Louisiana Recipe Influences From All Over The Globe

Louisiana cuisine is a wonderful reflection of the world.

We have, of course, our Native American roots which reflect the bounty of nature and human intervention that forms a firm base for our cuisine. The layers of food influences that were built upon the very strong base are myriad and have contributed to the exciting cuisine that we all enjoy. The African, French and Spanish influences are well known and celebrated. But there are people from all over the world who have helped make our food unique and delicious.

In Louisiana, we have also been fortunate enough to embrace food that has been introduced by various peoples that might be different from what our family has provided. Exploration into those flavors, techniques and ingredients has made the food of Louisiana joyful and complex at the same time. As my grandmother used to say to new people she met, “If you can cook, come sit by me.”

The Italians who migrated to New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century came after 19th century work in the sugar cane fields. Most of that migration was of people from Sicily. They too had a strong food tradition that had been transformed by the tomato from America. They brought their transformed cuisine to Louisiana farming in some parts of the state and bringing in macaroni factories and new tastes like zucchini, breadcrumbs and olive salad.

Although we definitely love olive salad on a Muffuletta, I have tried to use my Sicilian heritage to bring the New Orleans Olive Salad into the 21st century. I hope you like it.

Fresh artichokes are best, but if you use frozen, that’s about 2 packs, boiled and cooled. In a pinch, canned can be substituted, but the taste and texture will be inferior.

Not Your Mama’s Olive Salad

1 anchovy filet
About 1½ cups fruity olive oil
About 10 boiled and quartered baby artichokes
3 cups coarsely chopped cured pitted green olives with pimento
2 cups coarsely chopped pitted black olives
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced raw carrot
1 cup finely diced raw cauliflower (optional)
2 very, very thinly sliced lemons, including any juice you can save (Leave the skin on the lemons)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 fennel bulb sliced thinly
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 3 tablespoons dried
¼ cup coarsely chopped capers
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt (optional)
1 cup fresh basil leaves (optional)

1. In a large bowl, mash the anchovy with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until the anchovy totally dissolves. If you think you need more olive oil, add another tablespoon. Mix in all other ingredients except the remaining olive oil and the basil leaves.

2. Add enough olive oil to barely cover the mixture. Stir well so that everything is evenly distributed. Let it sit an hour, then taste. If it needs more acidity, add a bit more lemon juice. Because of the olives and anchovy, this salad will probably not need additional salt, but add it if you like. Add in the  fresh basil leaves right before serving and toss gently. Serve on a buffet table. Makes a gallon

The Germans helped settle Louisiana and farmed and provided food along what is now the Côte des Allemands. They brought sausage-making traditions, which took on French names but had German roots. Our special Louisiana andouille bears no relationship to French andouille. Ours is truly special and delicious. The early settlers would not have survived without the productive German farmers. And the beer culture of New Orleans would not exist without the Germans.

This dish, served over potato salad instead of rice, reflects the German sausage-making traditions and the Irish love of potatoes. But today we don’t analyze what we are eating. We forget to acknowledge their roots. We just celebrate its goodness!

While its exact origins are unknown, gumbo is believed to be a dish of mixed origins of African, French, Spanish, Native American, Caribbean and German influence.

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

¼ peanut oil or bacon fat (or duck fat, if you have it)
1 pound andouille, sliced into rounds ¼ inch thick
¼ cup flour
2 large onions, chopped
1 bunch chopped scallions
3 stalks of celery, chopped
One large green bell pepper, chopped
Garlic, minced, at least 3 cloves
64 ounces unsalted chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon unsalted Louisiana spice mix (Your own or a commercial mix)
Meat of 1 large rotisserie chicken, shredded
Salt and pepper
Bunch of parsley, chopped
Filé and hot sauce for the table

1. Heat the fat in the soup pot. Then add the andouille to brown. Remove the andouille when it begins to brown, about 5 minutes, and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.

2. Add the flour to the pot, making a dark roux. Do this over a low medium heat stirring constantly. This should take at least 20 minutes. When the roux has reached the right color (to your taste) add the chopped onions and scallions. Stir well and allow the onions to begin to caramelize. Add celery and bell peppers. Add garlic. When the vegetables are all soft (about 5 more minutes), add the sausage back to the pot. Add the stock to the pot.

3. Add the bay leaves , thyme, and Louisiana seasoning. Stir. Add the chicken.

4. Simmer at least 2 hours so that the flavors can meld. Taste and adjust seasonings – especially salt and pepper. (The andouille and rotisserie chicken will be salty, so taste before you add more salt)

5. Serve over potato salad. Add the chopped parsley as garnish on each bowl. Serves 4 to 6

And there’s the Irish. Irish immigrants have certainly influenced the drinking culture of the city. The cabbage, stews, potatoes and simple dishes they made can still be found in pubs and the pub culture of the city. Irish families have been successful in the restaurant trade, promoting the food of Louisiana around the world.

Thanks to the Irish for popularizing potatoes in Louisiana’s predominantly rice cuisine. Potatoes are the perfect foil for Chicken and Andouille Gumbo. If you don’t make your own mayonnaise, use a really good brand.

Though the potato may be Irish, American potato salad most likely originated from recipes brought to the U.S. by way of German and other European immigrants during the nineteenth century.

Potato Salad

4 cups peeled and diced Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, medium dice
1 teaspoon salt
3  hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
½ red onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon unsalted Creole seasoning
Greens from 1 bunch scallions, chopped for garnish

1. In a medium pot, add potatoes, salt and enough water to cover potatoes by about 1 inch. Add salt to the water. Boil until tender, (about 15 minutes, depending on the size of the diced potatoes).  Drain the potatoes and transfer the cooked potatoes to the  refrigerator until cool. (They will cool faster if you spread them out in one layer on a platter or sheet pan.)

