New Orleans has myriad unforgettable tastes to treasure

Tasting New Orleans in person is the ideal way to experience this unique and captivating American city. Here, food and drink reflect its French and Spanish heritage with flavors of Cajun and Creole, while its ingredients are strictly Southern.

See my recent travel feature (bit.ly/new-orleans-travel-nh) for my take on that heritage.

The country’s most creative chefs are drawn to New Orleans, so unusual dishes and great restaurant dining abound. Mardi Gras, the annual carnival, has begun, with boundless revelry day into night, punctuated by parades that continue until Feb. 13. That is Fat Tuesday, the day before the beginning of Lent and the march toward Easter on March 31.

A highlight of my recent visit was a morning spent at the New Orleans School of Cooking, where lore and legends of the past were incorporated into classic recipes. Family-owned since 1980, the school offers classes in several teaching kitchens with a staff of 15 chefs. It was founded by Joe Cahn, who developed classes with Paul Prudhomme, the chef associated with the city’s Commander’s Palace and who put Cajun food on the map.

Spice mixes created by Cahn are available at nosoc.com, as well as from the retail culinary shop adjoining the school at 524 St. Louis St., at the edge of the French Quarter.

Among the ingredients available there is filé a powdered mixture of young sassafras leaves used to thicken and flavor gumbo and other typical dishes. To me, it’s a floral scent a bit like Juicy Fruit gum but with an earthy flavor similar to that of thyme and savory. Its use in New Orleans cooking came from the North American Indians. You will probably need to buy it online for authentic gumbo. At the school, filé was passed to those around the table for sprinkling on their bowls of gumbo.

Chef Cindy Miller told us that many dishes are prepared “au pif,” French slang for cooking by smell. (It’s pronounced “oh peef,”) An experienced cook employs the nose to determine if onions are caramelizing or burning, if sliced nuts browning in the oven are on the verge of burning, if it’s too late to save the bacon or if the oil is too hot for adding garlic.

“Au pif” well blended with patience is another key ingredient.

Although many of us have banned lard from our kitchens, it’s the preferred fat for creating a roux. A roux must be browned with constant stirring over heat before the vegetables are added to it for a proper gumbo. It takes a lot of stirring and some time to make a perfect roux —– the basis for gumbo.

Gumbo was a dish brought from Africa, and the word is derived from the West African “ki ngombo” for “okra.” West Africans used okra as a thickener in their version of the dish.

Pecans ripen in November in the South, and that’s the best time to make pralines, she said. They keep nicely for a few weeks when sealed in an airtight tin and make a great gift. Humidity is the enemy of making pralines, so making them on a cool and dry winter day is ideal.

Recipes

Jambalaya

(Makes 12 servings)

Ingredients

¼ cup oil

1-½ pounds smoked sausage, sliced

4 cups onions diced

2 cups celery, diced

2 cups green bell peppers,diced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1-½ pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined

5 cups stock

3 heaping Tablespoons Joe’s Stuff seasoning

4 cups long grain rice

2 cups green onions, sliced

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat add oil and brown sausage.

Avoid stirring to allow the sausage to stick and brown in the pan.

Remove the sausage, leaving drippings in the pan.

Saute onions, celery, garlic and green bell pepper in drippings to tenderness desired.

Return sausage to pan then add the shrimp.

Add stock and Joe’s Stuff seasoning and bring to a boil. Add rice, stir together and return to boil.

Stir again and remove pot from heat and cover. Let rest for 25 minutes.

Remove cover and quickly turn rice from top to bottom completely.Add green onions and serve.

Gumbo

(Makes 5 to 6 servings)

Ingredients

¼ pound lard

¼ cup flour

½ cup andouille sausage, sliced

1 cup onions, diced

½ cup celery, diced

¼ cup green pepper, diced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup chicken cut up or deboned

4 cups chicken stock

1 Tablespoon dried sliced garlic

Joe’s Stuff seasoning, to taste

½ cup green onions, sliced

Filé

Instructions

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt lard and and flour a little at a time, stirring constantly to make a roux.

Once nicely browned, stir in half the onions, celery and green bell pepper.

In a large pot, cook sausage over medium-high heat, allowing it to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once browned on both sides, add chicken and continue to cook.

Remove from the pot.

Add the remaining onions, celery and green bell peppers to the pot and saute.

Add garlic and cook until vegetables reach desired tenderness.

Return chicken and sausage to the pot.

Deglaze the pot with stock, scraping the bottom to remove anything stuck.

Add remaining stock and bring to a boil.

Once the stock comes to a boil, slowly add the roux to the pot.

Whisk constantly to incorporate the roux completely.

Once the roux is incorporated, allow the stock to return to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook for an hour or more.

Add Joe’s Stuff and sliced garlic to taste.

Continue to simmer until you can’t wait any longer.

Serve gumbo over rice or without rice and accompanied by French bread.

Place filé on the table for individuals to add to their gumbo if they wish. one-fourth to one-half teaspoon per serving is recommended.

Pralines

(Makes up to 50 servings)

Ingredients

1-½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

½ cup milk

1-½ cup pecans (See below to roast them)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, mixing to achieve a “soft ball” stage. (A soft ball stage is reached when the mixture is 238 to 240 degrees and a small bit added to a cup of cold water forms into a soft ball.)

Remove from heat.

Stir constantly until the mixture becomes creamy and cloudy. Pecans should stay suspended in the mixture.

Spoon out spoonfuls on buttered parchment paper or waxed paper. When using waxed paper be sure to buffer with newspaper underneath, as hot wax will transfer to what’s underneath.

Let cool.

To roast pecans before mixing, bake them on a sheet pan at 275 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.

Cool.

May be stored in an airtight container for two weeks.

— Recipes courtesy of New Orleans School of Cooking

New Orleans School of Cooking

Where: 524 St Louis St.

Info: NOSOC.com

Classes: Available starting at about $40; Reservations are required.

Other stories from this trip: bit.ly/miss-river-cruise-nh, bit.ly/cruise-recipes-nh and bit.ly/hot-choc-24-nh.