Turkey gumbo

Like chili, gumbo has many rules, with most folks believing that their way of making this stew is the best. As I’m not a native of Cajun country, I tend to follow my friends’ leads when making gumbo, though even amongst that group I’ll see variations.

For instance, I have one friend who eschews celery in his gumbo, though another friend swears that without it the pot will never be authentic. Though this celery-loving friend can’t abide by okra in his gumbo, even though an African word for that vegetable, ki ngombo, is what some say gives gumbo its name!



Most of my friends do concur that tomatoes have no place in gumbo, though there are still a few who believe pouring in a can of Ro-Tel certainly won’t hurt. Then there are those that believe potato salad instead of rice is the better starch to add to your bowl, an affectation that seems strange at first but after a few bites you might wonder why you haven’t been serving it this way all along.

I could go on about the endless variations, but let’s jump to why I’m here—to talk about turkey gumbo, a time-honored day-after-Thanksgiving dish in East Texas and Louisiana, of course.
Read more »

Cauliflower and Gruyere macaroni and cheese

The other day, my cousin who now lives in New York asked if I was available for a quick lunch. I mentioned I was about to test a recipe for cauliflower and Gruyere macaroni and cheese and offered for him to come join me. “That sounds really good,” he said. “I’d love that!” But when I told him the recipe would take a little over an hour, he realized his didn’t have that much time, so we grabbed a quick burger instead.

The burger was satisfying. But a couple of hours later when I pulled out of the oven a bubbling casserole full of tender cauliflower and pasta smothered in nutty Gruyere and parmesan cheese, I found it hard to stop taking bites of this simple and satisfying dish, even though I’d already had a big lunch.

Now, I have to admit, when I first saw the recipe for the cauliflower and Gruyere gratin, as it’s called in the book Melt by Garrett McCord and Stephanie Stiavetti, I didn’t think too much about it. Melt’s subtitle is The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, and indeed the book is full of recipes for this comfort classic.



Yet, at heart, the book is a celebration of cheese, and to showcase a wide range of cheeses the authors have taken liberties with the phrase “macaroni and cheese” and also provided recipes for soups, salads, and even desserts where both cheese and pasta are present. If you love cheese, then it’s definitely a book that you will flip through and keep saying to yourself, “I want to make that!”
Read more »

Sweet potato cobbler

This sweet potato cobbler is a little late. My plan had been to write about it back in June, as it’s an adaption of Nathan Jean “Mama Sugar” Sanders’ recipe, a wonderful woman who is renown for her annual Juneteenth celebration where this cobbler is served. But life and stuff got in the way, so I’m sharing it now.

I met Mama Sugar back in March, when Foodways Texas bestowed upon her a lifetime achievement award for her contribution to Texas food. Besides hosting her annual party, Mama Sugar is also a legend in the cowboy world, as she is the leader and cook for her trail-riding group The Sugar Shack Trailblazers. When they’re out on the trail, Mama Sugar and her crew keep the trail riders well fed with her pancakes, stews, and barbecue. But the dish she is probably most famous for her is her sweet potato cobbler.



My first encounter with her version of the recipe was in a 2006 Gourmet article written by Robb Walsh. I wasn’t familiar with the dessert and as a fan of sweet potato pie I was curious how a sweet potato cobbler might taste. That said, I clipped the article, filed it away, and never got around to making it. After the symposium, however, I was reminded that I needed to see what the fuss was about.
Read more »