We’re proud to sponsor your New Orleans Saints, but we don’t stop there. We support schools, playgrounds, stadiums and local teams all across the Gulf Coast. And our sports partnerships continue to grow, including our newest with the New Orleans Pelicans. Both the Saints and Pelicans are owned by Mrs. Gayle Benson, who was recently named the most powerful woman in sports by Forbes — a well-deserved honor for her and something we’re all proud of here on the Gulf Coast.
Win or lose — and let’s hope win — we always cheer for the home team. That’s Loyal to Local.
team up for good
We want to recognize and thank the vendor partners who participated in our annual golf event, Rouses Charity Invitational, which raises funds for our Employee Disaster Relief Program. This program provides help to team members who experience devastating losses to their homes and personal belongings after hurricanes, floods, and other emergencies. Over the years, our Employee Disaster Relief Program has distributed more than $6 million to Rouses team members in need.
This year’s tournament was our biggest yet. We took over two entire golf courses, with our presenting partner Molson Coors Beverage Company, which has been brewing beverages in the United States for more than two centuries; we were also joined by dozens of large national manufacturers and smaller local companies who distribute their own products. We are grateful for every one of them and for the generous support they provide to our stores and our team.
We’re Donating Over $500,000 to Local Food Banks This Year.
Being local means showing up for our communities, especially in times of need.
Across the Gulf Coast, too many people are struggling to put food on the table. For nearly 20 years, we’ve partnered with our local food banks to help feed our neighbors in need. Each year, we donate hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and product to food banks serving the cities, parishes and counties we call home.
We are also a major sponsor of the new Second Harvest Food Bank Bayou Distribution Center in Houma. It serves our home base on the bayou, where my grandfather opened our first stores, where we still have stores today, and where our corporate office is. The center is already moving hundreds of thousands of pounds of food into communities where the need is urgent and growing.
We know these are tough times for a lot of families, and we want to help in every way we can — not just through our food bank partnerships, but also at the register.
We’ve always offered More Ways to Save than any other grocery store. You can shop our weekly ad and our monthlong specials, our Remarkable Buys and Best Values — lower prices you can count on every week.
And for the holidays, our sale ads are the biggest of the year.
We believe in taking care of our neighbors and supporting our communities the way they always have supported us, from helping fund our local food banks to bringing you more ways to save at the register. That’s Loyal to Local. And it’s how we’ve done business since 1960.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,
Creative Director & Editor
Marcy Nathan
Art Director & Design
Eliza Schulze
Illustrator
Kacie Galtier
Marketing Manager
Harley Breaux
Copy Editor
Patti Stallard
Advertising & Marketing
Tim Acosta
Amanda Kennedy
Stephanie Hopkins
Nancy Besson
Taryn Clement
Emily lajaunie
CONTRIBUTORS
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT David W. Brown is a freelance writer whose work appears in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American and The New Yorker. His most recent book, The Mission: A True Story, a rollicking adventure about a motley band of explorers on a quest to find oceans on Europa, is in bookstores now. Brown lives in New Orleans.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Marcelle Bienvenu is a cookbook author and food writer. A native of St. Martinville, in the heart of Cajun country, Bienvenu wrote Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic and Can You Make a Roux? and Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen with Eula Mae Dora, and other books and cookbooks. She also co-authored five cookbooks with Emeril Lagasse.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Ann Maloney is the former recipes editor and a food reporter at The Washington Post, specializing in quick and easy home cooking. From 2016 to 2019, she was a food and dining writer at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune in her hometown of New Orleans, where she also served as arts and entertainment editor from 2004 to 2015. Prior to that, she worked for The New York Times in various roles, spending most of her time as features editor for the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Brett Martin is a longtime correspondent for GQ Magazine, a three-time James Beard Award winner, seven-time finalist, and a seven-time selectee of the annual Best Food Writing anthology. His work appears regularly in Vanity Fair, National Geographic, Bon Appétit, Garden & Gun, Smithsonian, Outside, The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker, among others, and on public radio’s This American Life.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Juan Nogueira is a media specialist at WDSU (NBC) Hearst Television in New Orleans with over 15 years of experience driving tens of millions in revenue for clients across industries — from cars to groceries. You won’t find anyone more passionate about commercials, TV, and media ratings and measurement. A creative at heart, Juan is known for crafting memorable phrases that stick (he’s quite the punster) and for writing, producing and occasionally singing the jingles you hear on TV.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Nick Underhill began his career covering the Saints for The Times-Picayune, The Advocate and other local publications before briefly moving to Boston, where he chronicled the final chapter of the Belichick-Brady era for The Athletic. Upon returning to New Orleans, Underhill founded NewOrleans. Football, a subscriptionbased platform featuring in-depth articles and podcasts, sponsored by Rouses Markets. Underhill gained national recognition when he earned first place in the Associated Press Sports Editors’ (APSE) Explanatory Writing category in 2018 for his analysis of Drew Brees’ passing game since 2006. (That same year, he was named Louisiana Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.) Previously, he earned a Top 10 Award from APSE for Breaking News as part of a team covering the 2016 shooting death of former Saints player Will Smith.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Ken Wells covered car wrecks and gator sightings for The Houma Courier before going on to a career that included 24 years at The Wall Street Journal. He’s the author of six novels of the Cajun bayous and three works of narrative nonfiction.
From Monday red beans to jambalaya and gumbo bases, and now a new Sauce Piquante, family owned and operated Blue Runner creates its classic Creole creamstyle beans and meal bases in Gonzales, Louisiana, using real ingredients and the slow-simmered flavor generations here grew up with. Read more about Sauce Piquant on page 23.
Cover photo by Romney Caruso
We’re Rolling Out Our NEW Red Barrels
Purchase one of our $5 or $10 pre-packed Brown Bags filled with the most requested nonperishable items and drop it into the new red Team Up for Good donation barrels at the front of our stores or make a cash donation at checkout. Every contribution stays right here at home.
It’s Beginning to Cook a Lot Like Christmas
HUNTING SEASON
Seafood Mirliton Dressing
Joan Nathan’s Brisket in Sweet and Sour Sauce
Oven-Baked Brisket
Gonzo’s Smoked Brisket Dirty Rice
Bienvenu's Rice Dressing
Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo
The Pour the Merrier
Ye Faithful by Nick Underhill
What We Bring to the Table
Our team always brings their best to the table, but never more than during the holidays. This is the season when their traditions, memories and favorite dishes come to life on the page, reminding us what makes gathering together so special. Here’s what some of us will be bringing to our family dinners this holiday.
“I go all out with my deviled eggs. I make one base filling and turn it into four or five different varieties every holiday — a Bloody Mary version, a smoked salmon version, a dirty martini version, a jalapeño-cheddar-bacon version and sometimes a sour-cream-and-onion Ruffles version. I make them for every gathering: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. And yes, my mom still fills our stockings — Harley’s too.
“Any family event, I’m usually rolling up with a catering item from Rouses because everyone knows Harley’s bringing egg rolls. My husband Jeremy is the baker in our family and he makes incredible bread, and my mother-in-law makes a delicious cornbread casserole, but if I’m making something, it’s usually cornbread muffins because they’re easy grab-and-go and great for leftovers. I mix Jiffy with cream-style corn to make them extra good.”
“Some of my favorite memories are from our family camp in Pecan Island, riding on the front of the mud boat as the sun crept over the marsh and ducks flew overhead. We’d spend mornings crabbing at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, afternoons beachcombing along the sands at Rutherford, and evenings laughing until our sides hurt as my cousins and I jumped from bunk to bunk at the camp. Now the best part is watching my own kids experience the same things: chasing crabs, collecting seashells, and filling the camp with that same joyful chaos. It is nice to see that Pecan Island still holds the same magic it did when I was a kid. It’s no wonder my favorite holiday dessert is pecan pie with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, both of which I’ll be bringing to gatherings this year.”
— Eliza Schulze, Art Director, Rouses Markets
“Tim Acosta talks about his father-in-law Mr. Anthony and the oyster dressing in his Cooking on Hwy. 1 column in this issue, and it brings me back. When I was little, all my aunts and uncles on my mom’s side would be gathered around shucking oysters at my grandmother’s house in Luling. I think that’s why I love raw oysters. I usually make a chocolate peanut butter pie. My husband, Jason, always ordered one from this little Cajun specialty place, but one year he called too late and they were sold out. He was so disappointed. So ever since then I’ve made one. He swears it’s just as good.”
“My contribution is simple. I bring the Tupperware for the leftovers, because we all know that’s the best part."
Marcy Nathan, Creative Director, Rouses Markets
The Chef Behind the Meat Counter
Rouses Butcher Greg Cox, a trained chef and graduate of the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University, helped prepare many of the dishes featured in this issue, including the Conecuh Sausage Cornbread Dressing on page 33 and the Oven-Baked Brisket on page 43. Greg now works at our Thibodaux store, just a few miles from the Nicholls campus. A third-generation butcher, he comes by his skill honestly. His family owned Gene Cox Grocery, a fixture in West Monroe for more than half a century. Greg is one of several John Folse Culinary Institute graduates who work at Rouses. Team members attending the program can apply for the Anthony J. Rouse, Sr., Food Entrepreneurship Scholarship, named after our founder, and the Leroy Theriot Meat & Charcuterie Scholarship. Leroy Theriot was a butcher at Ciro’s, the Rouse family’s first grocery store, who later became the Meat Market Manager at the first Rouses Market.
We asked Greg about the difference between a brisket for the smoker and one for the oven, and what home cooks should know if they want to save the tallow for cooking.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Q: Can you explain the difference between the point and the flat, and which one you’d recommend for what I’m cooking?
A: The flat is the leaner, more uniform part of the brisket and it slices beautifully. It’s what most people picture when they think of classic brisket. The point is thicker with more marbling and fat, which makes it great for chopped brisket or burnt ends. If you want neat slices, go with the flat. If you’re after rich, tender pieces, the point is your best bet. You really can’t go wrong with either.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Q: If I’m cooking it in the oven instead, should I ask you to trim more of the fat off?
A: I like to leave the fat on, especially on the flat. As it cooks, the fat renders and keeps the meat moist and flavorful. Once it’s done, you can trim it down to your liking. Leaving more fat at the start also means you’ll end up with more tallow when it’s finished. If you want to save that fat for vegetables or to baste the brisket, just strain it and store it in a jar in your fridge. It will keep for several months when refrigerated properly.
Letter from the Editor
by Marcy Nathan, Rouses Markets Creative Director
A debate broke out during our photo shoot for this issue. Not about dressing versus stuffing (stuffing goes in the bird; dressing is a side dish), or dirty rice versus rice dressing (let’s leave that one to Marcelle Bienvenu to decide), or even sweet potato pie versus pumpkin (personally, I’m team doberge cake).
The argument was about serving spoons to use with our food. Silver versus wooden. Even our photographer and chef got involved.
Martha Stewart would probably tell you the serving spoon should match the serving ware. Paul Prudhomme, who was born with a wooden spoon in his hand rather than a silver one in his mouth and who made dirty rice famous, once said, “We cooked what we had — liver, gizzard, rice — and made it taste better than what money could buy.” He would tell you to use whatever you have.
To me, it really comes down to how you serve the holiday meal, because every family has its own way of doing it.
Growing up, we were served a plated dinner at the table, like a restaurant — probably because there were too many of us and too many kids to trust a buffet. If you wanted more dressing or macaroni and cheese, you went into the kitchen, where someone (an uncle, a housekeeper, a grandmother) would fix you another serving. As we got older, the food was set up on an actual buffet in the dining room; even later, it evolved to buffet style in the kitchen. We still used the formal china, the silver serving pieces, the good linens. But you went to the food instead of the food coming to you. It was never put directly on the table.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re team silver or team wooden spoon. The holidays are about bringing everyone together around the same table to share food, stories and maybe a friendly debate. What matters most is that everyone gets a helping of something they love and saves room for dessert, which, in my case, is doberge.
cookin’ on hwy. 1
by Tim Acosta, Rouses Markets Advertising & Marketing Director
Our stores are known for their prepared foods all year long, but come the holidays, they really outdo themselves. At our house, there’s always Rouses crawfish cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving, and I look forward to it all year. And Rouses egg rolls — didn’t the Pilgrims have those on their Thanksgiving table? We have them for Christmas, too.
But we do make my father-in-law’s oyster rice dressing from scratch. To borrow from Jimmy Buffett, give me oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year. When the weather cools and the freshwater flow increases, the salinity drops, making oysters plumper and milder. They’re at their best this time of year, with that clean, briny flavor you just can’t find anywhere else. So we use them in everything.
My father-in-law, Anthony J. Rouse Sr., was famous for his down-home oyster dressing — famous enough that Chef John Folse included it in one of his cookbooks. It’s one of the few recipes Mr. Rouse ever wrote down. Like most Gulf Coast cooks, he just knew how to make something. I think he was honored John asked him for it — he probably wouldn’t have written it down for anyone else.
Mr. Rouse’s oyster rice dressing is savory, spiced and meaty — perfect just as it is. I love to cook, so I can’t help
making a few tweaks. I add a little Creole seasoning and Old Bay. Old Bay might be more of a Northern thing, but it works on the Gulf Coast. Then a few generous dashes of Worcestershire and a splash of Cajun Power Garlic Sauce — because if you read this column, you already know I put that in everything.
This year I wanted to try something new. Not to replace Mr. Rouse’s oyster rice dressing, but to sit right beside it on the table. A French bread oyster dressing. I’ve noticed that in New Orleans, they’ll turn just about anything into a bread pudding — it doesn’t have to be sweet. Like traditional bread pudding, this one is part pudding, part casserole.
