Earlier this week I pulled out my sous vide wand, mixed up a marinade pulling flavors from our extensive Vietnamese community, and put it and a flank steak in my silicone sealable food-save bag. I cooked it sous vide at 130F for a full 24 hours, then seared it on screaming hot cast iron under the broiler because it was monsooning outside and I don't grill in the thunder and lightening. The steak wasn't quite fork-tender, but it was, hands-down, the best flank steak I've ever cooked. You'll find the recipe, along with 60+ more, in the June/July issue we're working on right now; if you don't subscribe, here's your chance.

For this week's recipes, I selected a slow-braised beef short rib for tacos, although you'll use the meat for other things as well; a crab-stuffed baked tomato because I bought the first Creole tomatoes of the season this week; and a very clever recipe for catfish en papillote using the homely brown paper lunch sack. Enjoy the recipes below, stay safe and healthy, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. 

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

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In the Mail:

Braised Beef Short Ribs

These short ribs braise all afternoon until they shred easily; have your favorite taco toppings on hand and fold these into warm tortillas. Invite friends and never tell them that the stovetop braise did most of the work! You'll find this recipe plus more than 70 more in Tacos by Mark Miller.

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Crab-Stuffed Tomatoes

This is an easy recipe from the classic cookbook Cajun Cuisine that makes a spectacular lunch or light supper when served with a crisp green salad. Select firm ripe tomatoes; this summer's Creole crop would be fabulous. I found the first ones at the grocery store earlier this week.

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Paper Sack Catfish

This clever recipe from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by James Beard award-winning author Martha Hall Foose reimagines the classic en papillote technique for cooking fish, using the lowly paper lunch sack instead. The recipe calls for catfish, but any similarly-sized fish fillet will work just as well.

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