Louisiana Cookin' May/June 2022

WHEN I FIRST JOINED the team at Louisiana Cookin’ in 2011, I was very much a newcomer to the Bayou State. Over the past decade, my love for Louisiana has grown with every spoonful of gumbo and steamy crawfish boil, and I am thrilled to be back at the magazine. Along with my return, I’m excited to introduce you to some new team members who, like me, take great joy in exploring the foods, sights, and traditions that make Louisiana so special. Joining me are Senior Culinary Editor Georgia Clarke (loves Ponchatoula strawberries), Assistant Editor Daniel Dubuisson (enjoys perusing farmers’ markets), and Lake Charles native Editorial Assistant Eleanor Fetzer. This is an issue full of new faces and many of our favorite things from around Louisiana with our fourth annual LA 31…

HUYA CRAFT COFFEE YOUNGSVILLE Owners Shayna and David Hines and Kily LaGarde are passionate coffee drinkers who’ve created an idyllic haven for fellow espresso lovers in the Lafayette area to sit and savor specially crafted brews. Their journey as a team started in 2016 when Kily fell in love with Brewed Over, Shayna and David’s mobile coffee bar. Now, the team have joined forces and developed delicious recipes using a range of house-made syrups and glazes, ensuring consistency with every cup. huyacraftcoffee.com CYPRESS BY THE REVENIR SHREVEPORT Tapas take on a Southern twist at Cypress. The team behind the Revenir and Every Man a King Distillery now bring this bright and lively concept to Shreveport. The ingredients for the bite-size servings are both locally and responsibly sourced, packing exceptional flavor into every taste.…

THIS TIME OF YEAR—before the Louisiana summer heat revs up—is absolutely perfect for quick grilled meals that make the most of the season’s fresh produce. In this recipe, a flavorful skirt steak takes a turn over the coals (or a grill pan) and gets paired with a nearly effortless tomato salad that’s been boosted with fresh herbs, garlic, and sweet cane vinegar. STEAK AND TOMATO SALAD MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS Skirt steaks get tougher the longer they’re cooked, so if you like your beef well-done, you may want to choose a different cut. 2 (1-pound) skirt steaks, trimmed2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided2 tablespoons blackened seasoning3 cups halved assorted cherry tomatoes2 Creole or beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced½ cup thinly sliced white onion2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley1…

WHILE BELL PEPPERS add a sweetness to the classic Louisiana trinity, it’s easy to overlook how adaptable, versatile, and interesting they can be. Whether as part of the flavor background (as they are in the trinity), a vessel for other foods, or in a leading role, bell peppers are a large part of what makes Bayou State cuisine taste the way it does. Gumbos, étouffées, sauce piquantes, and more just would not be the same without them. Many bell peppers are harvested in the green-mature stage, according to the LSU AgCenter, but many others turn red, yellow, orange, or purple at their full maturity. Backyard gardeners may opt to harvest their peppers at the first blush of color to avoid decimation by Louisiana’s wide variety of veggie-loving pests. Thankfully, the peppers’…

I REMEMBER WATCHING a movie (based on a novel) titled The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. After watching the story of the four girls’ friendship, loyalty, and love, I realized the Folse family was a brotherhood that included my dad, brothers, grandfathers, and uncles. The common denominator that forged that brotherhood was the black iron pot from which came hundreds of delicious gumbos, rich étouffées, and spicy sauce piquantes. Black iron pots often become heirloom cookware—legacy gifts passed from one generation to the next. Such is the case with the Brotherhood of the Traveling Black Iron Pot. Originally used by Albert “Papere” Zeringue for the annual Zeringue family boucherie (a.k.a. hog killing), the pot was bequeathed to his son-in-law (my dad), Antoine Royley Folse Sr. The classic Cajun dishes that Daddy…

Quebedeaux’s Cajun Café 3800 Monroe Hwy. • Pineville 318.704.5935 quebedeauxscajuncafe.com FOR THE PAST DECADE, John Valenzuela has been on an unwavering mission to bring culture to central Louisiana, and with a handful of restaurants on his plate and more to come, he’s well on his way. John grew up the way many of us only read about. He was raised in Lafayette but spent summers with his grandparents in Texas, where he learned where real food came from at the hands of his Cherokee great-grandmother. “She never went to the grocery store,” says John. “She grew mulberry trees and peach trees and raised her own pigs and goats.” He remembers the different chiles she grew—arbol, poblano, and guajillo to name a few—and the cheese she would make with milk from her cows. His great-grandmother also grew corn…