I was inspired by Frank Davis. We used to sponsor his holiday specials on WWL in New Orleans — Franksgiving and Naturally Noel — so I watched him make a few of these over the years. Like most people on the Gulf Coast, the man could cook and entertain at the same time. Isn’t that why so many parties end up in the kitchen? We’ve got a great feature about Frank, and the recipes for our mirliton casserole, on our website if you want to read more.
Mr. Rouse always used whole oysters in his rice dressing. He bought them by the gallon. The whole family would gather at his house for the holidays, and there were plenty of oyster eaters. Some
Photo by Romney Caruso
of the oysters went in the pot, some went to the cook, and some to whoever happened to be standing nearby. For this French bread version, we chopped some of the oysters so every bite gets a little of that flavor — and the bread really soaks it up.
Who knows. It might just become a family tradition too. I’ll let you know if I get a call from Chef John Folse to put it in his next cookbook.
OYSTER FRENCH BREAD DRESSING
SERVINGS: 10-12
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 quarts oysters with liquor (reserve liquid separately)
1 loaf Rouses French Bread, day-old, cut into bite-size cubes
1 stick butter (salted or unsalted)
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 green bell peppers, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
Creole seasoning and salt, to taste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¹⁄₃ cup Cajun Power Garlic Sauce
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
3 whole eggs, beaten
HOW TO PREP:
Drain the oysters, one quart at a time, reserving all the oyster liquor for later use.
Cut the day-old Rouses French Bread
into small cubes and set aside to slightly dry while you cook the vegetables.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and celery; cook until the vegetables are soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic, Creole seasoning, salt, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun Power Garlic Sauce. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 pint of oysters to the skillet and cook just until they begin to firm, about 5 minutes. Remove the cooked oysters, chop them finely into a rough paste, and return them to the skillet. Mix well and remove from heat.
MR. ANTHONY ROUSE’S DOWN-HOME OYSTER DRESSING
SERVINGS : 8-10 WHAT YOU WILL NEED :
2 cups long-grain rice to be cooked
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cubed French bread, the oyster-vegetable mixture and the remaining whole oysters. Stir in the chopped rosemary and thyme, then season again with Creole seasoning and salt, to taste. Add the 3 beaten eggs and mix gently to combine.
Gradually pour in the reserved oyster liquor, one cup at a time, until the mixture is moist but not soggy — it should hold together without being watery.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a large casserole dish and spread the mixture evenly inside. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. About 45 minutes into baking, baste the top with melted butter to enhance the color and flavor.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
1 container (16 ounces) Guidry’s Fresh Cut Creole Seasoning Blend or 1 large onion and 2 large green bell peppers, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning mix
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
11/2 quarts Louisiana oysters, cut in half of if large
1 bunch green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet
HOW TO PREP:
Cook rice and keep warm, covered. In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, brown beef and pork. Add onions and bell peppers. Mix well and cook until onions are clear. Add Cajun seasonings, basil, garlic and Old Bay and mix well. Add oysters. Mix in green onions and Kitchen Bouquet. Remove from heat and mix in rice.
RITZ Candy Cane Caprese
Authentic GROUND & whole bean italian espresso
www.rouses.com
ROUSES COMPLETE HOLIDAY MEAL INCLUDES: Turkey or Ham with Cornbread Dressing, Turkey Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, Cranberry Orange Relish, Green Bean Casserole & King’s Hawaiian Rolls View
leave the fuss to us
We offer complete holiday meals (turkey or ham) with traditional fixings, as well as dressings and side dishes available à la carte. Our chefs can also prepare large pans of your favorite comfort foods, local favorites or any of our signature items. All you have to do is heat and eat. For locations, phone numbers and a copy of our holiday menu, go to www.rouses.com. This year, please remember to plan ahead and order early.
Thank You for Celebrating 65 Years With Us
By Ali Rouse Royster, 3rd Generation
When we celebrated our 65th anniversary earlier this year — technically, we’re still celebrating; if a birthday can last a week or a month, a milestone anniversary can surely last a year — we were flooded with messages from customers, team members and vendors who have been part of our story over the years. Your comments, calls, letters and posts reminded us just how many memories have been made in our stores, and how many friendships, families and businesses have grown right alongside ours.
We heard from customers of our family’s first grocery store, Ciro’s, which opened in 1960 in Houma — customers like Rhoda Verret, who remembered “fresh white beans in a wooden barrel” in the 1960s, and who still shops with us today. And from family friends like Gerry Prejean, who shared memories of grocery shopping at Ciro’s in Houma after Friday night dinners with her parents, who were great friends of Pa and Granny (my grandparents Anthony and Joyce).
Pa put everything he had into that first grocery store. Actually, he put everything he had into everything he did. He taught us that if something needed to be done, you needed to just do it. And we heard from people who remember him exactly that way. As Noel Theriot wrote, “When new stores were being built, I remember Mr. Rouse being there in his overalls.” He always wore his work jumpsuit — that was just who he was. And he was always happiest when he was working alongside everyone else.
Pa’s work ethic was unmatched, but he taught us all to emulate it. Gerard Starr sent a comment recalling
that, when he was teaching school, my uncle Donald Rouse hired many of his students; when Gerard ordered catering for an awards program, he found Donald making the sandwiches himself at pickup. I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree!
My cousins and I grew up in our grocery stores. We heard from team members who remember us when we were little. Dana McDonald reminisced about Donny and his sister Mandy coming into her store, Rouses #1, in the mornings to get fresh donuts before school. Now my three kids love getting breakfast at Rouses, too — we have a little family tradition of having Friday breakfasts out before school drop-off, and they routinely pick the Rouses hot bar for some eggs, biscuits and boudin!
So many of you have shopped with us, worked with us, and helped us build this business. Every message made us smile and reminded us that Rouses Markets has always been about more than groceries.
On behalf of the entire Rouse family, thank you for being part of our first 65 years. We’re so proud to be part of your memories, and so grateful you’re part of ours.
Bucking Tradition
Mr. Rouse Always Did Things His Way
by David W. Brown
One childhood memory above all stands out for Blake Richard, the Director of Marine Supply and Commercial Sales for Rouses Markets. “Growing up, every Thanksgiving, we would all wait for my Uncle Donald to say, ‘All right, are y’all ready?’” he told me. “Some of us, like myself, would already have our bags packed, because we knew we were going to the duck camp.”
After that, it was on. Blake and his cousins would pile in the car with their grandfather, Anthony J. Rouse, Sr., for a quick food run to the nearest Rouses location. They needed snacks and supplies. His grandfather — the founder of Rouses Markets — would shop for snacks and supplies (and of course, he’d make Blake and the boys round up buggies or help bag groceries at the checkout lines). From there, however, they were off to the Bayou Black boat launch. They would hop in the mud boat, crank the motor, and ride down to the camp.
Hunting and fishing have always been core to the Rouse family experience. “My earliest hunting memories of squirrel hunting were with my dad,” said Donald Rouse, Anthony’s son. “I was probably seven or eight years old. Squirrel hunting was my dad’s favorite out of everything. He hunted ducks, rabbit and deer, but his favorite was squirrel.”
In those days, they would go hunting in the swamps off the old Morgan City Highway. They would look out for ridges in the swamp where oak trees and palmettos grew. “My dad taught me to listen for acorns to drop and hit the palmettos. It meant that there was a squirrel up there eating. Or we’d listen for their barking. You’re always looking far out in front of you, because the squirrel’s not going to see you far away. But if you’re just looking straight up, the squirrel’s already finding a place to hide,” he said.
They always ate what they killed. “Dad would smother squirrel in a cast-iron pot, smother it in the onions with seasonings and stuff like that. He would also make rabbit a lot of the time. He would make a great sauce piquant with it, or with deer or rabbit.”
The deer hunting happened in the swamps, too. “I was the only one in the family besides my dad that actually took up hunting, and loved hunting the way he did,” said Donald. “Whenever he would go, I was along with him.” He started hunting deer around age nine. His dad had to load the gun for him. “We would often be joined by my dad’s friend, Mr. Wilbert Percle, and his son, Perry, who is a lifelong friend of mine.” Donald’s dad couldn’t always make it, because he had to work; but when that happened, he would still let Donald have the day off and join the Percles to make the hunt.
“I hunted for about 18 years and never killed a deer!” said Donald with a laugh. “My buddy didn’t have any problem shooting them — I just had the worst luck. Maybe I didn’t know what I was doing, making too much noise, moving around or whatever. But eventually I got better. The first deer I finally got was in Texas. I was 27!”
While his dad’s favorite thing to hunt was squirrel, Donald’s was duck. Four generations of the Rouse family have duck hunted on the same land. As his father had for him, Donald started bringing his son, Donny — the third generation and current CEO of Rouses — duck hunting when he turned four. “I remember when Donny shot his first duck,” said Donald. “He was four or five. I had to help him with the gun — it was too heavy for him. And I can, in my mind, pinpoint exactly where he shot it. It was a good day.”
Donny has since continued the tradition, taking his own son on hunts. “I grew up doing it, and my son’s growing up doing it now. It’s something we live for,” said Donny. “Duck hunting is my first passion when it comes to hunting, but I also hunt white-tail deer and elk — I just love being outdoors, and having the opportunity to harvest different animals.”
“It’s about supporting the food banks. A lot of hunters have a freezer full of meat and can’t take on any more. So this is a great opportunity to drop off your animals at a local meat market, let them harvest it at no charge, and then it gets donated. It’s just a great thing for everyone that enjoys hunting, and for the people who need some food on their table.”
—Donny Rouse, CEO, 3rd Generation
Rouses Markets proudly supports Hunters for the Hungry, a community program that encourages hunters and anglers to share their harvest with neighbors in need. Through this partnership, donated venison, wild game and fish are processed and distributed to food banks, shelters and community kitchens across Louisiana.
In Louisiana, Hunters for the Hungry works closely with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and Second Harvest Food Bank to provide thousands of pounds of high-quality protein to families throughout the state each year. Similar programs operate in Mississippi, connecting sportsmen with local food banks to help ensure everyone has access to fresh, nutritious food.
He shot his first deer when he was 12 years old, and stayed with duck and deer through high school and college. “It wasn’t until after that I started going on elk hunts with some friends,” Donny told me. “My wife came on one elk hunt with me, and just followed us around and watched how it happened. That really was an awesome time.”
Once the weather starts to change and hunting season is open, Donny said he is at the camp every second he can get. “It’s just part of my life. Occasionally I’ll make a hunt by myself, but I really want to be with a group of people and just share an experience with everyone. Especially now that my son’s getting into it, it changes everything. And it really makes it exciting just to watch the passion in his eyes after a hunt.”
Of course, teaching your kid to hunt also means taking home a little less than you did in your youth. “Now that my son’s hunting, I think I shot one deer all year, because he’s with me every time, and I’m letting him shoot,” Donny said with a laugh. “So it seems like I’m going to be taking a break for a while until he’s old enough to hunt alone.”
With hunting comes responsibility. “Our thing is, if you hunt it, you clean it, you cook it,” said Donny. “My son, he’s nine. He shot his first duck at seven, and at the same time he was ready to learn how to clean it. I let him help a little bit, but I don’t really trust him with a knife just yet. I keep a good eye on him.”
The Rouse family supports Hunters for the Hungry, a nonprofit that provides meat for poor families in communities across America. “It’s about supporting the food banks,” said Donny. “A lot of hunters have a freezer full of meat and can’t take on any more. So this is a great opportunity to drop off your animals at a local meat market, let them harvest it at no charge, and then it gets donated. It’s just a great thing for everyone that enjoys hunting, and for the people who need some food on their table.”
They are also devoted to protecting the long-term health and sustainability of wildlife populations. “I’m really big on conservation, really big on habitat,” Donny said. For their own deer-hunting property, the Rouse family partnered with Wildlife Investments to ensure they were responsibly thinning the herd and providing the right food for them. “We also do camera surveys, and make sure that everyone has pictures of the deer we are supposed to harvest any given year, and the ones we should not. You don’t get in the stand without those pictures. We want the herd as healthy and as big as possible.” It adds a little stress to the hunters, he said, “but it’s the responsible thing to do.”
His father added, “We manage pretty heavy. We take care of our animals. We hunt them, but we hunt them in a way that’s defined by the biologists. We provide the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks with all the deer jaws so they can age them, test them, check their health and determine if they need any other kind of protein or such.” Ultimately, he said, hunting is not just about harvesting deer. “I believe we’re helping preserve the tradition and the animals, and keeping them healthy.”
It’s hard to find a member of the Rouse family who doesn’t have a good hunting story. Anthony’s grandchildren have very fond memories of their grandfather at the camp.
“Paw was definitely the one doing the cooking that evening,” Blake told me. “Sometimes he’d grill, sometimes he’d make a gumbo — but
he was the cook. He’d always have a Rouses cake as well. When I was a boy, that was always one of the things I was looking forward to when we got back: a little breakfast, and a little sweet with milk. It definitely hit the spot after an early-morning duck hunt.”
His grandfather also made sure to bring plenty cans of Mug Root Beer, a favorite of the boys. “At night, there was always a fire, and all the cousins would take turns shooting at the root beer cans with BB guns, and hanging out.” In his later years, Anthony would join them at the camp, but didn’t usually hunt. “He definitely made it a point to attend our first duck hunts, though,” said Blake. “We all shared the same first shotgun. My Uncle Donald still has it, and he’s sharing it with his grandsons now: a bolt-action .410 shotgun. And, man, being how small I was, I don’t know how I did it. It felt like a cannon to me.” His grandfather would get behind them, and help them line up for that first shot. “He wouldn’t let us miss! That’s definitely a memory I’ll always have: Paw helping us make our first shot at a duck.”
