Last week, I wrote a bit about a shrimp stock that Alon Shaya of Domenica prepared before our eyes at Avery Island. I couldn't wait to try his technique of "bashing around the shrimp heads" to extract more shrimpy flavor. So the first chance I got, this past Thursday's farmer's market, I bought some fresh jumbo shrimp to make a stock of my own.
Lately, I've been craving some beefy noodles in a rich broth, something close to ya ka mein. Don't worry that you're not up on your Cajun or Creole foods if you've never heard of it--it's neither. Ya ka mein is a soup with these main characters: beef, soy sauce, and spaghetti noodles, topped with green onions and a hard-boiled egg. You see it at festivals, fundraisers, and Jazz Fest, and rarely anywhere else. Here's a little background on it, from the Gulf Aid concert in 2010:
Jot this down in your travel notebook, your vacation planner, your dream journal, or last year's Jazz Fest ticket: reserve a table for Sunday brunch at Patois next time in New Orleans. If you're into local, good, and hidden, Patois is your dream spot. The brunch menu (not to mention the dinner version) is so good, you'll spend about 15 minutes deciding what to order while you're nibbling the biscuits and muffins from the bread bowl. We looked over many brunch menus before deciding to meet up at Patois, and I think it was one of the best brunches we've had in the city.
Soup weather, a.k.a. my favorite season, has arrived! Once the high dips below 90 for several days in a row, I consider it official. There are so many delectable soups to rustle up and dig into, though, and it's really hard for me, as a devoted soupster, to choose which to make first. This year, I settled on minestrone for its calming, vegetableish effects, but I had an ulterior motive...I wanted to try frying some chickpeas, and I decided they'd come in handy as a crunchy crouton for the soup. I'd planned to include chickpeas in my minestrone, so what could be easier than reserving a few chickpeas from the can and frying them up?
Happy 2011, everyone! Carnival season is well underway. About 5 weeks left til Mardi Gras. Our garage has undergone an intense cleaning. Arcade Fire will be at Jazzfest. We're going to try a small garden. It's shaping up to be a great year.
We were in Oklahoma over New Year's, and didn't get a chance to make our standard black-eyed-pea and greens feast that we've enjoyed since moving here...but here's a simple recipe for some down-home greens 'n peas that'll fit the winter soup bill and sneak in some luck before January's out.
Just take my hand and I'll lead ya!
I promise life will be sweeter,
'Cause it said so, in my dreams...
