In
the Cajun Capital of Texas – that’s Port Arthur if you didn’t know – there’s
likely a green can of Tony Cashere’s at the ready for just about anything we
cook. It’s one seasoning that is probably used once a week or more to pair with
the Cajun Trinity. That’s Tony Chachere’s.
This
Creole Seasoning, also big with Cajun cooks, is a fast favorite we don’t want
to be without. My mom kept “Tony Chachere’s Cajun Country Cookbook” on the
shelf T.C. was from the Opelousas,
Louisiana area. His line is familiar to us all in this region. The first
printing was in August of 1972 and Mom’s was the 23rd printing of
October, 1990. It’s time to pass it on. My nephew is getting the book.
This doesn’t fall into the category
of Millennial Inheritance. He wants this book and is eagerly awaiting its
arrival. Likely it will be delivered to North Carolina with some boudain that
he always requests. I’d say he misses “Southern” cooking, but he’s doing well
up there with the ingredients he has.
Tony
C. had many careers, including drug rep and insurance salesman. He hunted and
cooked enough to become famous for it. Now, with a little shake from the green
can, we cook like he did. In this book, some suggested uses include Tony’s on
hogshead cheese, liver, lamb fries and tripe.
Here’s
some of the book’s recipes that could use some Tony’s:
·
Fried
Frogs
·
Turtle
Stew
·
Fish
Croquettes
·
Tony’s
Nutria Sauce Piquante
·
Tony’s
Barbecued Alligator
·
Baked
Juicy Swamp Rabbit
·
Broiled
Brandied Shrimp
·
Coot
in Soy Sauce
·
Dove
Casserole
No
Need for Tony’s:
Not
every dish calls for the seasoning. Her’s an exception: Louisiana yam, coconut
and orange casserole.
Lagniappe
from the book
·
Filé –
Make your own by breaking sassafras branches in an August full moon.
·
Cucumber
Soup, made with margarine, flour and egg yolk.
·
Crawfish
Crepes, from Executive Chef Hans John of the Shamrock Hilton in Houston.
·
Basic
roux is one of the first recipes in the book. The final page offers a deviled
ham dip that calls for pimento cheese spread, mayo, deviled ham and grated
onions. It doesn’t even call for Tony’s, but I’d put it in there, me cher.
Footnote
I
recently passed a billboard for Tony’s company store in Louisiana, but it was
not on my way. I have to save that for later. When I got to my hotel in Baton
Rouge, there was a display of Tony’s seasonings for sale in the lobby, near a
big stuffed to a big stuffed toy of Mike, the LSU tiger.
Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie
craving some Cajun and Creole flavors right now. Share you memories with her
via panews@panews.com