In Blake’s memories, holidays are inseparable from those trips to the camp. “Honestly, I probably had more fun on our family duck hunts than I did at the actual family get-togethers for the holidays. If I could talk to my younger self, I’d tell him to enjoy that as much as you can, because, man, those duck hunting trips were some of the best times from my childhood.”
Chris Acosta, the Center Store Director of Rouses Markets, also has such fond memories. “Many times, I can remember, we would all be in our hunting gear at the Thanksgiving table. It was just a well-entrenched part of our lives,” he said. “I got some good quality time with my grandfather, growing up, having him sitting in the stand with me. Usually, he would get up early and cook a big breakfast for everybody. We’d go make a hunt, and he would hang back. We would sit around the table eating when we got back, and tell stories about what we saw.”
The rules at the camp could be a little different from the rules at home. “I can literally see, right now, my grandfather wearing a backward hat driving a boat. I always get a chuckle remembering that. If it had been me wearing a backward hat around him, he definitely would have told me something — but it was cool for him to do it in the boat!”
Nick Acosta, the company’s Senior Director of Pricing & Data Analytics, has the same memory. “The boys growing up, when we were at the camp, we could get away with things that we probably couldn’t get away with at the house,” he said with a laugh.
Those hunts are still synonymous with good meals. Their grandfather was famous for his sauce piquant. Nick is famous for his deer sausage. “I’ve got a grinder at my house,” he said. “I normally grind deer with Boston butt that I’ve bought whole and deboned.” He tries to do a 50/50 mix between deer and pork. “For seasoning, I use the Rouses Cajun Seasoning we have at the stores. You just grind it, mix it all up together, and you pass it through the grinder with a casing.” It takes practice and technique, though. “You’ve got to have pressure on it, but not too much or the casing will bust.”
Those sorts of multi-generational bonds and traditions never fade, said Donald. “I enjoy just being out there now more than I enjoy hunting. What matters to me is seeing the grandkids learning how to hunt, learning how to eat the animals. They clean their own animals. Those kinds of things are important to me.”
Though they all work hard at the stores, they still keep an eye on the forecast during the different hunting seasons. You never know when an impromptu trip to the camp might happen. “You just got to watch the weather, play to win, and you got to be out there,” said Donny. “You can't shoot them inside watching TV or playing on an iPad!”
And for Blake, that same feeling from his childhood has never faded. “Paw’s not around anymore, but I still look forward to the day, when I get a phone call from my Uncle Donald,” he said. “Are you ready?”
by Marcelle Bienvenu
by
Photo
Romney Caruso
Since my father was a Boy Scout leader for years, he mostly cooked his favorite one-pot meals over a wood fire at our camp on Catahoula Lake (in St. Martin Parish) or in our backyard at home.
Included in his repertoire were dishes like chicken aux gros onions (chicken smothered with lots of onions in his large cast-iron Dutch oven); chicken and smoked sausage gumbo, simmered long and slow; and his courtboullion, my personal favorite.
But when he had frog legs, turtle meat or rabbit, he prepared his version of a sauce piquant.
For those of you who are not familiar with sauce piquant — long popular in Acadiana — it’s simply a hot, spicy stew made with a roux, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and whatever meats — rabbit, squirrel, turtle, frog legs — are available. Note: As I recall, chicken was rarely used — but of course, these days, it’s almost impossible to find rabbit, squirrel, turtle or frog legs.
As with other local dishes, like gumbo and jambalaya, just about everyone has his or her own version. There are those who will tell you that yes, a sauce piquant begins with a roux, but then the question is, how much? Papa didn’t like a lot of roux, but others prefer to use more for a thicker stew. The next item up for discussion is whether or not to use tomato paste. Some like to use a whole six-ounce can; others say a tablespoon or two is sufficient. Everyone seems to agree that the rabbit, squirrel or turtle should be browned first, then removed from the pot, and that the roux be made with the oil in the pot. I agree with this premise in part. I brown the meat but make my roux in a separate pot because the browned bits left in the pot sometimes burn, making the roux bitter. It’s also very important that the concoction simmers for at least two hours and sometimes more, watched closely by the cook, who usually has a cold beer or two to pass the time.
It’s one of those dishes that one has to experiment with to get it to please one’s own taste buds. For instance, I like to add a little red wine while the gravy simmers. Brother Bruce likes a lot of garlic. It all depends on who is tending the pot.
RABBIT SAUCE PIQUANT
SERVINGS: About 6
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 rabbit (or chicken), about 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces
Salt and cayenne, to taste
¾ cup vegetable oil
¼ tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) can Original Ro-Tel Tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
¼ cup red wine (optional)
3 to 4 cups chicken broth or water, as needed
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
HOW TO PREP:
Season the chicken or rabbit with salt and cayenne. Heat ½ cup of the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches for about 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter and set aside. Drain the oil from the pot and clean it well.
Return pot to stove and, over medium heat, combine the remaining ¼ cup oil and the flour. Stirring slowly and constantly, make a dark brown roux.
Add the onions, bell peppers and celery and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Add the cans of diced tomatoes and Ro-Tel tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, red wine if using, and three cups of the broth or water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the oil rises to the surface and a paperthin skin forms, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add the rabbit or chicken, and season again with salt and cayenne. Continue to cook over medium-low until the meat is tender, about two hours. If the mixture becomes too thick, add the remaining cup of broth or water during the cooking time.
FROG LEGS SAUCE PIQUANT
Frog legs are considered a delicacy in South Louisiana. Most local restaurants offer them fried, but my choice is to make a sauce piquant — a thick tomato gravy packed with onions, bell peppers and celery. This recipe does not use a roux, so the gravy is thinner.
SERVINGS: About 4
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
24 frog legs (about 2 pounds)
Salt and cayenne
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (optional)
2 (10-ounce) cans Original Ro-Tel Diced
Tomatoes with Green Chilies
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
HOW TO PREP:
Season the frog legs generously with salt and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or as long as 4 hours.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic (if using). Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the Ro-Tel and add the bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove the cover and cook until some of the liquid evaporates, about 20 minutes.
Lay the frog legs in the sauce and cook, basting with the sauce, for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove and discard bay leaves, and add parsley.
Serve over rice.
Remove the bay leaves, and add the green onions and the parsley. Serve over steamed rice and pass the garlic bread.
Cajun Power, a family-owned company in Abbeville, Louisiana, has been making sauces for more than 50 years. Their jarred sauce piquant is made to be poured, simmered and finished with your choice of seafood or meat. Bold, rusty-red and full of seasoning, it’s a shortcut to a classic Cajun dish — whether you add shrimp, turtle, alligator, chicken, duck or venison.
Born & Braised in Louisiana
by David W. Brown
Before he was a chef, Jean-Paul Bourgeois was a hunter and a Louisiana boy; he didn’t know it at the time, but he would spend the rest of his life bringing the South to the rest of the world. “I try the best I can to be an evangelist for where I’m from in other places in the world,” he said. “I’ve brought Louisiana everywhere, from Napa Valley to San Francisco to the Virgin Islands to New York City.”
Today, Bourgeois is perhaps best known as the creator of the wildly popular Duck Camp Dinners , an ongoing, multiepisode documentary series on YouTube in which he and a few lifelong friends share their experiences hunting, cooking, fishing and living in South Louisiana. The series brims with an infectious enthusiasm for life in the South and covers everything from conservationism to cleaning wild game. You’ll learn how to cook — and might get a little better at hunting — but the real takeaway might be what a special place Louisiana is, and how warm and funny its people are.
Bourgeois grew up in Labadieville, Louisiana, a small community just up the bayou from Thibodaux. He spent his high school and college years in Thibodaux. His earliest professional cooking experience was at a little seafood shack, and he worked his way through school in local kitchens and catering. He attended Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, the celebrated four-year culinary degree program at Nicholls State University, founded by one of the godfathers of Cajun cooking. Afterward, he took his South Louisiana culinary sensibilities on the road.
“Growing up in South Louisiana is not very different from a young culinary student that grows up, say, in Naples, Italy. Just as they’re going to have a passion, love and understanding of pizza, people around here have that same type of understanding and love and passion for cooking Southern food in general. It’s just part of who we are. All my friends from South Louisiana are great cooks too. I just happened to go into a profession where I could expand that love and passion for cooking and develop it into a career.”
About 10 years ago, he decided to take his career digital, using social media to
develop and tell stories about the place he’s from. “My career has not been a linear path, as most careers aren’t,” he told me.
Chef Bourgeois started duck hunting with his dad around age seven; as he was growing up, the two did a lot of hunting in Terrebonne Parish and the Bayou Black area. “A lot of people might have a center-console bay boat or maybe a little johnboat with a tiller-handle Johnson on the back,” he said. “My dad didn’t have any of that. He had a mud boat for duck hunting. And during those couple months of duck season, that boat worked hard. And I went with him.”
It was the best way he knew how to connect with his father, something he learned at a very young age. “To be completely frank with you — and I’m not too bashful to say this — those are the best moments that I have with my father, the best memories that I have,” he told me. “We haven’t always had the greatest relationship, but those moments are the ones I hold on to.”
His father is no longer able to duck hunt, he explained, but from those childhood experiences, he learned the power of camp life and the bonds built by hunting: “The same sort of visceral connection I have with the friends I grew up with, hunt with, and have on the show.”
Duck Camp Dinners is one way he memorializes that time spent on the bayou, and the floating camp at the heart of it all. “The camp is a very special place that has grown in importance to me and my friends, a place where we can rally and escape the classic struggles of life, the ups and downs and stresses and pitch points. It’s become an almost spiritual place that we can find a lot of peace in.”
The show was conceived as a series of long-form videos on Instagram where, today, Bourgeois has over 100,000 followers. “The
Photos courtesy Jean Paul Bourgeois
core cast of Duck Camp Dinners includes some of my best friends. We would be at the floating camp, and I was like, man, this would be interesting to document the meals that we cook there.” Since there’s no refrigeration there, when they hunt, the cooking never stops, whether on a grill or on a gas burner with a propane tank.
It was also a way to share bayou hunting life with the rest of the world, and the kind of food Louisianans cook beyond the typical gumbos, crawfish boils and jambalaya. “I thought people should know about this kind of local cuisine, beyond the Cajun staples [that are] already famous. This is stew chicken, or shrimp stew with boiled eggs, or catfish sauce piquant. Those classic Cajun gravies or stews that we all know about, that’s what I wanted to talk about.”
The annual, increasing threat of hurricanes also motivated him to start filming. “It’s a floating camp. You don’t bring it in when there’s a hurricane coming. You tie it down and cross your fingers.” The camp has survived several major storms, the worst of which was Hurricane Ida, which passed right over it. “The camp survived like a champ: not even a broken window. But we all know that
any time something like that happens, that camp could wind up in the marsh, never to be seen again. By memorializing it, though, it could always be there. We could always have that place.”
He wasn’t quite sure what the show would look like. When he finally decided to turn the idea into reality, Bourgeois hired a two-man production crew. The sound guy rigged the cast with mics, and Bourgeois only had one direction: “I said, look, I don’t know what we’re going to get out of this, but just don’t stop filming.” Nobody knew what was going on — which worked in the show’s favor. “We were just completely ourselves because we didn’t know what the outcome was going to be. I think, a lot of times, season one had the most magic because we were all too stupid to understand what was actually happening.”
After filming completed, he brought the footage into the editing room and was astonished by what he saw. It was more than hunting and cooking. It was a spontaneous, sincere expression of Louisiana life. “It was like, man, it would be a shame just to make some five-minute videos from all this.” He decided to turn it into a storytelling series.
Louisiana music features heavily in the first three seasons of Duck Camp Dinners . “We put out a significant budget on that. Now, it’s ones that we can afford, you know? But I wanted every Louisianan to look at this show and feel like we really captured the essence of this state. And that’s through food, that’s through music, that’s through our relationship with the outdoors, and the cuisine that comes from it.”
Conservation is a recurring theme on the show. “If you’re going to kill something, you should eat it,” said Bourgeois. “You should honor that animal’s life, that fish’s life. I don’t believe in hunting or fishing anything I don’t eat, unless it’s a catch-and-release situation: brook trout or salmon that we’re responsibly releasing back into the ecosystem.”
People who don’t hunt, or don’t know hunters, don’t necessarily understand the types of cuisine they are missing out on. “I’m a classically trained chef, and we can’t serve wild game to the public anywhere in the United States, except maybe for wild boar out of Texas that was harvested and butchered in a USDA facility.”
For this month’s issue of the magazine, Chef Bourgeois gave us his recipe for
duck à l’orange. “It came from my love for classic French cooking,” he said. In 2005, Bourgeois was part of the first exchange program between the Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon, France, and the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute. He spent three months in Lyon honing his skills in the kitchen, and it gave him a new perspective on his home cuisine.
“Duck à l’orange is classic French haute cuisine,” he explained. “My goal wasn’t to re-create a classic French sauce; it was to look at it the way a Louisianan would look at it. Decades ago, Alice Waters popularized a brilliant phrase: ‘If it grows together, it goes together.’ When looking at duck à l’orange, this classic French recipe, I said, well, we’re on Bayou Black shooting green necks and blue-winged teal. I can get satsumas from the citrus grove right down the street on Bayou Black Road. (Though this year’s freeze means there aren’t many satsumas to be found.) And now, what does that look like through the lens of a duck camp? That was me trying to understand how cuisine arrives in South Louisiana, and how it changes.”
