I really don’t have any politics to discuss today, as I am kind of burned out (this will be a disappointment to some of you, who are now commenting on the columns and replying to the emails, which I 100% approve of!). But, as this is usually the day I share the podcast and a recipe with y’all, I figured I’d do a big recap of the events from last week that kept me out of work and in my kitchen.
We’re almost a year removed from the magical day schools in Louisiana were shut down because of COVID-19. That event kept me at home for months, where I thankfully didn’t lose my mind (though I was close a couple of times). Last week, that major winter storm hit us and, while we weren’t as bad off as Texas and north Louisiana, we were still out of school for a week. This brought about some mild level of PTSD from 2020, and I needed an activity to get me through.
Much to my delight, and I think my wife’s chagrin, I have this lovely new KitchenAid mixer with some great attachments.
I have never been much of a baker. When I cook, I basically resort to some level of “Chopped” contestant and throw things together to see what works. Baking takes exact measurements and actions, and I have always resisted it. But, Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, and I needed some sort of seafood.
I craved a poboy, so I had to learn to make bread.
In all fairness, the roads were open and I could have gone to the store, but where is the fun in that? I browsed through a couple of French bread recipes online and experimented. The first batch made four beautiful loaves, but the crust was too hard and the bread a little too dense. I changed up my strategy and my recipe and tried again later. The second time, I was able to get a softer crust and softer bread. Brushing the bread every 10-15 minutes or so with water helped.
Next time, the final brush will be an egg wash to get the crust a little more golden brown. Still got to work on the density, but I think I have a solution (tune in next week).
Next came the shrimp. Got some from the store, fairly fresh, and peeled them. Dredged them in a mixture of flour, cornmeal, and Cajun spices, then dipped them in milk, and then coated them again. I fried them at about 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes and they came out perfect. All that was left was to slice open the bread, lay down some lettuce, mayo, and remoulade sauce, and the poboys were complete.
And that was about two days of work, primarily to get the bread right.
The other big project was my first attempt at making a sausage. Sticking with the flavors of my home, I decided to make a boudin.
If you don’t know, boudin is a pork and rice mixture that is either fried in ball form or stuffed into sausage casings. I took the latter route, ordering hog casings from Amazon, and getting together amber ale, the trinity (onions, bell peppers, and celery), garlic, chicken livers and a pork shoulder.
To make the boudin itself, I followed the recipe of Chef Isaac Toups, who owns and operates Toups Meatery in New Orleans. Instead of making boudin balls, though, I used the meat grinder and sausage stuffer attachment on my KitchenAid. The cooking of the pork, vegetables, and livers took a while, but the flavors came out great. My problem is that I think I cooked too much meat because the sausages ended up not having enough rice.
I also think I messed up by using too small a die on the grinder, making the meat too fine when it needed to be a little… chunkier? Sounds gross, but yeah.
That’s the final result of the first batch (well… a small part of the first batch). So, I will definitely be doing that again, just with a few tweaks. Really excited to take the next step and start smoking it, too.
I also made homemade pasta and king cake that I (believe I) wrote about recently. I’ll share those recipes again sometime.
Homestyle: A Chat with Avery Guidry
In this week’s episode of Homestyle, my co-host Leigh Guidry and I talk to her oldest daughter, Avery, about the crafts and projects she likes to do. I know Leigh was very proud because Avery did an awesome job.
One of the things Avery talked about was making a leprecahn trap and… now I want to make one. In this economy, I could do with finding a little man with a pot of gold I can have.
If you want to hear more, you can always go back and listen to previous episodes, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast here, and if you have cooking, crafting, or family activity ideas, you can find us on Facebook and on Instagram (@Homestylepod).
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The Homestyle Podcast is a joint venture between myself and one of my best friends, education reporter Leigh Guidry. Throughout each episode, we discuss cooking, crafting, and other hobbies as well as how we make sure to spend time with our families despite how insanely busy life can be. The goal of the podcast has always been to take a moment to focus on what’s really important because, at the end of the day, family and life are more important than whatever distractions are going on in the world around us.
Recipe of the Week: Old Fashioned
If you have not given up alcohol for Lent, might I suggest the greatest bourbon drink (and my all-time favorite drink) this weekend? The Old Fashioned is one of the easiest but most stellar drinks available to anyone who has the few basic ingredients.
2 tsp. simply syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces bourbon (I like Basil Hayden’s for this)
Garnish: orange peel
Mix the syrup and bitters in your glass.
Add the bourbon.
Stir and add orange peel as garnish.
Drink, make another, drink again.
Final Thoughts…
Each and every day, someone new is signing up for the newsletter, and I appreciate you all. I wasn’t joking at the top when I said people are emailing back and want to discuss what I’ve written. Yesterday’s column was essentially me taking one of my replies to a reader and fleshing it out a bit. I really appreciate all of you. You make this worth it.