Louisiana Cookin' March/April 2018

LOLA’S HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD MAKES 2 SALADS Green Goddess Dressing (recipe follows) 1 medium heirloom tomato, quartered 6 heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved 2 ounces Louisiana blue lump crabmeat 4 ounces Burrata cheese Garnish: chopped fresh chives Spoon desired amount of dressing on bottom of each plate. Top with tomatoes, crabmeat, and Burrata. Garnish with chopped chives, if desired. GREEN GODDESS DRESSING MAKES/2 QUART 1/2 cup mayo 1/3 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup fresh chives 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/4 cup fresh tarragon 1/4 cup fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 anchovy fillets Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. Store leftover dressing in refrigerator. ATASTEOF COVINGTON • April 11-15, 2018—Covington, Louisiana • Five days of food, wine, music, and art. • For more information, visit: atasteofcovington.com…

THROUGHOUT SOUTH LOUISIANA, catfish fry fundraisers are a staple during the Lenten season. It seems as though all of the schools, churches, and social clubs throughout New Orleans trade off Fridays, so there are always a few options to stop for a quick dinner on your way home from work. Last year, my wife and I tried out a different location each week and reveled in the crispy catfish, tender hush puppies, and more tartar sauce than we could ever eat. While it’s impossible to beat the convenience and simplicity of the $10 catfish plate, this spring, we are looking forward to hosting a fry of our own. Having a few friends over and treating them to some Spicy Cajun Fried Catfish (page 54) with Citrus-Jalapeño Slaw and Grilled Potato Salad…

JUST FOR YOU, I’VE BEEN DOING MY HOMEWORK (sort of), and here is what I learned. Recently, nola.com reported, “Typically, it costs about $1,000 an acre to produce a crop of crawfish. One acre produces on average 550 to 600 pounds of crawfish, although that amount can vary widely.” Hey, even if it varies widely, if you and I could have an acre of crawfish, what a party that would be, right? I was so ready for crawfish season, and I’m glad it got off to an early start! The earlier, the better. I learned from the LSU AgCenter that Louisiana has more than 225,000 acres of crawfish ponds that, in 2014, were home to more than 127.5 million pounds of mudbugs. So, I’m feeling pretty optimistic about fulfilling my appetite…

Check out a juicy new audio tour of the best New Orleans restaurants from French Market Coffee, produced by the team at Louisiana Cookin’. It’s full of historical anecdotes, menu suggestions, and even architectural footnotes. I’ll bet you did not know that the bright pink façade of Brennan’s is painted in a color called “Tomato Cream Sauce.” You can (and should) take the whole tour at https://app.vizzit.co/#!/tours/1599_The-Mouth-ofthe-Mississippi. Just a gentle reminder that one of our favorite Louisiana festivals, the World Championship Crawfish Étouffée Cook-Off is happening March 25 in Eunice. More than 100 teams will compete to see who cooks the world’s best étouffée. And we get to eat it! Étouffée is sold at individual booths for $2 a serving. You’ll also find a petting zoo, arts and crafts, pony rides, dancing,…

One of New Orleans’ most talked-about recent openings is Curio, a new French Quarter dining spot that retains much of the 19th-century charm of the curio shop that once occupied the same space. I sat down with Chef Hayley Vanvleet to get the 411. Tell us the juicy details about Curio please. Curio is a very eclectic bistro. We have a lot of New Orleans flavors and ingredients, but I try to keep the food on the lighter side: bright and fresh with lots of greens. Almost half of my menu is naturally gluten-free, and a lot of the menu items are made with fewer than six ingredients. What is your house specialty? Definitely the fried candied ribs. We braise overnight with fennel, onion, star anise, and garlic. The inside is so…

A TASTE OF PARADISE NORTH & CENTRAL LOUISIANA Hosting one of Louisiana’s signature crawfish events, as well as festivals honoring the area’s heritage, north and central Louisiana have a full slate for the whole family. Mudbug Madness takes over Shreveport from May 24–27, and with it comes tons of crawfish, dozens of local bands, as well as competitive crawfish eating contests. Nearby Ruston might be known for its peaches, but the city’s recently renovated Railroad Park hosts musical acts and local artisans at The Railroad Festival (April 7). Other festivals, like the Zwolle Loggers and Forestry Festival (May 11–12), celebrate the importance of that industry to the Toledo Bend Lake Country area with great Louisiana music, arts, crafts and, of course, Zwolle’s famous tamales. BIG FUN ON THE BAYOU CAJUN COUNTRY Crawfish season may be…