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We finally got a break in the weather this week, and got our first significant rain of the season. So, for dinner Wednesday, I smothered beef tips in a rich brown gravy, made extra-creamy mashed potatoes, and served some stewed green beans with onion on the side. A delicious meal that hit all the comfort zones. Leftovers for Jim tonight.

For my recipe picks this week, I pulled out some of my old community cookbooks and reached back into the archives for a selection of comfort foods from various regions around Louisiana. I always browse the cookbook shelves when I stop in a "junk" shop or a used book store and will take a close look if I come across these; they almost always provide a few real gems that reflect the cooking of the community collecting the recipes. It's a good habit to get into!

So, first up this week, from the archives, chicken stuffed with crawfish, although feel free to use shrimp or crabmeat instead, or a combination. Next, the wildly popular Natchitoches meat pie; this is one I crave, and line up for on the first.  And finally, a seafood baked potato that serves as an entrée. It would take some patience, but I can see adapting this for small new potatoes, and passing them as an hors d'oeurve over the coming holiday season,

Enjoy the recipes, stay safe and well, and eat with gusto. 

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

P.S. You can easily share this newsletter with family and friends, just use the link at the bottom of the page.

P.P.S. The cookbook is getting rave reviews, check out the table of contents on the order form. Makes a perfect gift!

Previous recipes:

 • Croquettes • Seafood Stew • Parmesan-Crusted Flounder with Crabmeat

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140+ recipes, all but a handful with lush photography, all tried and tested-- and tasted!

Bayou Chicken

This recipe specifically calls for crawfish, but shrimp or crab would work equally well. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients- I watched a chef prepare it in 30 minutes, meaning no more than 45 minutes for us mere mortals.

Natchitoches Meat Pies

From Cane River's Louisiana Living, published in 1994 by the Service League of Natchitoches, these meat pies are so popular in the Natchitoches area, there's a festival to celebrate them. They're easy enough to make, and can be frozen after shaping, so make an extra large batch so you have some on hand to fry up and eat whenever the urge hits you.

Seafood-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

From the old community cookbook Down the Bayou... and Back Again, this is the Cajun take on classic loaded stuffed baked potatoes. The original recipe calls for crawfish tails, but you can easily substitute shrimp if that's what you have on hand.