Gator Anyone

 Mention alligator at a tailgating party and people will automatically think of a mascot. Yet at Louisiana ones it means the main meat on the barbecue menu. It's usually served when Lousiana and Florida college go against each other on the football field. It's not hot dogs and burgers but it is supposed to be tasty.

Christina Morales, a new and regular contributor to the Wednesday New York Times Food section wrote about this Southern staple in today's issue.It actually started as a tease when Louisiana State University or LSU fought against the University of Florida Gators team twelve years ago. Now this is standard despite it being cruel. Tailgaters either bring ones they've caught or ones they've bought at an alligator farm!! The reptile can be char grilled, blackened, fried, stewed or even roasted whole, the last being done on a rotisserie powered by a windshield wiper motor. everyone always what the meat tastes like? Chicken. It has the taste and even the texture of it.It is a white , tender flesh that is usally brined

Many tailgaters also douse the gators with beer for more flavor. It has always been a food source in The Bayou state.The story started with the Indigenous tribe the Coushatas from the southwestern part of the state. They found a gator stuck in a hole of a dried up pond. The creature asked to be placed in a nearby rivet and would reward them, according to Eli Langley a tribal story teller for the Coushatas.

Of course the reward was its' meat. The Chitimacha People, another southwestern Louisiana tribe ate the meat fried in bear grease according to Chitimacha the tribal historic preservation officer Kimberly Walden.The gators were a convenient food source, being so large.They even provided a French government officials with an alligator feast. for the following Cajuns and Creoles the swamps became a pantry. If they killed it , they ate it according to Louisiana chef and cookbook writer John Foise. Now gator meat is served in a variety of ways at different local restaurants. At Prejean's  a Lafayette Louisiana eatery serve gator legs . They're marinated in buttermilk for three hours , then breaded and fried like chicken wings. Roux 61 in Baton Rouge goes for the more unusual. They blacken the meat and put into into spicy tacos. They gave the recipe to the article. If you're wondering where to get gator meat , especially in the New York area,  there are specialty butchers who do sell it. Try Wild Fork Farms or The Louisiana Crawfish Company which also sells turtle meat and crawfish too.

Alligators do make for an interesting meal.  They have a mild tasting meat, perfect for a host of different recipes. However it is cruel to eat them, farmed or otherwise. 

 

Mardi Gras And Shrove Tuesday

Today is Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, the last day of celebration before Lent. It's a time of revelry and enjoying egg and butter rich foods before forty days of fasting. This is a time for pancakes too, thanks to the tradition of Shrove Tuesday. It's a celebration whatever is made today.

For some Mardi Gras means gumbo. This is an easy cook, a fun stew made with shrimp and andouille sausage along with the holy trinity of Cajun cooking - celery, onions and bell peppers.Okra which gives the dish its' African name is added along with tomatoes and tomato paste. It's a great meal for a dinner party too because of its' ease of serving. The dish is ladled over rice and served. Etouffee is a Cajun dish eaten throughout New Orleans at this time. It has another Cajun and Creole staple - seafood. Crawfish is usually used but shrimp can subbed in along with crab. It's called a smothered dish because it's ladled over rice which helps balance  the dish's fieriness. Again it's an easy make, using the usual ingredients found in the cuisine along with cayenne and hot sauce. A sweeter Mardi Gras treat is King Cake, a brioche type ring cake decorated with Mardi Gras colors and containing a trinket. They can be bought on line, if you're far from Lousiana or you can make it at home. It's basically a cinnamon coffee bread rich with butter and eggs., then topped with a confectioner's sugar icing. Purple, green and gold, Mardi Gras colors are sprinkled on top

Another name for the day is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake day. Big in Britain and in Slavic countries like Poland housewives are supposed to use up all the butter and fat along with milk and eggs before Lent starts. Pancakes also symbolize the pillars of Christianity, eggs for creation, flour for the mainstay of human life,  salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.There are races in Britian , with
the tradition starting in 1445.A housewife cooking pancakes heard her local church calling all to
church and ran to Mass, still flipping pancakes to prevent them from burning. All of the UK participate in this annual event, including William and Kate. Pancakes are one of the easiest dishes to make This simple dish can be jazzed up for the holiday with the addition of walnuts and pecans along with a fat pat of bourbon butter, Bourbon can also be added to maple syrup too. For a more sophisticated take,try crepes for Shrove Tuesday or even for meatless Lenten Fridays.The recipe is sort of like the pancake but the butter is melted first.It also helps to chill the batter for an hour before cooking for a crisper crepes It only takes two minutes to cook it on both sides.


Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday  is a day of fun eating before the fasting of Lent. Enjoy it with either a bowl of gumbo ,a slice of King Cale or a stack of pancakes or crepes.. Celebrate with good food.

The Po Boy Guide

NOLA or New Orleans Louisiana  has given the world some of the best foods. One truly outstanding one is the po boy , a huge French bread filled with anything and everything, including gator. It is truly tasty and completely filling sandwich and one that can be created to suit anyone's tastes.Luckily there's a new cookbook out to guide those po boy fans.

Southern Po Boy Cookbook (Ulysses's Press) is a great and interesting compilation of po boy recipes..The book was written by New Orleans born foodie Todd-Michael St. Pierre who has written other cookbooks about the delicious cuisine of the Crescent City. His take on po boys is varied and best of all , any body including a young chef can make any one of the recipes. Mr. St.Pierre uses true Cajun/Creole ingredients such as alligator(!) and the famed and flavorful boudin sausage. he also has spins on the other NOLA sandwich , the muffaletta as well. There is a nod to pain perdu or French toast with the entire po boy bread dipped in egg and fried  and stuffed with powdered sugar, jam and Canadian bacon.

Of course New Orleans also has an international population and Mr. St Pierre honors that in the recipes too. He has come up with The Mexican, a Cajun take on a taco, complete with beans, sour cream and chicken. The Germans are also given an homage to Germany with a po boy stuffed with bratwurst, Gouda cheese , sauerkraut and mustard For truly exotic, there are sandwiches that salute China and Thailand.The Beijing  has pork chops cooked in soy sauce and black rice vinegar while The Bangkok fills a po boy loaf with squid and Thai chili. Of course it;s not a true po boy without Cajun mustard which gives the sandwich zing., There's also a spin on the traditional Cuban pork sandwich renamed The Havana by Mr. St Pierre.

For po boy New Orleans lovers or sandwich buffs  , The Southern Po Boy Cookbook is for them.It is chock full of tasty and truly truly filling sandwiches.It caters to traditional Cajun and Creole as well as international flavors. The book is definitely one to own , perfect for those who love a good hearty dish .