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Favorite New Orleans
Thanksgiving Recipes
By Judy Walker
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans LA
November 9, 2009
"Every year at Thanksgiving, New Orleans and Gulf Coast residents make their
unique favorite recipes. The Times-Picayune is proud to have been a part of
this tradition, printing these recipes many times.
Mirliton casserole? Check. [Recipe follows.] We have a wonderful one sent in
by a reader in 1997, with crawfish,
shrimp AND crabmeat. Oyster dressing?
Oh yes.
[Recipe follows.]
We have the one from [New Orleans] cooking teacher Chiqui Collier, who says it's
probably the one recipe she's been asked for more
than any other.
The famous
Spinach Madeline? Of course! We have
carrot souffle (just like
the
cafeteria's), and the recipe for
Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
that
I weaseled out of the company the year they
decided to start
selling it as a
take-out item..
The recipe for
Rosie's
Sweet Potato Pies makes four, but
listen
to me:
Just make all of them, OK? You and your guests will eat them,
or you
can freeze a couple or treat the neighbors. We also have
Camellia Grill's
Pecan Pie , since it was published in Kit Wohl's New Orleans
Desserts cookbook.
You better save those turkey bones, too, to make
[Marcelle's] Turkey Bone
Gumbo the next day. It's almost as much fun, if not more,
than
Thanksgiving day.
Mirliton Seafood Casserole
By Keith I. Marszalek, NOLA.com
February 09, 2006
"This mirliton*
seafood casserole recipe originally came from
New Orleans native Carol Katz.
It makes many servings for a
large group and freezes well, so it can be made
ahead of time."
*The Mirliton is a favorite food of South Louisiana. Once
the principal food of
the Aztecs and Mayas the Mirliton made it's way to North America and made
Louisiana one of it's principle homes. It's also grown in California and
Florida.
The Mirliton is also known as the Chayote [chi-OH-tay], Alligator Pear,
Mango Squash and Vegetable Pear." (Thanks to
Cooking Louisiana)
Makes 24 to 30 side-dish servings
12 medium to large mirlitons, scrubbed
2 sticks (1/2 pound) plus 2 tablespoons butter
4 cups finely chopped yellow onions
6 large cloves garlic, minced
6 medium bay leaves
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
1 medium yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 pound peeled crawfish tails, coarsely chopped
1 pound peeled boiled shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
3/4 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire
2 1/2 (about) cups Italian-style fine
dry bread crumbs
Topping
3/4 cup Italian-style fine dry bread crumbs
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter, cut into thin pats
Boil the mirlitons whole until they are fork tender, 45 minutes to
1 hour.
Let cool, then peel skins. Remove and discard the seeds and any stringy pulp. Chop the pulp in small pieces and place in a colander to drain. Set
aside or, if preparing ahead, cover and refrigerate; drain well before using.
In a seven-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until onions are clear, about seven minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the drained mirliton, bay leaves and parsley. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep mixture from sticking to the pan bottom. Stir the bell peppers into the mixture, then add the crabmeat, crawfish and shrimp,
being careful to keep lumps of crabmeat intact as much as possible as
you mix. Add salt, pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire, mixing well.
Gradually add enough bread crumbs, about 2 1/2 cups, to absorb all liquid; once done, the mixture should be moist but not wet. Continue cooking for five minutes more, stirring and scraping pan bottom almost constantly. Remove the bay leaves from the mixture and transfer mixture to two
buttered 13-by-9-inch baking pans or large casserole dishes. Sprinkle
the top of the casseroles evenly with the 3/4 cup bread crumbs and dot
with the pats of butter. (If making ahead, refrigerate or freeze; thaw
before baking.)
To finish the dish, bake uncovered in a preheated 375-degree oven until
the casserole is heated through and bubbly, and the top starts to brown,
about 35 minutes.
Uncle Frank's Oyster Dressing
By Judy Walker
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans LA
November 20, 2008
“Chiqui Collier [a New Orleans cooking teacher] says this is probably the
one recipe she has been asked for more than any other. 'Oyster dressing
is a New Orleans tradition and this is our family's version. It was the
specialty of my Uncle Frank, who was a fabulous New Orleans cook.' “
Makes 12 to 16 servings
1 pint good strong olive oil
2 large white onions, finely chopped
6 to 10 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley, minced
2 loaves stale po-boy French bread,
cubed (French baguette)
8 to 10 dozen large freshly shucked
oysters and their water
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or
a few sprigs fresh
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper
Few drops Kitchen Bouquet
Fill a large frying pan with olive oil about 1/4 inch deep. Cook white
onions until softened and transparent. Add garlic and green onions. Cook
5 minutes. Stir in parsley and cook 2 minutes more. Place cubed, stale French bread in a large bowl.
Cook oysters in their water for 5 minutes, until the edges curl. Remove oysters with a slotted spoon and coarsely chop (or cut in half if small).
Add thyme, salt and lemon-pepper to the oyster water; pour over the
cubed, stale bread and mix well. Add the cooked onion mixture and
cooked, chopped oysters to the large bowl with the bread mixture.
Mix well.
In the skillet used to sauté the onions, put more olive oil, and fry the
dressing in small batches on a high fire for about 5 minutes, adding a
few drops of Kitchen Bouquet to each batch.
Spread the cooked dressing in a large baking pan; cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees
F. for about 40
minutes, until browned. Before serving, spoon some of the turkey
drippings over the casserole.
This freezes well and improves in flavor when it is made a couple of
days ahead. To freeze, prepare the dressing up to the point of frying
it in batches and spreading it in a baking pan. Cool completely. Wrap
tightly first in plastic wrap and then in foil. Defrost in the refrigerator
the night before you want to serve it. Remove all wrappings and bake
as directed.
More New Orleans Favorites
Featured Archive Recipes:
Emeril's Mirliton Gratin
Louisiana Firefighters Give Thanks (2001)
Louisiana Thanksgiving Feast
Marcelle's Baked Stuffed Oysters
New Orleans Oyster and Artichoke Soup
New Orleans Oysters Polo
Tasty New Orleans Traditions
Thanksgiving Side Shows
(Marcelle Bienvenu)
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