It’s the sort of dish that’s perfect for Duck Camp Dinners . “Anybody can go on YouTube
and watch it and hopefully come away with a new respect for local wildlife and the food we create from it. The things hunters harvest — somebody fought it. Somebody worked hard to get this. You reel in a snapper and you start to ask, how can we honor this in the best way?”
He is proud of the portrait of local life he’s bringing to the world. “I’m a firm believer that I was made in the image of the place that I’m from,” he said. “Seasons one, two and three of Duck Camp Dinners are a pretty darn good, authentic, original snapshot of what it was like for me growing up — and so many other Louisianans growing up. That’s been the goal all along: to really tell people what it’s really like to be from South Louisiana.”
CAMP STYLE DUCK À L’ORANGE
Note: This recipe works with any game bird. At the Hobo Hilton, this pot of stew has a way of gathering folks around — muddy boots, tired dogs, full hearts. It’s the kind of meal that reminds you why we hunt, why we cook, and why we sit down together.
SERVINGS: About 6
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
18 duck breasts, skin on Kinder’s The Blend or Meat Church Holy Gospel Seasoning (or make your own with equal parts salt, black pepper and garlic powder)
2 ounces reserved bacon drippings
2 pounds bacon
4 cups mushrooms, quartered
4 cups yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups orange juice
4 cups duck or chicken stock
12 satsumas, or substitute seedless mandarins or clementines if satsumas are unavailable, peeled and left whole
2 ounces vinegar (apple cider, distilled, white or red)
2 bay leaves
Kinder’s Woodfired Garlic or Meat Church
Holy Gospel Seasoning (or make your own with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, onion, brown sugar, and a touch of chili powder)
2 cups green onions, sliced
HOW TO PREP:
Season the duck. Rub both sides of each breast with Kinder’s The Blend or Meat Church Holy Gospel Seasoning. Set aside.
Heat reserved bacon drippings in a large cast-iron pot. Place duck breasts skin-side down in a single layer. Render the fat and brown all sides, flipping as needed. Remove and set aside. Repeat until all breasts are browned.
Carefully add bacon directly to the hot fat. Render over medium-high heat until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Add mushrooms to the pot. Cook on mediumhigh for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Remove and set aside. Add yellow onions and garlic to the pot. Cook over mediumhigh heat until onions turn golden at the edges.
Raise heat to high to deglaze the pan and combine ingredients. Add orange juice, stock, oranges, vinegar and bay leaves.
Return duck, bacon and mushrooms to the pot. Season lightly with Kinder’s Woodfired Garlic or Meat Church Holy Gospel Seasoning. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a slow simmer. Cook until duck is tender — about 1½ hours, depending on size and freshness.
Remove lid to help reduce and thicken sauce. Continue cooking gently, stirring occasionally (be careful not to break down the duck). Skim off excess grease. Continue to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the gravy thickens.
Stir in green onions and a splash of vinegar or hot sauce. Taste and season with Kinder's The Blend or Meat Church Holy Gospel Seasoning as needed.
Serve over hot steamed white rice.
by Romney Caruso
by brett martin
Photo
In 2005, Kevin Roberts, CEO of the communications and advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, published a book about the future of business. The most successful companies, he wrote, created more than just admiration or respect in their customers. They inspired a deep, almost romantic, attachment. He had a name for the businesses that managed to achieve this intense bond. In fact, it was the title of his book: Lovemarks. It went on to be translated into 14 different languages and, with more than 150,000 copies in print, it has become one of the more influential marketing books of the century.
Lovemarks is part of an age-old quest for the marketer’s Holy Grail — a product that consumers love as though it were family. Behemoths like Apple, Starbucks and Coca-Cola seem to possess it, but seekers could do worse than to look as well to the small town of Evergreen, Alabama, roughly midway between Mobile and Montgomery. For close to 80 years, Evergreen has been the home of one of the most fervently beloved brands in the South: Conecuh Sausage.
Online fan communities sing the praises of Conecuh. Sausage pilgrims from across Alabama and beyond flock to the Conecuh gift store in Evergreen. (The company recently moved to a new $58 million factory in nearby Andalusia, and there are plans to open a second gift store there.) And the cult is only growing: Since Rouses opened its first five Alabama stores, in 2014, sales of Conecuh have increased by 40%. With the sausage now available in all Rouses Markets, that number has grown another 20% this year.
The first time I encountered Conecuh was in a Mobile grocery store, around Thanksgiving. A handwritten sign in the freezer announced that, due to high demand, shoppers were limited to two packages each. Obviously, I was intrigued. How did this happen, I wondered? How had a product,
made by a family company, in a town of less than 4,000 people, with a name that most people didn’t even know how to pronounce (it’s kuh-NEK-ah), become such a sensation?
Conecuh’s patriarch, 73-year-old John Crum Sessions, gives few interviews; he’s largely content to let his sausage speak for itself. But he was recently willing to talk a little on the phone. He described how his grandfather and father, Henry Sessions, started the company soon after World War II under the name Quick Freeze. The “Freeze” part referred to the 125 freezers that they rented out to local farmers and other customers in those days before widespread home refrigeration. As a sideline, they operated as a slaughterhouse, delivering meat up and down Route 31, as far as Montgomery. “I was there as a little boy, just running around the plant,” he said, adding: “You didn’t have all these regulations then.”
John Crum and his mother, Sue, took over in 1978, after Henry died of a heart attack. By then, Conecuh Quick Freeze was doing less freezing than selling a singular product: hickory smoked sausage, about as wide as a quarter, filled with a finely ground mixture of pork, sage and spice.
They say that you never want to know how sausage is made — and luckily, on that subject, Sessions remains tight-lipped: “We grind it, we put the spices in, we stuff it, and then we smoke it and pack it,” is about as far as he will go — though he does let it slip that the smoke time is about three-and-a-half hours. Conecuh is now run by his son, John Henry Sessions. The original Hickory Smoke flavor remains the company’s bestseller, though the milder variety sold as Original (this is a little confusing) is also a hit. It’s packed in hog casings and contains more sage. Cracked Black Pepper is my personal favorite, with the sweet-spicy pop of its namesake peppercorns. “As soon as you get tired of one flavor, you can just move on to the other,” John Crum Sessions says.
Conecuh Meats Its Match
Rouses Butcher Willie Cobbs has been with us since we opened our first stores in Alabama in 2014. He takes tremendous pride in his meat case, which we often feature on social media. In addition to other specialties we make with Conecuh Sausage, Willie and our butchers prepare a boneless Boston butt pork roast stuffed and wrapped with Conecuh, then wrapped again in bacon. It’s a Rouses original and a customer favorite, especially during the holidays.
The Boston butt is tender, marbled meat that gets even juicier as it cooks. The Conecuh Sausage adds bold, smoky-sweet flavor with a touch of spice and that unmistakable hickory aroma. As it renders, its juices season the pork from the inside out. The bacon wrapping crisps on the outside while basting the roast as it cooks, locking in moisture and creating a caramelized, smoky crust.
“It’s the kind of dish that fills the kitchen with that slow-smoked aroma, almost like you had something on the pit all day, even if it came from the oven,” explains Willie. Lay the roast so the ends of the bacon strips are on the bottom and set it on a rack in a roasting pan to let the heat circulate evenly and crisp the bacon as it cooks. “If you want to smoke it, don’t wrap it in foil. Just treat it just like a regular Boston butt,” he suggests. “When it’s done, slice it like a roast.”
Even a lovemark can have one fan that loves it more than all the rest: the one that goes beyond mere affection, or even adoration, into full-blown passion. For Conecuh, that person is undoubtedly David C. Webb, a 57-year-old Warehouse Supervisor who lives in Mobile, Alabama. Webb runs Conecuh Life, a hub for Conecuh fandom including news, videos and hundreds of recipes. Webb has also become famous for throwing out packages of Conecuh Sausage from his krewe’s float during Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebrations.
As it is for many, Webb’s attachment to the sausage began in childhood, when he was about 13. He remembers the moment as a kind of Alabama idyll: Saturday morning; a family gathering; uncles and cousins in abundance; Crimson Tide on the television; and his dad opening up a few pounds of sausage from the commissary at the Coast Guard base where he was stationed, and throwing it on the grill. (Conecuh is still sold in military commissaries around the world.) “I remember just instantly being like, ‘Wow, this is some really good sausage,’” he says. “I just wanted to associate myself with them.”
About 15 years ago, Webb began making YouTube videos with grilling tips and other Conecuh advice. On Facebook, he joined the Conecuh Sausage Fan Club group, becoming one of its most prolific posters. He enjoyed the community but, honestly, he wanted even more opportunity to celebrate Conecuh.
Then, in 2022, he was sitting around with an old fraternity brother. Webb was talking, you may be surprised to hear, about Conecuh — how much he loves Conecuh, how many posts he’d been writing about Conecuh. Finally, the guy said, “Man, you’re just leading that Conecuh life, aren’t you?”
It was as though the clouds had parted. “I was just like, ‘How did I never think of that?’ Webb says. By the end of the day, he had registered the Conecuh Life domain name and started the Facebook group, which has now exceeded 61,000 members and is growing by as many as 1,000 members per month. His Mardi Gras tradition began 10 years ago and is now subsidized by Conecuh: they supply him with several hundred pounds of sausage to throw every year. For his own use, he has three refrigerators at home. He estimates that at least one
and a half are filled entirely with Conecuh. I will not say whether it’s surprising or not to learn that Webb has remained married for 34 years. “She loves it, too!” he says, of his wife. “She doesn’t get into it as much as I do, but she understands that I’m going to do what I do. And I’m going to provide her with grilled Conecuh around the pool every summer.”
Such a summer cookout is, of course, the most obvious location to find links of Conecuh. The heat of a well-fired grill is the perfect way to caramelize the skin to a sweet and satisfying snap. But a stint in a cast-iron pan or the oven works too. And look, nobody is going to judge you if, in a pinch, you slide a few slices into the microwave and heat them till the skin starts to pucker and the juices start to run. As for using the sausage in dishes, a quick perusal of the Conecuh Life recipes section shows it popping up in everything from fried rice to flatbreads, from Ethiopian collard greens to Cajun potato salad. (Webb is partial to his own recipe for Conecuh paella.) The only category in which the site is sorely lacking is dessert — but surely, somewhere, great minds are at work on this omission.
And summer is hardly the only Conecuh season: Indeed, each holiday season brings Conecuh’s spicy Christmas Hot flavor; devotees await its arrival as anxiously as if it were Santa’s reindeer. (It would fit nicely in the Conecuh-filled cornbread dressing recipe you’ll find on the next page.) For that matter, the roast created by Rouses Markets would make a fine anchor to any holiday spread. Rouses butchers stuff a boneless Boston butt with the sausage, then wrap that in bacon for a kind of triple-strength blast of pork.
Of course, for millions, the season most associated with Conecuh is football season, when the sausage appears at tailgates throughout the South. Technically, Conecuh is the official smoked sausage of the University of Alabama, but a quick perusal of the internet confirms that fans at Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss — and more — also claim the sausage as their own, officially or unofficially. I’m not from the South, but even I know that this might be the highest measure of Conecuh’s power. If a sausage can unite the SEC, could it be the key to world peace?
CONECUH SAUSAGE
CORNBREAD DRESSING
SERVINGS: 10-12 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 pounds Conecuh Sausage
Double batch of cornbread (12-inch, castiron skillet size) — or use store-bought cornbread that is not too sweet
1 yellow onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
Creole seasoning and salt, to taste
5 cloves roasted garlic, minced
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
8 ounces shredded Pepper Jack cheese
3 whole eggs, beaten
2½ cups chicken stock
Butter or cooking spray, for greasing the casserole dish
HOW TO PREP:
Make cornbread according to package directions, doubling the recipe to yield enough for the dressing. Let cornbread cool completely before using.
Remove the casing from about ¾ of the sausage and cut it into bite-size pieces. Slice the remaining ¼ of the sausage on the bias and set aside — these slices will go on top for presentation.
In a large skillet, sauté the diced onion, bell peppers and celery with the bite-size sausage pieces over medium heat. Season with Creole seasoning and salt.
Cook until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is browned. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, crumble the cooled cornbread. Add the cooked
sausage-vegetable mixture, minced roasted garlic, chopped parsley, and shredded Pepper Jack cheese. Whisk the eggs, then stir them into the cornbread mixture.
Gradually pour in the chicken stock until the mixture is moist but not watery — it should resemble damp sand. (About 2½ cups of stock is usually just right.) Cover and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld or freeze for later use (after fully thawed).
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a large casserole dish and spread the dressing mixture evenly in the dish. Arrange the reserved sliced sausage on top.
Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sausage on top is browned. Remove from oven and let the dressing rest 10 minutes before serving.
Photo by Romney Caruso
Down here, nothing makes a Jambalaya sing quite like Cajun Country Jasmine Rice, grown by locals for locals. Grab a bag, and taste the New Orleans tradition tonight.
Find Your Next Recipe
Around every table, in every glass of milk and every bite of cheese, there’s a story of care. Dairy farm families have been nourishing ours and yours for generations all while producing wholesome, affordable foods and protecting the land, water, and animals that sustain us all.
