My parents were raised in north Louisiana and moved to southwest Louisiana when I was 5 so neither of them grew up eating cajun food. Mom cooks some cajun food and makes a great gumbo.
Gumbo
My friend since first grade, Sarah, and I picked up fried seafood and brought it back to my sister’s house while waiting for Chad and Nicole to get there. It was fried fish, shrimp and oysters and we got gumbo as an appetizer. Yum!
Fried Seafood
And this time of year, we weren’t about to leave without getting boiled crawfish.
Boiled Crawfish
The last night we were there, we went out and bought sausage and andouille and Chad and I both packed up our coolers to bring a bit of Louisiana goodness home.
While there, my sister was making Tony Chachere’s spaghetti sauce . . at her real house, not at the house where we were staying, so I didn’t get any of it but it made me want some. While looking for my Tony’s cookbook, I came across this old Justin Wilson cookbook:
Justin Wilson cookbook
It doesn’t have the spaghetti recipe but the copyright is 1965 and the second printing, which my book is from, was in 1975. There’s a very dirty page . . Cooked Barbecue Sauce. I had forgotten how much I liked that sauce. I need to try it again to see if it’s as good as I remember.
I did find his spaghetti sauce online and it’s on my menu for next week. We’ll see how my Italian husband likes Cajun spaghetti sauce. Of course, I’ll add meatballs. At some point, I’ll find my Tony Chachere’s cookbook and make that spaghetti.
There was a time when I was very sure we would end up back in Louisiana but I doubt that ever happens. But when I’ve been down there, eaten the foods, visited with family and friends, it really makes me miss my home town.
Dottie N. says
Oh YUM, YUM, YUM…….watching Justin Wilson SO many years ago was one of our highlights of the weekend (hubby, kids and me). Such an entertaining WONDERFUL cook! Thanks for the reminder…..Bon Appetit!
kim webb says
I remember watching JustinWilson on the PBS station, probably sometime in the 80’s I think.
I don’t remember trying to cook anything, but boy did we love listening to the stories he told during the course of the show.
The food looks yummy. Have never had crawfish, but I do believe our bowling tournament is in Baton Rouge next year, so maybe then.
Lee says
Many years ago my brother sent me a couple compilation-type cookbooks from Louisiana on Cajun Cooking. There still packed up awaiting that 3-yr-delayed kitchen remodel 🙁 I have a friend from Lake Charles who lived out here for awhile and she taught me how to make gumbo – guess it has about as many variations as there are cooks who make it. She dished it up in a bowl with rice and shredded cabbage that had been soaked in vinegar (and sans okra), so that’s the way I’ve learned to like it. She also introduced me to Tony Chachere’s seasoning, back when it wasn’t readily available nationally. We can get it easily out here, but she and my brother would occasionally send me some before that. I’ve never been to Louisiana, might consider it some time 🙂
Theresa says
I’ve learned to make gumbo, red beans and rice with sausage and two different kinds of Cajun rice. I love catfish but my husband doesn’t so I’m grateful to live close enough to a Cajun restaurant so I can get catfish and deep fried alligator now and again.
Mechelle says
Mmmmm, what I would give for a pile of crawdads like that! I haven’t had any in years….