I’m always blown away by the number and variety of affordably priced gems at Latin American supermarkets. These spots are perfect for browsing, learning, getting inspired and grabbing lunch on the go. Here are 5 of my favorite items from La Morenita Meat Market in Baton Rouge, one of my go-to spots. Scroll through, and if you’re a fan of the mercado, tell me what inspires you.
How many times have you had leftover rice sitting in your fridge? For us here in south Louisiana, it’s a lot. Red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, gumbo and other dishes can leave behind a surplus of perfectly cooked rice. But no matter where you live or what you cook, there’s no need to toss the rice that may be taking up space in your refrigerator. Combined with the roast chicken or grilled shrimp that are probably also lying in wait, those plump grains are easily converted into fried rice, a quick and convenient dish with great umami and rib-sticking flavor.
Pound cake. Yum. What self-respecting Southerner doesn’t love it? My sweet mom makes one for me and my crew every time we head to Georgia to see her. I like to pretend it’s just for me, but it’s really for my husband John. Spoiled son-in-law. We eat it as a late night snack as soon as we arrive, weary after an 8-hour drive that should have only taken 7. We eat it for dessert. We toast thick slices for breakfast (and sometimes add more butter on top). We saw off thin slivers each time we walk by the lucite cake plate to “even it out.” It’s long gone before the weekend is over.
Oysters are the perfect addition to the 2015 Super Bowl party menu, both as a nod to two seafood-centric coastal locales, New England and Seattle, and to our own Gulf oyster season still underway here in South Louisiana. For parties, I like to serve them baked or grilled on the half-shell, and for the Super Bowl in particular, adding bacon and barbecue sauce makes them festive and football-y. Pretty sure that’s a word this week.
One of my all-time favorite oyster recipes is Oysters Fitzpatrick from the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s 1959 food bible, River Road Recipes, but here I’ve reworked it with a locally made barbecue sauce, Jay D’s, made by my friend and fellow food writer/blogger Jay Ducote (BiteandBooze.com).
Fresh turnips are in full supply right now at Southern farmers markets and they’re one of the easiest and most satisfying winter veggies to prepare. I picked some up last week from the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge. If you’re not yet in the habit of cooking turnips, give them try. And if their reputation for bitterness scares you or your kids, fear not. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness. Another secret is how you peel them. Continue Reading…
Typical Louisiana.
Just when the rest of the country is swearing off all things fattening, here we go after New Year’s rolling out iced-to-the-hilt king cakes whose very nature requires eating in succession. But one trend that’s emerged, perhaps to combat this, is the personal or mini king cake, which more bakeries around the region are offering.
A beauty in that category is the King cake cupcake® by Gourmet Girls catering in Baton Rouge (pictured).