From farm to fridge, dairy is a promise: to nourish today and protect tomorrow. So this holiday season, when you pour the milk, melt the cheese, or top your pie with whipped cream, you’re part of a story that began on a family farm with love, responsibility, and purpose.
From A Dairy Farm Family To Yours,
Ha
Holidays
To learn more about sustainable dairy, scan here.
the gumbo AFTER THE GOBBLE,
by Ken Wells
My mom, Bonnie Toups Wells, loved Thanksgiving. And in our house out in the country on the banks of Bayou Black we observed Turkey Day the same way as much of the rest of America — with a roasted turkey, stuffing, candied yams and cranberry sauce — yes, out of a can! Back then, fresh cranberries simply could not be found in South Louisiana supermarkets as they can at Rouses Markets these days.
But there was always a Cajun twist or two. The stuffing was usually Bonnie’s oyster-rice dressing, whose flavor memory still sets me drooling. For a vegetable, my mom sometimes cooked up smothered green beans and potatoes — sautéed to a tenderness just north of mashed potatoes with copious amounts of onions, spices and maybe a pinch of salt meat for extra flavor.
It’s a dish I still cook a few times a year when I’m hankering for comfort food.
And then, like most Cajun/Creole families the day after Thanksgiving, we turned the leftover turkey into a big pot of gumbo.
Recipes for leftover turkey gumbo are readily available on the web these days, but almost all of them begin the way my mother’s did. Bonnie wasn’t very handy with a knife but my father, Rex Wells, was. So, he served as the official family turkey carver — after all, a guy who could deftly skin an alligator or relieve a raccoon or nutria of its hide without a nick had no problem carving up a turkey.
After he removed all the leftover turkey, Rex would quarter the carcass, and into an oversized pot it would go. Bonnie would add water nearly to the brim; bring it to a boil; add salt, pepper, garlic, Creole seasoning and a bay leaf or two; and simmer it for a couple of hours to make a stock for the gumbo. She would then strain the stock to remove the turkey bones, let it cool and put it aside. I recall she would start her gumbo early the
next morning so it would have plenty of time to simmer and gain flavor before serving it for supper that evening.
Bonnie basically followed her tried-andtrue recipe for the chicken-sausage gumbo she often made — a roux; the trinity of bell peppers, celery and onions; spices; and, in this case, turkey stock; leftover turkey; and whatever brand of smoked sausage she could find at the supermarket back then. (She would be amazed visiting any Rouses today over the staggering varieties of sausages in the meat cases.)
In my own house I cook gumbo with a restraint that my mother never had to deal with. My wife and two daughters do not eat pork or beef. So, while I would love to put some Best Stop Smoked Andouille or Rouses Smoked Sausage in the chicken-andsausage gumbo I cook at family gatherings, that’s a nonstarter. No one would eat it but me.
So, I normally have to resort to turkey sausage, which is available everywhere.
Photo by Romney Caruso
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Don't forget the potato salad!
When my daughters still lived at home, we had the traditional Thanksgiving feast, and most years I would following my mom’s basic recipe, dutifully turning the leftover turkey into gumbo. Now, does a turkey-and-turkey sausage gumbo seem a little, well, less than adventurous and perhaps challenged on the taste scale?
I would not criticize those who answer, “Yes!” I’m always thinking of ways to liven up my gumbos, and I was contemplating this conundrum as I sat in our little lakeside cabin in the wilds of Maine, where we have been privileged for the past 10 years to spend our summers and part of the fall. I have two appliances here that I can never have in our two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Chicago: a gas grill and a smoker.
That’s when it hit me. I recalled that, years back as I was researching my book, Gumbo Life: A Journey Down the Roux Bayou, I spoke with Lafayette chef Pat Mould about his signature creation, smoked duck-andandouille gumbo. When I finally tracked some down to sample at Charlie G’s in Lafayette, where Mould was head chef when he cooked up the recipe, I was blown away at the luscious complexity that the smoked duck gave to the gumbo.
Well, if it worked with duck, why not turkey? So, as an experiment, I headed to the supermarket in our shopping town of Ellsworth, Maine, about 20 miles away. At the deli counter, I found a freshly roasted quarter of a turkey breast. In the cold case, I found a 13-ounce package of Hillshire Farm Smoked Turkey Sausage.
I brought them both home and fired up my smoker, a so-called “offset” model that has a fire box and separate cooking chamber. With this setup, your food never comes into contact with an open flame but is instead cooked as the dense, hot smoke is drawn from the firebox, loaded with charcoal briquets and whatever wood you’re smoking with, through the cooking chamber and out of a smokestack. Because my turkey and sausage were already cooked, I was going for a low-temperature, super-smoky session, with a range of 100 to 150 degrees. The idea is to impart a rich, smoky flavor without drying them out. To achieve this, I used pecan wood chips (bought in a bag at our local Home Depot) that I had soaked in water for an hour, adding them atop the
smoldering charcoal in the fire box. This is sometimes called “cold smoking,” and I use the technique to smoke delicate things like cheeses or grilled vegetables such as zucchini. Also, I resorted to turkey breast because there were no roasted turkey thighs or drumsticks available — but as every cook knows, poultry’s dark meat cooks up more succulently than white meat.
About 90 minutes into my cold smoke, I took a tiny bite of the sausage and declared the mission accomplished. Back in the kitchen, I diced the turkey breast and cut the sausage into ¼-inch rounds and set them aside. I completed the rest of my gumbo prep, fired up my stainless-steel gumbo pot, made my roux, stirred in the trinity and then my stock, using canned chicken stock. (But if you’re making an actual post-Thanksgiving turkey gumbo, you should use the carcass to make the stock.)
Bringing everything to a boil, I stirred in the diced smoked turkey, cooking the gumbo on high heat for maybe 15 minutes before turning it down to a simmer. I let this cook for about 90 minutes more, then added the double-smoked sausage. Everyone has their own technique, but mine is to bring the gumbo back to a simmer, then turn it off and cover it. This lets the sausage steep and impart that glorious smoky flavor without overcooking it.
I let this gumbo sit overnight in the refrigerator, and we dined on it the next evening, serving it over hot white rice, as usual.
Okay, a man should never be too proud of his own gumbo, but I have to say that, assuming you like smoky flavors, this turkey gumbo was a cut above any I had ever cooked before.
If you have a smoker, give it a try!
SMOKED TURKEY AND DOUBLE-SMOKED TURKEY
SAUSAGE GUMBO
SERVINGS: 12
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Reserved cooked turkey meat (dark meat preferred) or cooked chicken
13 ounces of smoked turkey sausage
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 chopped onions
3 chopped bell peppers (I mix green, yellow and red)
3 stalks chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 quarts of turkey stock (made from the carcass) or chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, for serving Cooked long grain white rice, for serving
HOW TO PREP:
First, soak some pecan wood chips for at least one hour and up to 48 hours. You want the wood to be very saturated with water so that it smolders (rather than burns), which is what you need for cold smoking.
Prepare your smoker according to smoker directions, using the presoaked wood shavings for flavoring. Once smoker is heated and shavings have been added to the smoker, add turkey pieces to the smoker, along with smoked turkey sausage. Smoke for approximately 90 minutes, then check to make sure the flavor is to your liking.
Remove turkey and sausage from smoker. Dice turkey meat and slice sausage into ¼-inch rounds, and set them aside.
Heat oil in a large pot. When oil is heated, add the flour a bit at a time, stirring constantly to make a roux. Once roux is browned to your liking, add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic, stirring constantly until vegetables are softened, around 10 minutes. Add the broth to the pot, stirring well. Add the salt, Creole seasoning, cayenne, thyme, oregano and smoked paprika, and stir well. Bring broth to a boil, then add the diced smoked turkey to the broth. Let the gumbo cook over high heat for around 15 minutes, then reduce heat and let simmer for around 90 minutes. Add the double-smoked turkey sausage. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, then turn it off and cover it, allowing the sausage and turkey to steep in the gumbo. Serve hot over cooked long grain rice and top with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.
’TWAS THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by David W. Brown
by Denny
Photo
Culbert
Every family has its own holiday traditions. Anthony Rouse, Sr., who founded Rouses Markets in 1960, was a first-generation American, and he carried on the customs his parents had brought with them from Italy. For the Rouse family, that meant preparing a big spaghetti dinner every Christmas Eve.
“My dad would always start cooking the sauce at noon so that it would all be ready in time,” said Donald Rouse. By evening, the house would smell of grated parmesan and freshly baked bread and be packed with extended family. Being Italian meant, of course, that spaghetti wasn’t the only item on the menu.
“The feast of the seven fishes is a tradition in Southern Italy,” Donald explained. “We might have different types of fish, but you could have all sorts of seafood. Sometimes my dad would catch the fish, but sometimes it was a gift.” His Christmas memories are of a crowded kitchen, and crowded tables. During the day, while the sauce cooked, there might be a Saints game on television in the background, if they were playing. Anthony worked on the spaghetti and sides. Donald’s aunts would work on their own special dishes. His mother, Mrs. Joyce,
would get to work on the fish, prepared with a little red sauce and a little lemon.
No one knows the exact reason Italians call the Christmas Eve feast “seven fishes,” though it might have something to do with the seven hills of Rome or the seven sacraments. Like abstaining from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, sometimes Catholics avoid eating meat on Christmas Eve — but the Rouse household didn’t always follow that one. Spaghetti was the main event, after all, and just wouldn’t be complete without meatballs.
When Tim Acosta started dating Cindy Rouse a little over 45 years ago, the big Italian Christmas Eve meal was a new experience for the Cajun boy. “My family never really had a big dinner on Christmas Eve, so it was great fun and made lasting memories,” said Tim. “They had the Italian sausages, the meatballs. There were stuffed
artichokes, and a kind of scrambled eggs with broccoli, which was a frittata, made by Mr. Rouse’s sister. And so much really good cheese, at a time when good cheese like that was really hard to find around here, with a big bowl of fresh parmesan.”
They would pass the parmesan around after everyone had been served their plate of spaghetti. In addition to the fish, the holiday spread on the Rouse table in Thibodaux also featured fried shrimp, oyster soup and anchovy bread. “Back then, my mom would make the Italian bread dough from scratch,” said Donald. “Today, I use Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix. It’s still good! You stuff it with anchovies and cheese, and then top it off again with parmesan cheese.” For dipping, there were also plates of olive oil with herbs, pepper and cheese mixed in.
Some years there were as many as 20 people sitting at tables in the living room and kitchen. The kids had their own table. “If we were going to Midnight Mass, we would be dressed for church, but if we weren’t, we were dressed to play outside,” Donald recalled.
“When Mr. Anthony passed away, the meal transitioned to our house for several years, when Cindy took over the tradition,” said Tim. Mr. and Mrs. Rouse had six kids. As they started having kids of their own, the numbers kept growing with the new grandchildren. “So. at any one time, we might have had more than 30 people over.”
Today, each family has their own traditions, said Donald. “We still get together every Christmas Eve, myself and my son’s and daughter’s families. After Mass we’ll open presents and have a meal. The food isn’t as grand as it used to be, of course.” Still, he carries fondly the memories of those Christmas Eves of his younger years. “I remember them very vividly,” he said. “They were very happy times.”
TURDUCKEN GUMBO
Chef Paul Prudhomme is often credited with introducing the world to the turducken — a whole deboned turkey stuffed with a deboned duck, which in turn holds a deboned chicken. He trademarked the name in 1986, served the dish at his famed New Orleans restaurant K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, and included a recipe in his 1987 Prudhomme Family Cookbook . Though Prudhomme helped make the turducken famous, Hebert’s Specialty Meats in Maurice, Louisiana, claims to have first created it in 1984. Stuffed chickens, pork roasts and other specialties you’ll find in our Rouses butcher case — including our signature turducken — are part of a long tradition in Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole cooking.
SERVINGS: 12 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 duck breasts
Cajun seasoning, to taste
1 pound fresh green onion smoked sausage, cut into bite-sized slices
Season duck breasts well with Cajun seasoning. Place them skin side down in cast-iron skillet and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until fat starts to render. Remove breasts from pan, then remove skin from breasts; set breasts aside. Return skin to skillet; let simmer for another 10 minutes to render fat, turning occasionally. Remove and discard skin; pour rendered fat into large cast-iron pot. Add duck breasts and cook for 10 minutes on each side. Remove duck breasts. Slice when cooled; set aside.
In same skillet place the cut sausage and cook for 10 minutes to render juices from sausage.
Remove sausage and set aside. Pour rendered oil into cast-iron pot; this should yield about ¼ cup of oil. Add vegetable oil to duck and sausage oil rendering. When all oil is placed into pot, it should be 1 cup exactly; add additional vegetable oil to make it come up to 1 cup if it’s short. Slowly shake the flour over the oil in the cast-iron pot with one hand while stirring with the other hand. Stir constantly for about 30 minutes until a dark, rich, chocolate-color roux is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and stir the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic into the roux. Stir constantly and brown the vegetables for about 15 minutes. After vegetables are browned, add chicken, turkey, duck and sausage to pot, and stir for 10 minutes at a simmer. Add chicken stock and Cajun Power Garlic Sauce. Let boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce to low heat. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with leftover dirty rice and cornbread dressing.
SPINACH MADELINE
Community cookbooks around the nation rose to popularity in the mid-1960s and are still in wide use today. On the Gulf Coast, Junior League cookbooks like River Road Recipes in Baton Rouge, Lafayette’s Talk About Good! , Lake Charles’ Pirate’s Pantry and Mobile’s Recipe Jubilee! are classics that remain kitchen staples to this day.
