices, but we aren't barbarians.

Here's my version of the recipe.  I add Worcestershire sauce to give a hint of the BBQ shrimp I remember eating.  I've also added more wine than the original and only cook 1 pound of shrimp because I don't see this being good leftover.  Maybe it is...I don't know.

Also, I think some lemon wedges would be good added to the pot.


Italian Shrimp
the Ms. enPlace version of a recipe by Pallavi (Eshu_me)


1 pound shell-on shrimp, do not peel
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary (fresh if possible and use more)
2 bay leaves
14 cloves roasted garlic or smashed raw garlic cloves
3/4-1 cup dry white wine
about 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste

Place all ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and liquid reduced a bit.  Do not over cook or the shrimp will be tough and hard to peel.  Stir occasionally while cooking. Serve the shrimp hot with pan juices and use French bread for dipping.

Meatless on the Super Cheap & Easy

Last week started what I think will be a series of meatless meals. Because of Lent, most people I know are seeking out meatless dishes.  At work, at home, on the phone with relatives...conversations lately tend to start with "whatcha cookin' Friday?"

These conversations recently taught me about a dish that some of the older Cajun ladies I work with make. They simply called it "Eggs & Rice." My coworker, Miss Shirley, explained that she adds leftover cooked rice to scrambled eggs. Maybe some sautéed onions find their way in if she feels like it. She described it as almost a rice dressing with large pieces of scrambled eggs. While she talked, other people were nodding and commenting "mamma used to make that."  I later found out that my mother-in-law used to make this during Lent.  Probably not a surprise that I study--I mean really study Cajun & Creole cookbooks, especially old obscure ones.  I've never come across a written recipe for this. Not that one is needed.  It's an easy, inexpensive thing to make with items you already have.

My mom and I were talking a few days ago about things her mother and grandmothers made during Lent. I mentioned Eggs & Rice and she told me she ate it growing up. She added that Eggs & Potatoes was her answer to Eggs & Rice since she likes potatoes more. (My mom, a South Louisiana native, is not a huge fan of rice.  I should hang my head now.)

I may not have found any info on Eggs & Rice, but a quick bit of research from my own bookshelf pulled up mention of Eggs & Potatoes.  Who knew?!

I dug through my favorite source of info on Louisiana foods--Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine.  The lead author is Marcelle Bienvenu, who is a food writer, cookbook author, source of info for Emeril, and considered to be the "Queen of Cajun cooking."  And she's not paying me to say any of this...she doesn't even know I exist.  Ms. Bienvenu states, "On meatless days of the Roman Catholic calendar, bayou and prairie Cajuns usually ate eggs" (96).   She goes on to write that two people interviewed from Acadia Parish remembered "early twentieth-century prairie Cajun cooks generally served either egg and potato stew with a roux base over rice, or...smothered potatoes and scrambled eggs" (Bienvenu 97).

So my mom's not weird after all!

I decided to ask mom how to make Eggs & Potatoes since I've been thinking about it lately.  As expected, I got no measurements and sketchy instructions.
"Cook the potatoes like you do. You know, with the onions"
"Huh?"
"You know, those potatoes you made last time you were here."
"Oh, ok. Brabant Potatoes."
"Yeah, I guess that's it.  Then add the scrambled egg."
She meant season and whisk up some eggs, pour it in, and scramble.

I made it last week. It wasn't quite like I remembered eating growing up, but close.
A couple of things happened.
First, while I was making this I thought about all the possibilities: adding cheese, mushrooms, bell pepper, cooked asparagus, bacon (wait, then it wouldn't be meatless).

Second, and here's the joke...which is on me.  You may have even figured it out.  Mom's Eggs & Potatoes is just the basics of a Spanish frittata.

I'm not good at math. 

It even takes me a while to put two and two together.

Mise en place for Mom's Eggs & Potatoes: well, you'll definitely need some eggs and potatoes!  Also onion, Creole Seasoning, butter (not the whole stick, don't worry), oil.

I also added a splash of milk and some salt and pepper to the eggs.

I think part of the charm of this dish is that it uses things you probably already have and it's flexible.

Treat the potatoes like Brabant Potatoes (one of my favorite ways to eat potatoes). 

Place the peeled, cubed potatoes in a skillet and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until slightly tender.  

Don't waste time!  Chop the onions and whisk the eggs while the potatoes par-boil.

Drain the potatoes and wipe out the skillet.  This is my attempt to reduce dirty dishes.  Heat oil, butter, or a mix of both in the skillet.  Add the potatoes and onions to the hot skillet and cook until both are browned.  Season with Creole seasoning.  If I'm eating Brabant Potatoes, I like to slice the onions.  In this, I like them chopped.  Why?  Shrug.  Just Because.

 

Spread the potatoes & onions out in the pan.

If you still haven't worked on the eggs...watcha waitin' for?!  Git-on-it!

I like to season with salt, pepper, and add a splash of milk cream, or half and half.  Here's what I do to get fluffy, perfect scrambled eggs. 

Thanks, Tyler Florence!

If the pan looks dry, add a little butter so the eggs don't stick.  Lower the heat and pour in the eggs.

You could do a number of things here.  You could treat this like a frittata and lift up on the edges now and then to let the uncooked egg hit the pan.  You could then place the pan in the oven to finish cooking the eggs (if your pan is oven-safe).

I made this on my lunch break, so I felt like mom's non-fussy way was called for: treat this like scrambled eggs and get the food on the table.

It may not be pretty, but it sure was easy, cheap, and brought back some memories.

 Also good for breakfast or brunch.

Mom's Eggs & Potatoes

from Ms. EnPlace

Part 1:

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

water to cover potatoes

2-3 Tbsp oil, butter, or a mix of both

1 small onion, chopped

Creole seasoning

Place potatoes in a skillet and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until slightly tender.  Don't overcook.  While the potatoes simmer, chop the onion and prep the eggs (below).

Drain the potatoes and wipe the pan.  Add 2-3 Tbsp butter, oil, or a combo of each.  Heat on med-high.  Add the potatoes along with the onions to the pan.  Cook until both are browned.  Season with Creole seasoning.

Part 2:

pat of butter

3-4 eggs

splash of milk, half and half, or cream (whatever you have handy)

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk eggs with a splash of milk and salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk until foamy and the color lightens.

Once the potatoes and onions are browned to your liking, add another pat of butter to the skillet.  Lower the heat.  When the butter has melted, pour in the eggs.

Cook flat like a frittata, or for fluffier eggs, "fold" the egg mixture.  Using a heat resistant rubber spatula, slowly stir the eggs from the outside of the pan to the center.  When eggs are just about cooked through, turn off the heat.  Serve immediately.  Serves 2-3.


Source consulted:
Bienvenu, Marcelle, Carl A Brasseaux, and Ryan A Brasseaux.  Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2005.