2. Place the cooled potatoes in a large serving bowl. Mix in the eggs, red onion, celery, dill pickles. Add the mayonnaise, yellow mustard and Creole seasoning.  Gently stir the mixture to an even consistency so that all of the potatoes are covered with the mayonnaise, mustard and seasoning. Top with fresh green onions and serve. Serves 6 as a side dish or in bowls of gumbo

The most profound influence on the food of Louisiana is that of the Africans who were taken here against their will as enslaved people. They were brought here in part because they had technical knowledge of agriculture, especially sugar and rice. They cooked for those who enslaved them. And through their work we now have okra married to the American tomato. We have rice-influenced dishes as simple as red beans and rice or black eyed peas.

In the past, enslaved Africans ate peas and rice. Louisiana didn’t have peas, but we had beans in abundance. Red beans were substituted for the peas of the African homeland and this Louisiana staple was born.

You may notice that there is no instruction to soak the beans overnight. While it does reduce the cooking time, it isn’t necessary. This recipe allows you to decide to have beans that very day instead of thinking of it the night before. But if you do think of it the night before, perform all of the instructions in step 1 above. Then add everything to a crock pot (the cooked vegetables, water and beer, and the beans). Set the crockpot to low and cook all night. The next day, you will have perfect red beans.

Red Beans and Rice

3 tablespoons bacon fat
2 onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 bay leaves
6 cups water
1 can beer
1 pound dried red beans (also known as red kidney beans)
1 meaty ham bone (if you don’t have a ham bone, use 3 or 4 ham hocks)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
6 cups cooked rice

1. Place the bacon fat in a large soup pot with a heavy bottom on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and saute for about 6 minutes until they are soft and beginning to become translucent. Add the green peppers and celery. Cook another 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne pepper, cloves, paprika, thyme, and bay leaves and bloom them for 1 minute by stirring them into the oil and vegetables.

2. Add the water and beer and stir well. Bring the liquid to a boil and then add the beans and ham bone. After the mixture returns to a boil, reduce the flame and keep cooking at a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 1 ½ hours. Uncover the pot and cook for another hour. Stir occasionally. Taste the beans for salt. If the ham has salted adequately, adjust the amount of salt to suit your taste. Add the black pepper.

3. With a fork, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to increase the creaminess of the beans. Cook for another hour. If more liquid is needed, add more water and stir well. Remove the ham bone and serve over rice. Serves 8

The influences from Meso-America, now Central America, are old and new. The old include chocolate, vanilla and mirliton. More modern influences include oyster tacos and papusas. As the Spanish introduced wheat flour into what became their colonies in Central America, the mingling of culture began. As those cultures did business through the port of New Orleans, often moving to New Orleans, we ate empanadas seasoned with peppers and cumin. And even after the wave of immigrants from Mexico and Central American post Hurricane Katrina, we embraced plantains and papayas and mangos.

I first ate a variation of this sandwich at Dong Phuong Bakery in New Orleans. I thank them for the inspiration. They assured me that the fried oysters could only happen in New Orleans.

Both the delicious bread and the herbaceous, spicy toppings make the banh mi the ideal sandwich.

New Orleans Banh Mi

4 banh mi buns
4 tablespoons softened butter
4 tablespoons good mayonnaise
6 ounces foie gras
1 dozen fried oysters
1 cup fresh pickled carrots, cabbage, and cilantro from a Vietnamese market
1 bunch fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 325 F

2. Place the banh mi buns in the oven to crisp the outside. Remove them after 5 minutes.

3. Slice open the buns leaving a “hinge” of bread to hold the top and bottom together if they are not precut. Butter each inside (top and bottom) of the buns. Then spread mayonnaise over the butter on each bun.

4. Add ¼ of the foie gras to each bun. Add 3 fried oysters over the foie gras to each bun.

5. Add ¼ cup of the fresh pickles and additional cilantro if desired. Eat immediately. Serves 4

The Vietnamese influence continues to develop. Since their arrival in the late 1970’s after the fall of Saigon, their special cuisine with familiar French influences, but entirely made their own, has merged with the food of Louisiana. Baking, influenced by the long French occupation of Vietnam, is not unfamiliar. But the Vietnamese breads have a unique texture and flavor because of both their unique techniques and the addition of rice flour with the wheat. The banh mi, so reminiscent to the po’boy, made them welcome participants in po’boy festivals. The use of lemon grass as a seasoning, the quick pickles of the banh mi, and the very best king cakes have made the tables of all of New Orleans notice.

This is just a sampling of some of the dishes influenced by these many cultures.

These popped up everywhere after Hurricane Katrina — each taco truck making its own variation of this this fabulous, non-traditional taco. The Louisiana flavors are unmistakable.

These crunchy tostados are filled with flavor — acid from lime and tomatoes, decadent umami from the livers and oysters. Just about every texture is included as well. The perfect dish.

Louisiana Tacos

For each taco:

A hot, just-fried corn tortilla*
2 tablespoons refried beans
2 fried oysters
2 fried chicken livers
2 fried shrimp
Chopped avocado
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped scallions
1 tablespoon crumbled queso fresco
Chopped cilantro
Pico de gallo salsa to taste

1. Spread the fried tortilla with a good slather of refried beans. Add 2 fried oysters, 2 fried chicken livers and 2 fried shrimp.

2. Add a tablespoon of chopped avocado, a tablespoon of chopped tomatoes, a bit of chopped scallions and queso fresco. Finish with chopped cilantro and pico de gallo.