One of the most beloved dishes in the River Road Recipes series is Spinach Madeline. Created in 1956 by St. Francisville native Madeline Wright, it appeared three years later in the debut edition of the cookbook. When Kraft Jalapeño Cheese Roll — the recipe’s signature ingredient — was discontinued, the Junior League’s River Road Recipes committee devised a substitute: Kraft Velveeta® blended with chopped jalapeños.
SERVINGS: 5-6 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 packages frozen chopped spinach
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup vegetable liquor (water from spinach)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
¾ teaspoon celery salt
¾ teaspoon garlic salt
Salt to taste
6 ounces Kraft Velveeta cheese, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño peppers
Red pepper to taste
HOW TO PREP:
Cook spinach according to directions on package; drain and reserve liquor and set spinach aside.
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth, but not brown. Add onion and cook until soft but not brown. Add all liquids slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook until smooth and thick; continue stirring. Add seasonings and pieces of Velveeta cheese, then add jalapeños and stir until cheese is melted. Season with red pepper to taste. Combine with cooked spinach. This may be served immediately or put into a casserole and topped with buttered bread crumbs. The flavor is improved if the latter is done and it’s kept in the refrigerator overnight. This dish may also be frozen.
SEAFOOD MIRLITON DRESSING
Ask a hundred people in Louisiana how to make stuffed mirlitons or a mirliton dressing, and you’ll walk away with a hundred different recipes. Every family has its own version, handed down and tweaked over time; it’s the kind of thing people guard and argue about but never stop cooking.
SERVINGS: 10 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
4 mirlitons, halved and seeded
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound medium wild-caught Gulf shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
½ cup lump or claw crabmeat, picked over for shells
4 cups diced day-old French bread
2 cups chicken stock
½ teaspoon Creole seasoning
1-2 dashes hot sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
HOW TO PREP:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Rub mirliton halves with olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet, cut side down, and bake until they are fork-tender and easily peeled, about 45 minutes. Set the mirlitons aside to rest until they are cool enough to handle, then peel and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Increase heat to medium-high; add the rosemary, sage, thyme and shrimp and stir frequently, until shrimp are just cooked, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the crabmeat. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the diced mirlitons and diced French bread. Add chicken stock and season with Creole seasoning, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Spoon the dressing into a large, buttered baking dish and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
Leftover Brisket Bánh Mì
We’ve all heard of leftover Thanksgiving and Christmas po-boys. Po-boys and bánh mì have a lot in common. Both start with crisp French bread and a shared influence from French colonization that shaped food culture in both Louisiana and Vietnam.
In South Louisiana, where New Orleans and Vietnamese cultures have long influenced one another, it’s only natural that the two sandwich traditions come together. The poboy-style bánh mì pictured here is made with leftover oven-baked brisket on Rouses French bread, dressed with spicy mayonnaise, pickled carrots and cucumbers, and fresh cilantro. Add sliced jalapeños if you like a little heat.
OVEN-BAKED BRISKET
Tips: The fat cap helps keep the brisket moist as it cooks — don’t trim it off completely.
For deeper flavor, you can reserve a small amount of the marinade and mix it into the warm pan juices before serving.
SERVINGS: 6-8 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 bottle Allegro Hickory Smoke Marinade 1 brisket roast (2-4½ pounds), trimmed but with a thin layer of fat left on top Rouses Prime Rib Rub, for seasoning 1 roasting pan with lid (or heavy-duty foil) 1 large ziplock bag (1- or 2-gallon size), or large shallow pan for marinating Meat thermometer (preferably wireless probe)
Oven thermometer (optional but helpful for accuracy)
HOW TO PREP:
Place the brisket in a large ziplock bag or large shallow pan. Pour the entire bottle of Allegro Hickory Smoke Marinade over the meat, turning to coat evenly. Seal or cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or overnight for best flavor.
Preheat oven to 275°F. (Use an oven thermometer to ensure accuracy.) Remove the brisket from the marinade, rinse gently under cool water, and pat completely dry with paper towels. Generously season all sides with Rouses Prime Rib Rub, pressing the seasoning into the meat to form a light crust. Place the brisket in a roasting pan, fat-side up, and cover tightly with the pan lid or heavy foil. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 185°F, about 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the roast. Remove the cover, baste the brisket with some of the reserved marinade, and continue cooking, uncovered, until the internal temperature reaches 203-205°F — about 1½ hours more. The brisket is done when it feels “probe tender” — that is, when a thermometer or skewer slides in with little resistance.
Remove from oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly across the grain and serve with your favorite sides.
JOAN NATHAN’S BRISKET IN SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
Joan Nathan (no relation to our editor) is a celebrated cookbook author and journalist. She has written twelve cookbooks, including her latest, My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories, available at area bookstores and online. Her books
Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking both won James Beard Awards and International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Awards, two of the most prestigious honors in the food world. She is most famous for her Brisket in Sweet and Sour Sauce — a recipe that first appeared in The New York Times and has since become one of her signature dishes. It’s a classic for Hanukkah.
SERVINGS: 12 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 first-cut brisket, 6-7 pounds, rinsed and patted thoroughly dry
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into chunks
6 large cloves garlic
1 cup ketchup
½ cup dry red wine
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1½ cups Coca-Cola or ginger ale
½ cup olive oil
HOW TO PREP:
Let meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Heat oven to 325°F.
Place everything but the Coke (or ginger ale), olive oil and brisket into a food processor, and process with steel blade until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in Coke (or ginger ale) and olive oil.
Place brisket, fat side up, in a heavy baking pan just large enough to hold it, and pour sauce over it. Cover tightly; place in preheated oven and bake for 3 hours. Turn brisket over, re-cover pan, and bake 2 to 3 hours more or until fork-tender. Let cool, then cover brisket and refrigerate overnight in cooking pan.
The next day, transfer brisket to a cutting board; cut off fat and slice with a sharp knife against the grain, to desired thickness. Set meat aside. Remove and discard any congealed fat from sauce, then bring sauce to a boil over medium heat on stovetop.
Heat oven to 350°F. Taste sauce to see if it needs reducing. If so, boil it down for a few minutes or as needed. Return meat to heated sauce and place in preheated oven; warm for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Leidenheimer Baking Company, 5th Generation
Fifth-generation baker William Whann is now at the helm of Leidenheimer Baking Company, working alongside his father, Sandy, and his aunt, Katherine, who represent the fourth generation. Leidenheimer is the bakery most responsible for shaping what people now think of as “New Orleans” French bread — the kind of bread that soaks up gravy without falling apart, crunches perfectly around a po-boy, and is torn by the heel to dunk into gumbo. Each batch is still baked on Simon Bolivar Avenue, where humidity, heat and time are watched closely to get the crust just right. Leidenheimer is the bread you’ll bite into at Parkway Bakery, Domilise’s and Mother’s, and the same bread delivered daily to many Rouses Markets across the Gulf Coast — where we’re proud to sell it alongside our own French bread, baked fresh in-house.
Photos by Romney Caruso
BBQ is Dirty Work: Jason Gonzales gives us the dirt on his dirty rice.
by David W. Brown
People begin turning up at Gonzo’s Smokehouse & BBQ in Luling around nine in the morning. By the time Jason Gonzalez opens his doors for lunch at 11:30, the line has reached around the block, and taken on a block party feel. Gonzalez keeps ice chests of water and beer for guests waiting for tables. The wait, after all, is all part of the experience.
Gonzalez specializes in Texasstyle barbecue. There are no shortcuts to making the caliber of the brisket for which he’s
known. The sort of barbecue he prepares is essentially made with just salt, pepper and garlic. When you do it right, that’s all you need, and Gonzalez’s technical mastery, artistry and love of his craft are obvious with every bite. The only real question people ask after cleaning their plates is why they didn’t show up a little earlier in the morning. It really is that good.
Gonzo’s is open for lunch two days a week. On Thursdays, they sell smashburgers, made with brisket trimmings ground in-house and seasoned, and smashed on a flattop with brisket tallow. On Fridays, they offer meat trays that include smoked brisket, pork belly burnt ends and brisket boudin, from 11:30am until 3pm, or until they sell out of food. The sides he serves are a mix of family recipes and Gonzalez’s own inventions.
Two days of lunch service require an entire week of preparation. Brisket is a famously challenging, time-consuming meat to smoke. He orders the brisket on Monday, and trims the meat as it comes through the door.
Trimming continues through Tuesday. The boudin gets smoked on Wednesday, and on Thursday mornings at 5am, the brisket goes into the smoker for Friday service.
“We do a pretty aggressive trim, so that we’re always serving the best part of the brisket to our customers,” Gonzalez told me. “We don’t just take the brisket out of the packet and just throw it on the smoker!” The extensive trims mean a lot of extra, unused meat. That’s where the sides come in. He took inspiration from the Cajun food of his youth, which doesn’t waste anything. “For something like a boucherie, Cajun butchers use every part of the pig in different dishes. It’s the same concept here. We’re trimming these briskets, and find different ways to repurpose the trim because, man, it’s just really, really good meat,” he said.
One of the most popular side dishes that Gonzalez makes from the brisket trimmings is dirty rice. It is based on his grandmother’s recipe, and adapted for smoked meat. Dirty rice is a Cajun staple because it’s so forgiving of its ingredients. “There’s all kinds of different ways to cook dirty rice. You don’t specifically need a super-fatty cut of meat for dirty rice because you can always incorporate fat into it from elsewhere, whether it be lard, beef tallow — some people put clarified butter in there,” he said.
His grandmother, Mabel, was a Cajun homemaker who lived in Kenner; she was a major inspiration for Gonzalez, who even named one of his smokers after her. She and all her sisters spoke French when they got together, and the whole family had a passion for authentic Cajun cooking. She unknowingly put Gonzalez on a path to the culinary industry. “When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time at her house, and she would let me do things like chop veggies while she made all these very classic and traditional Cajun dishes,” he said. “She even had the courage to let me try making a roux when I was around nine or 10. I remember it like it was yesterday, stirring the flour and oil. You can imagine how it turned out: Of course I burned the roux! But she was so cool, she was just like, ‘It’s no big deal. Let’s start another one.’”
When preparing the dirty rice served at Gonzo’s, he explained, no special cooking is necessary. The brisket is already smoked. He shreds it into the rice on the same day it’s
served, typically every Friday. “That smoked flavor really comes through in the dirty rice, being that we’re smoking that brisket trim and then braising it down,” he said. Anyone can do it at home.
Gonzalez has some hard-won brisket advice for at-home chefs, regardless of which cooking method (smoker or oven) is used: “I would highly recommend you put in the time and effort on doing a very extensive trim on the brisket,” he said, explaining that the trim will determine the end product. “I cannot stress how important this is.”
The prep work is in service of the long cooking time brisket requires. “Brisket is a working muscle and naturally a tough protein, so it requires a very low and slow cooking process to break down those connective tissues and render the fat,” he said. Any thin edges of the brisket would eventually burn during the long cooking process, so they are best carved away. Overall, he told me, the trim of a brisket before cooking should be very uniform and aerodynamic in shape (“almost like a sports car,” he explained with a laugh) so that all sides of the brisket have the same thickness for even cooking.
“I also trim off the majority of the fat on the fat cap,” he said. He leaves around a quarter inch of fat, which renders down during the long cook. The effort that goes into the carving isn’t wasted time, because the trimmed parts can all be smoked or braised in an oven for a shorter cooking time — keeping them safe from burning and ready to be incorporated into dirty rice. (He recommends shredding it.)
The brisket, sides and easy atmosphere at Gonzo’s Smokehouse & BBQ have made it a local landmark, and left Gonzalez and his family discussing what to do next. “We asked ourselves if we should expand, or hire a bigger team, or get a bigger place,” he said. “We decided that we don’t need to get bigger just to try to pump out more barbecue.” It might take a week to prep for two days of lunch service, but he told me he’s proud to do that. People spending their hardearned money deserve a world-class meal, and he’s honored to provide it. “We’d rather stay small and family oriented, focused on quality and consistency, and keep putting out an amazing product every week. That’s what we’ve always done, and that’s what we will continue to do.”
GONZO’S SMOKED BRISKET DIRTY RICE
SERVINGS: 6-8
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
For the rice:
2½ cups jasmine rice
3¾ cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
For the mixture:
¹⁄₈ cup beef tallow (or lard, or bacon grease)
2 cups chopped white onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
¼ cup minced garlic
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¾ tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 pound smoked shredded brisket
¹⁄₈ cup chopped fresh parsley
Chopped green onions, for serving
HOW TO PREP:
Cook the rice: Rinse rice in cold water until water runs clear. Add rice, beef stock, bay leaf and thyme to a pot; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until all stock is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Once cooked, use a fork to fluff rice. Set aside.
For the mixture: Heat a medium-sized cast-iron pot over medium heat and add beef tallow. Add onion, celery and bell pepper, and cook until the vegetables are semi-translucent, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce and salt, granulated garlic, smoked paprika and cayenne. Decrease heat to medium low, and cook for 5 minutes to let flavors develop. Add smoked shredded brisket and stir evenly into mixture. Fold in cooked rice and fresh parsley until fully combined. Adjust seasoning as needed and garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Photos by Romney Caruso
is it dirty or dressing?
by Marcelle Bienvenu
Rice dressing was a principal part of Sunday dinners when I was a youngster. Baked chicken, petit pois (sweet little peas) and sometimes candied yams rounded out the menu. The dressing also turned up for holiday barbecues during the summer, as well as accompanying baked ham on Easter. It often appears on barbecue “plate lunches” everywhere in South Louisiana.
I didn’t hear the term “dirty rice” until I worked at Oak Alley Plantation in the 1980s. In fact, I just assumed dirty rice and rice dressing were the same thing, until a friend shamed me.
“You have been a food writer for years and you don’t know the difference?”
Well, I believe the terms have often been used interchangeably, but the difference is in the meat that is used. For example, my mother’s recipe begins with a roux and it calls for ground pork and chicken gizzards.
MARCELLE BIENVENU'S RICE DRESSING
SERVINGS: 10
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound lean ground pork
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped green bell peppers
½ cup chopped celery
1 pound chicken gizzards, cleaned Water
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
4-5 cups cooked long-grain white rice
¼ cup chopped parsley
½ cup finely chopped green onions
1 cup canned sliced mushrooms (optional)
HOW TO PREP:
Combine 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil with the flour in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly, make
a dark brown roux. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the pork and brown well. Add the onions, bell peppers and celery. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
In the meantime, place the cleaned gizzards in a pot with enough water (about 3 cups) to cover, and boil until tender. Drain the gizzards and reserve the stock. Grind the gizzards in a meat grinder or food processor. Add this to the pork mixture along with the roux.
Add the reserved stock from the gizzards to the pot, and season with salt and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour.
Immediately before serving add the rice, parsley and green onions (and mushrooms, if using). Mix well and season with salt and cayenne.
So, is my mother’s recipe rice dressing or dirty rice? Doing a little research and talking to some of my chef friends, I learned that dirty rice is usually made with ground-up organ meats, such as chicken livers, gizzards and hearts. Rice dressing is usually made with ground beef, pork or even venison. So, all my life, I thought the opposite?!
Most of my friends, when questioned, said that what they had growing up was rice dressing rather than dirty
A few other responses:
» “Grew up with rice dressing. Didn’t know what dirty rice was. The difference? Maybe the wetness or dryness.”
» “Hmm, one ya’ gotta wash before eating and the other you had to put on your good clothes when dining … close?”
» “Rice dressing. Dirty rice is from someplace else.”
» “The bigger question is ‘Did your momma put liver or eggplant in your rice dressing?’ We put liver. If it was eggplant, it was dirty rice.”
» “Dirty rice uses chicken livers and gizzards cooked down in the base … rice dressing uses ground beef and pork.”
» “LOL!!!! My mom said there’s nothing dirty in her kitchen!!!!!! Need I say more?!”
» “Rice dressing. I never heard the phrase ‘dirty rice’ until I was an adult.”
» “We’ve always called it rice dressing. I didn’t know there was a difference. I just thought Popeyes Fried Chicken called their rice dressing ‘dirty rice.’”
» “Dirty rice was 50/50 ground beef and pork with chicken livers (usually the livers were puréed). Very popular in my hometown (Vacherie) was dressing sandwiches...same as dirty rice but without rice and a little breadcrumbs added. Served on Evangeline White Bread! This was served at every wedding.”
» “Grew up with rice dressing. Was always under the impression that rice dressing was more of a Cajun dish name and dirty rice was of the Creole heritage.”
Our butchers mix and season our fresh Rice Mix in store using a Rouse family recipe. It’s made with finely chopped chicken livers and gizzards, which give it that rich, deep flavor and the traditional color Cajuns call “dirty.” It’s perfect for making dirty rice or rice dressing — especially popular in South Louisiana’s Cajun parishes. For rice dressing, try adding oysters. It’s a classic
that makes the dish even better.
South Louisiana twist
by
Photo
Romney Caruso
november
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OVER/UNDER WITH NICK UNDERHILL
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
They are still our Saints
We’re known as a resilient city, and while that is a badge of honor, earning the “re” part of that word stinks. It is long and arduous. It is painful. The Saints are in their own “re” process right now. They’re building toward something better, and there are some bright spots that are hopefully promising a better tomorrow, but there’s no doubt that asking the fans to sit through the process will test our city’s resilience.
It’s been a while since the team was in this spot, and at least the last time they were, Drew was standing under center, which meant hope was never too far away. You could count on No. 9 to go down the field and get you seven often enough to keep things fun in 2014, ’15 and ’16. And that’s the new mission now. Finding guys you know. Guys like Drew and Alvin and Terron and Demario and Cam and Taysom. Guys that don’t need a last name — or even context in the conversation — for everyone to know who you’re talking about, because they’ve done enough good things to feel like family.
Try it. Go ask someone what they think about Alvin, and no one (around here, anyway) is going to say, “Alvin who?” They’re going to give you whatever their recent thoughts are on AK. When things are like that, times are good. It means the Saints have a foundation — or at least building blocks leading to a foundation. And a foundation means you have something sturdy. It means you have hope on Sundays.
So, who are those guys? The next wave of players all appear to be coming from the last two draft classes, which is a good place for the Saints to be starting from. The biggest ones are their last two first-round picks: tackles Kelvin Banks Jr.
and Taliese Fuaga. I contacted one of those one-name guys to see what he thinks about the two youngsters on the line.
“I feel like they’re set in that department,” Terron Armstead said. “I think those two can really be the next (Ryan) Ramczyk and me — low-key, I’m not even joking. They’re really nice. I feel strongly about them two.”
The Saints agree. They believe they have the two building blocks they need to build their offense with those two players, and both have been living up to the expectations that come with being a first-round pick. They’ve been solid in pass protection, helping keep the young quarterbacks clean, and have often led the way in the run game.
One of the best things about how they play is that the coaching staff has trusted them enough to block one-on-one more often than most players in the league, meaning that New Orleans has been able to get an extra tight end or running back out in the passing game. That creates an advantage for the offense, and Banks says he loves that the team trusts him in that role, especially because most teams don’t trust their young offensive tackles to take on so much responsibility.
“You gotta go in thinking, ‘You got to make this block,’” Banks said. “There’s no ‘Oh, what if?’ No, you can’t think like that. You’ve got to stay confident. I’m in a good place with my confidence, and that’s where it starts: The confidence. So, you’re out there understanding you have to make this block, and going out there and actually doing it.”
On defense, the Saints feel good about free safety Jonas Sanker, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry and linebacker Danny Stutsman. All three players were drafted
within the last two years, and they also see promise in cornerback Quincy Riley.
Sanker’s emergence was quick and expected. It was also badly needed. New Orleans intended him to serve in a reserve role this season. But the sudden retirement of Tyrann Mathieu and the injury of Mathieu’s replacement, Julian Blackmon, forced Sanker to step into a starting role. He’s responded greatly to the challenge, creating some key turnovers for the Saints and being a good tackler. It would have been easy for the moment to be too big for Sanker. But he said he was prepared for the moment.
“I think I’ve always had that confidence, but I think a lot of that comes from the people you’re around,” Sanker said. “The way the coaches are able to prepare you during the week, I think you can have that confidence, but having that reassurance and that confidence level from everyone around you just kind of makes it easier to trust the confidence that you have. Because you can have the confidence, but if you don’t trust what you’re doing, there’s that setback of just playing a little slower. So, I definitely felt that push and that extra shove I needed from everyone else.”
McKinstry has emerged as a solid starter this season; his high point of the season saw him intercept two passes in a win over the Giants. The performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors and showed that the team might have some promise at that position, as they look to find a replacement for Marshon Lattimore.
Quincy Riley, the guy opposite him at cornerback, has also flashed a few times this season. His interception against the Bears was one of the few bright spots during that
game. But with those two playing well, the Saints could stick with them at cornerback and address other positions with bigger needs this offseason, which is a nice luxury.
At linebacker, Danny Stutsman, a rookie this year, didn’t play much during the season’s first half. But the coaching staff worked to find ways to get him on the field, and he responded well with some big tackles. The Saints were quickly impressed by Stutsman during summer camps and raved about how quickly he picked up the game. There is a lot of work to be done, but there is some hope that Stutsman can be a long-term answer at linebacker.
“It’s a great opportunity anytime you can get in the game in critical moments. You just gotta make the most of the opportunity and try to add value any way you can,” said Stutsman, who credited the Saints’ “goodon-good” practice work for getting him as acclimated as possible leading up to his real-game chances.
So, while the overall results this season haven’t been what most were hoping for, there are some bright spots and reasons to believe that things could improve in the future. Will Kelvin and Tali and Jonas and Kool-Aid and Quincy and Stuts do enough to become known as one-name guys? There’s a ton of work required to get there, but there is some reason to believe that each one of them has a chance to become that type of player eventually.
The big part — the hard part — will be finding the kind of quarterback who always keeps hope in the building and in the city. But you can only build one block at a time.
HOLIDAY WINE PAIRINGS
TURKEY & POULTRY
Duck – Pinot Noir (the classic). Go for Louis Latour Les Pierres Dorées from a high-altitude region in Beaujolais.
Turducken – GSM (Grenache-SyrahMourvèdre) red blend or a rich Pinot Noir, since you’re balancing multiple flavors at once. We recommend Fonte das Setas red blend from Portugal or La Crema Pinot Noir.
Baked Turkey – Pinot Noir (Burgundy or Oregon). We like Louis Latour Valmoissine Pinot Noir (French) or Erath Pinot Noir (Oregon) or, if white wine is your preference, a fuller Chardonnay like Post & Beam Napa Chardonnay from Far Niente. All three highlight the lean, delicate meat.
Smoked Turkey – Zinfandel or Syrah. Try J. Lohr Syrah or Seghesio Zinfandel. Smokiness calls for bolder fruit and spice.
BEEF & BRISKET
Prime Beef Roast – Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa or Bordeaux) or Syrah. Big tannins match the richness of the meat. Our favorites right now are John Sloat Napa Cabernet, Post & Beam Napa Cabernet (from Far Niente) or La Griffe de Barreyres Bordeaux.
Smoked Brisket – Zinfandel, Petite Sirah or Tempranillo (think Rioja). Smoke and fat need bold, dark fruit. Try Me & the Moon Toro Tempranillo or Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva.
Baked Brisket – Merlot or Cabernet
Franc. A little softer, rounder, more herb-driven to match oven-braised flavors. We love Octopoda Cabernet Franc.
HAM
Glazed Baked Ham – Off-dry Riesling, Gewürztraminer or Beaujolais. The touch of sweetness balances the salt and glaze. Go for Louis Jadot or Joseph Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages. The classic this time of year is Beaujolais Nouveau from Georges Duboeuf.
GULF SEAFOOD & SHELLFISH
Crab (Gulf Blue or Softshell) –Sparkling Brut Champagne / Crémant or crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Henriot Brut Souverain Champagne will give that famous label a run for its money. We love it!
Oysters (raw or chargrilled) –Chablis, Muscadet or Champagne. Classic mineral match. Pierre Vignecourt Chablis cannot be beat for the money!
Shrimp (boiled or fried Gulf shrimp) –Dry Rosé or Albariño; if barbecued shrimp, go for a Chardonnay with oak. Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Rosé or the new Bonanza Chardonnay are good options.
GUMBO
Seafood Gumbo –Sauvignon Blanc (Loire or New Zealand), Albariño or dry Riesling. Bright acidity cuts through the roux and seafood richness.
Our favorites are Garúa Sauvignon Blanc or Burgans Albariño.
Turkey & Sausage Gumbo –Grenache red blend or Chenin Blanc. Spice and smoky sausage pair with ripe, juicy reds that don’t overpower the turkey, and with full-bodied Chenin Blancs that have texture to balance out the richness and spice of the stew. We recommend Campo Viejo Garnacha or Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc white blend.
CHRISTMAS SPAGHETTI (ITALIAN STYLE)
If it’s a red sauce with meatballs or sausage: Chianti Classico, Barbera or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. We love the Torre Zambra Montepulciano or Spasso Montepulciano.
If it’s a family-style Christmas Eve seafood spaghetti (more Southern Italian): Prosecco makes everything a better celebration! It also pairs beautifully with seafood pasta, cleansing your palate between bites and balancing the richness of the sauce. We recommend Della Natura or Pizzolato Prosecco.
Italian Red Sauce Pasta – Classic Straight Bourbon (Four Roses Single Barrel, Woodford Reserve). The spice and fruit echo the sauce.
Photo by Romney Caruso
HOLIDAY BEER PAIRINGS
TURKEY & POULTRY
Duck – Brown Ale or Doppelbock — malty richness matches duck’s fattiness.
Turducken – Saison (Farmhouse Ale) — spicy, complex, holds up to multiple meats.
Baked Turkey – Belgian-style Witbier (citrusy, light, refreshing with herbs).
Smoked Turkey – Amber Ale — smoky malt complements the bird.
BEEF & BRISKET
Prime Beef Roast – Imperial Stout or Barleywine — big, bold, roasted flavors.
Smoked Brisket – Porter (smoky or robust) or IPA — both complement the char and smoke of the meat.
Baked Brisket – Vienna Lager — malt-forward but not overpowering.
HAM
Glazed Baked Ham – Belgian Dubbel or Holiday Spiced Ale — caramel and spice echo the glaze.
GULF SEAFOOD & SHELLFISH
Crab (Gulf Blue or Softshell) –Pilsner or Kölsch — crisp and clean.
Oysters (raw or chargrilled) – Dry Stout (classic pairing, like Guinness).
Shrimp (boiled or fried Gulf shrimp) – Hefeweizen or Pale Ale — citrus and light hops match shrimp’s sweetness.
GUMBO
Seafood Gumbo – Pilsner or Saison (refreshing, both cut through roux).
Turkey & Sausage Gumbo – Amber Ale or Märzen (toasty malt & spice).
CHRISTMAS SPAGHETTI (ITALIAN STYLE)
Italian Red Sauce Pasta – Italianstyle Pilsner or American Pale Ale — light hops cut the richness.
Bloody Mary Tips
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Make it “dirty” with a splash of green olive brine.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Rim the glass with lime juice, then dip it in Tajín seasoning for a spicier flavor.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Try a rim of celery salt and kosher salt for a savory twist.
ARROW-CIRCLE-RIGHT Swap vodka and lemon juice with tequila and fresh lime juice, and you’ve got a Bloody Maria. Serve it in a glass with a light salt rim to bring out the citrus and balance the spice.
THE BLOODY BULL BRENNAN’S BUILT
There’s a strong belief (though not 100% proven) that the Bloody Bull — a Bloody Mary made with beef bouillon — was invented at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans in the 1950s. Founded by Owen Brennan in 1946 and originally opened on Bourbon Street, the restaurant moved a decade later to its now-iconic pink building on Royal Street. The famed venue is credited with creating both Bananas Foster and popularizing the New Orleans-style jazz brunch, so it’s no surprise a rich, savory twist on the Bloody Mary would be born there too. Add a splash of beef broth or bouillon to your Bloody Mary for that same depth.
by Romney Caruso
Photos
A ll the Trimmings
by Juan Nogueira
When I was in college, and for a few years afterward, F&M Patio Bar on the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Lyons in Uptown New Orleans was always one of our last stops after a long night out. No one started the night at F&M’s, but half of my graduating class from Rummel, and everyone I had ever met from Jesuit and Brother Martin, somehow ended up there.
Our final stop was Grit's Bar, right down the block from F&M’s, where, where the pool tables were actually for playing pool (not for dancing on top of, like at F&M’s).
Grit’s is where two childhood friends, Ronnie Evans Jr. and Philip Moseley, started their pop-up in 2012. They later cooked out of Chickie Wah Wah, eventually building their operation into a full-fledged restaurant, Blue Oak BBQ in Mid City, in 2016. (Full transparency: Moseley was my pledge when I was president of Acacia Fraternity at LSU.) Today, Blue Oak BBQ is one of the area’s leading barbecue restaurants, and Evans and Moseley have expanded into Huntsville, Alabama.
Their insanely delicious tallow-fried tater tots are one of those must-order sides locals talk about, right up there with their crispy Brussels sprouts (and, for me, the waffle-cut fries at F&M’s back in my college days.
Tallow is having its moment, and no one is doing more with it locally than Blue Oak. “We trim briskets every day to shape
them before they hit the smoker,” says Ronnie Evans. “We use the trimmed meat for burgers and sausage, and the excess fat that is removed is rendered down for several hours, giving us some pure liquid gold.”
Briskets cook for 10 to 12 hours, low and slow, and Evans says that toward the end of the process, “We bathe them in beef fat to keep them nice and moist.” It is the barbecue equivalent of a spa treatment.
“When the tallow is going in the pit room,” Evans adds, “it smells like the best steakhouse you have ever been to.”
He is not exaggerating. If they bottled that smell, it would outsell cologne.
Evans notes that you can use tallow for anything savory to add another dimension of flavor. It also has a higher smoke point than butter or most cooking oils, which makes it perfect for high-heat cooking. “It is a clean, unprocessed, natural fat that tastes delicious and is not hard on the gut,” Evans says.
Making tallow at home is simple. Evans starts with clean brisket trimmings, cuts the
fat into small pieces, and cooks them low and slow in a heavy pot until they melt. Then he strains out the solids and lets the liquid cool until it becomes white and stirrable. “It is easy to do, and it keeps in the refrigerator for months,” he says.
Blue Oak also makes something they call beef butter. “We whip beef fat with softened butter, and it creates this magic, flavorful compound that tastes good on pretty much everything. If you are making it at home, you can also add some herbs and garlic for a little extra oomph,” Evans says.
It is the kind of chef's move that makes people ask what you did to the holiday mashed potatoes. It would be right at home in a bowl of grits, which makes perfect sense, since that is where Blue Oak got its start.
BEEF BUTTER
Makes about 3 cups.
If you do not have beef trimmings, we sell beef tallow at Rouses. Look for it near the cooking oils.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 pound beef fat trimmings (to render)
Salt, to taste
Chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or thyme (optional)
Minced garlic (optional)
HOW TO PREP:
Place the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until smooth, fluffy and easily spreadable.
Put the trimmed beef fat in a saucepan over low heat. Cook slowly until all the fat melts and the solids separate. Strain the liquid fat through a fine mesh strainer to remove any solids.
With the mixer running on low, slowly drizzle the warm rendered beef fat into the whipped butter. Continue mixing until the mixture turns pale and thick, like white frosting.
Add salt to taste. If using, fold in chopped herbs and minced garlic.
Transfer to a container and refrigerate. Beef butter will firm up when chilled but will soften again at room temperature.
Photo originally shared on Blue Oak BBQ’s social media
Celebrating Life’s Greatest Moments
Our hams have been a mainstay at holiday tables for more than 100 years. We use real ingredients, slow cook for the best flavor, and smoke our meats the old-fashioned way to make your celebrations delicious.
second helpings
HOW TO STORE YOUR HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS
by Ann Maloney
For me, the most beloved tradition of the Thanksgiving feast occurs the day after. I slice open a toasty dinner roll and layer it with warm dressing and turkey, a bit of chilled cranberry sauce and a drizzle of hot gravy. Then, I sit and — aaaah — enjoy it in peace and quiet. How do you get to this blissful place and ensure your guests can as well? You make more food than you need — don’t you always?! — and you handle that food with care while preparing, transporting, serving and storing it.
I love the bustle of Thanksgiving Day, but I often feel like a field marshal as I go straight from cooking to overseeing a vital mission: keeping hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold as we usher them to the table. After the meal, I designate a small contingent to hustle perishables into the refrigerator to ensure they are safely stored. It is worth the coordinated campaign because
when guests start to make noise about leaving, I can generously dole out leftovers that are safe and tasty.
If you love to feed people and you love leftovers, here are my U.S. Department of Agriculture tips to keep your holiday deliciously safe:
BEFORE THE MEAL
Prep the kitchen: Before the holiday, “eat down” the freezer and clean the refrigerator to ensure as much food storage space as possible. If you’re hosting a big meal, coolers with chilled gel packs, ice and/or thermal bags can handle overflow.
Keep it clean: Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds between tasks and before touching food, containers or utensils. Wash surfaces, containers and utensils with
hot soapy water, and/or use a foodsafe sanitizer.
Thaw safely: Thaw food in its original package in the refrigerator with a pan underneath to catch any escaping liquids. Never thaw on the counter. In a hurry? Put food in an airtight container and submerge it in cold tap water; change the water every 30 minutes, allowing about 30 minutes per pound. Food thawed in a microwave should be cooked immediately.
Know your food safety temperatures: An instant-read, digital thermometer is an essential tool, because it is the safest way to ensure hot food stays at or above 140°F and cold food at or below 40°F. Follow the 2-hour rule: Cooked and uncooked perishable foods can be left at room temperature for up to 2 hours, or 1 hour if the room is 90°F or hotter.
Photo by Romney Caruso
Transport food safely: If you’re bringing a dish, ask the host if you need to bring a cooler or thermal bags, and if they prefer foods brought ready-to-serve or cold. (And hosts? Communicate the space you have in your refrigerator, freezer, oven, stovetop, coolers and/or thermal bags to accommodate potluck-style meals.)
If traveling short distances within 30 minutes, keep hot food in the pan it was cooked in, double-wrap it in foil, then wrap it in tea towels and place it in an insulated container/ cooler. For longer distances, consider making the dish the day before and then refrigerating or freezing it and transporting it in a cooler with freezer gel packs or ice. Reheat the food to 165°F once you arrive. Cold foods can be transported frozen or well-chilled in a cooler with ice or gel packs.
Upon arrival, put cold foods in the refrigerator or cooler, or place them over ice. Transfer hot foods to a 200°F oven or chafing dish, slow cooker or warming tray that can hold foods at 140°F or warmer.
AFTER THE MEAL
Don’t wait. Refrigerate (or freeze). When possible, place leftovers in shallow containers and cut larger food items like turkey into smaller portions. Store them in an airtight container or double-wrap them. If food is piping hot, transfer it to smaller containers and place it over ice to cool down for 20 minutes to avoid overheating your refrigerator.
Most refrigerated leftovers, such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, and pecan or pumpkin pies — should be eaten within four days. That means that by the Monday after Thanksgiving, just about everything should be eaten or frozen. If you know you have more leftovers than you
can finish, freeze them immediately for safety and better flavor.
Package leftovers: If you have the space, divvy up and refrigerate leftovers right after the meal, labeling containers with the recipients’ names. For those who want a little of everything, make individual plates. Cover in plastic wrap and foil. Then, guests can uncover the dishes and microwave the food when they’re ready to eat it. Or, give guests what they love most by scooping individual foods into separate ziplock bags or reusable plastic containers (you’ve got those, right?). If your guests have long drives, place the food in a cooler or a waterproof plastic bag with frozen gel packs or a small bag of ice.
Reheating leftovers: When reheating, it is best to warm only the portion you plan to eat. The general rule: Cover and reheat foods to 165°F and bring liquids to a rolling boil. Below are reheating tips by food type:
Turkey or ham: It’s fine to eat the meats cold. To warm them, wrap slices in foil or place in an oven-safe pan with a tight-fitting lid and heat for 30 minutes in a 350°F oven. Add a tablespoon or so of gravy, chicken stock, or even butter or water to it if the meat looks dry, but don’t overdo it.
Microwave: Cover well and reheat on medium power.
Stuffing, yams and other casseroles: Cover the food with foil or parchment and heat in a 350°F oven.
Microwave: Heat it for 2 minutes or more, stirring every minute, so it warms evenly.
Stovetop: Add a bit of oil to a pan set over medium heat and stir occasionally as it slowly heats.
Soups: Bring to a rolling boil on the stovetop.
Microwave: For smaller portions, reheat in a microwave-safe container covered with parchment.
Gravies: If your gravy separates and
becomes jelly-like when chilled, avoid lumps by slowly reheating it in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking continuously, until it bubbles and emulsifies.
Microwave: Reheat it in 30-second bursts, whisking between each burst, until it bubbles.
Mashed potatoes: Reheat slowly to avoid lumps. In a pot over low heat, add a small amount of milk or other dairy product and simmer. Add the potatoes and stir until they are warmed through.
Microwave: Place the desired amount in a microwave-safe dish, stir in cream or milk, and heat slowly for 2 minutes or more, stopping and stirring after each minute.
Roasted vegetables: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the leftover vegetables on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for about 5 minutes. Try not to overcrowd the pan. Better yet, if you have an air fryer, set it at 450°F and roast for 2 to 3 minutes.
Microwave: Avoid. Crisped veggies turn mushy when reheated in the microwave.
Rolls: Arrange on a sheet pan and warm in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes. To freshen, brush with melted butter and a sprinkle of salt. Microwave: Reheat in short, 15-second bursts, but understand: They will likely turn chewy.
Pies: Place pie slices on a baking sheet, lightly cover with foil and warm in a preheated 250°F oven for about 10 minutes. Or, air fry them at 350°F for 2 to 3 minutes.
Microwave: Avoid. Your crisp crust will turn flabby.
Special note: Fruit pies made with sugar are safe at room temperatures for only 2 days. After that, they should be refrigerated and can be kept that way for up to 2 more days. Refrigerate pies that contain eggs or dairy for up to 4 days. All can be frozen.
On New Year’s Day, people all along the Gulf Coast put black-eyed peas and greens on the stove. The ritual’s supposed to bring good luck and prosperity in the year ahead. Some say the humble pea — really a seed — stands for new life and fresh beginnings, but the more common belief is that the little round-ish peas resemble coins. The greens? That’s an easy one: they represent paper money. We used kale here, but any good pot green will do — mustard, collards or turnips.
SERVINGS: 6-8 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup diced yellow onion
½ cup diced green bell pepper
½ cup diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 pound smoked sausage or andouille, chopped
3 quarts chicken stock
1 cup black-eyed peas, cooked and drained
1 bunch kale or greens, washed and slice into ribbons
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Hot sauce to taste
Steamed rice, for serving
HOW TO PREP:
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the roux begins to turn brown, around 15 to 20 minutes.
Chisesi Brothers, 5th Generation Chisesi Brothers, tracing its roots to 1908, is now run by the fifth generation — fifth generation Nick, Cody and Philip Paul Chisesi, under the guidance of their dad, Philip. Made in Jefferson, Louisiana, just outside of New Orleans, their VIP ham — expertly smoked, hand-shaped and flavored in a way locals swear by — is a holiday staple. But if you don’t need a whole ham for Christmas or Thanksgiving, Chisesi also makes ham shanks and ham seasoning, perfect for beans, greens and black-eyed peas.
Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the roux and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the smoked sausage and stir. Add the stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer over medium-low heat, skimming occasionally, until flavors meld, at least 45 minutes.
Stir the black-eyed peas and greens into the pot. Bring gumbo back to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Serve hot over steamed rice.
Photo by Romney Caruso
THE BE ON THE GULF COAST
Shipped
King’s
is Tuesday, January 6.
WE SHIP ANYWHERE IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES!
Day
Kick off the Carnival season with a Rouses King Cake.
