Cush Cush - That’s what Cajuns do…

Who remembers A. J. Judice’s “cheer” as a crawfish ambassador?

Hot boudain and cold cush cush.

Come on crawfish, push, push push.

My grandma loved cush cush. Whenever she made cornbread, she would save some crumbles in the lid of the rice pot by the stove for her supper. She’d simply add them to a bowl of milk, with sugar, I guess. I was NOT interested.

I’m also told this is not exactly authentic cush cush, couche couche or coush coush. There’s more ways to spell this dish than boudain/boudin.

I know this staple is part of the Cajun heritage. I’ve never had the occasion or particular desire to try it. Yet, I love hearing stories about it.

Charlene, a reader from Port Neches, shared some Cajun foodie memories, because “that’s what Cajuns do.” As a kid she hated the smell of roux and had to go outside when her momma made it, which was pretty often.

“My mom used to make cush cush for me,” she continued. “She would fry cornmeal and maybe a little salt, in a cast iron skillet. I had my bowl of milk, and the cornmeal was hot and crunchy and would sizzle when it hit the cold milk. You had to eat it quickly before it got soggy. I was never a fan of cornbread and milk... too mushy.”

 Wait, there’s more!

“My dad would get a slice of fresh white bread (Evangeline Maid was sooo good), put cracklins on and top it with syrup for a fold over sandwich.”

“So many other memories, like fish courtbuillon (coobeeon), jambalaya and gumbo. When I was in elementary school, my mom started making boudain and selling it from home now and then, just to make a little extra money. I remember thinking it was a lot of work for not much profit,” Charlene shared.

“My daddy would get sacks of oysters and the men would sit outside with gloves and paring knives to shuck them to be cooked. Cocktail sauce, crackers and beer was involved. I think less than half the oysters made it to the house to be cooked. I can remember my mom commenting that that big bunch of oysters didn't yield very many to cook.”

The secret is out about those oysters, Charlene. Now, I have GOT to try that fold over sandwich.

She ended her memory with this:

“I didn't mean to make this so long, but I guess my whole childhood was lots of food memories. That's what Cajuns do.”

Area author Jim LaBove, a Cajun artist and ambassador hailing from Sabine Pass, stresses cush cush is not simply cornbread in milk. He spells it couche-couche and pronounces it coosh-coosh.

“In Cajundom, couche-couche is a cornmeal batter cooked in a cast iron skillet, often with a lid. It seems like this was kinda used as a breakfast meal, but I’m sure others have served it at other times,” he said.

I figure he’s a good source, having written a whole book on gumbo, available from www.cottons-seafood.com.

On my mother’s bookshelf, I found a copy of “Simply Cajun,” a hand-written book by Judi Benoit of China, Texas. She included the following three-line recipe:

Coose

Mix a tiny bit of water with 2 cups of corn meal. Fry in an iron skillet ‘til crisp. Serve with cream and sugar!  

What’s your cush cush story?

Cush Cush is another open debate.  Variations I’ve heard about include crumbling up your cornbread mush into a bowl of coffee milk… This one is very new to me.

Keep those memories flowing.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who would can’t decide if she likes seafood or chicken and sausage gumbo best. Share with her via panews@panews.com

What's in a LaBove Mug? A romantic sunrise water-side date!

 

What’s in a LaBove mug?

Listen to this tale of a perfect sunrise date.

Remember Jim LaBove of Cotton’s Seafood? He wrote all those books about catching seafood from Sabine Pass and getting it to restaurants? He’s been updating his illustrated Cajun Christmas cards with recipes and such, and he’s got his and her mugs in his line. That’s just because they are cobalt blue and pink. I’m a cobalt girl myself.

These mugs debuted at Port Neches Art Walk and the hottest cards were a Cajun Christmas Tree, Mosquito Elf, Santa Alligator and a baby racoon. He’s illustrated them all. Look for a recipe on the back of some.

Now, here’s how LaBove would fill a mug at sunrise.

What’s in Jim’s cup?

“For me, there is only one brand and type of coffee - that would be EIGHT- O-CLOCK brand and their 100% Colombian variety.  When I am feeling like doing something a little different, I will sometime put a teaspoon of hazelnut flavored coffee (again Eight-O-Clock) in with the 100% Columbian.  It gives the coffee a little touch of mysterious.  I was taught by my father, Cotton, to drink and appreciate black coffee but on days when we go crabbing, Dodie and I will bring along a thermos full of hot, Eight-O-Clock, 100% Columbian and a bottle of Carolins Irish Cream.  Just as the sun is rising over the marsh, we will pour ourselves a cup of coffee and a (big) glug of Carolins and somehow it makes the morning's splay of pinks and blues more vivid.  The marsh is home and having a good cup of coffee at daybreak brings back some of my best memories.”

Are you kidding me?

I want to go along for sunrise and this special coffee, but it sounds too romantic to crash an on-the-water morning date with his wife, Dodie. I take every opportunity to mention that she was a cheerleader for the New Orleans Saints.

Want your own mug? Next chance to visit with this family and purchase your haul is Nov. 14 at the famous St. Mark’s Chili Supper & Bazaar. www.cottons-seafood.com is your Christmas Cajun connection.

Racha Siracha Sauce – It’s good to be the king. “Racha” in Thai means “king” and I’m hot for the complex flavors in Racha Organics Siracha Sauce.  This authentic Thai Sriracha sauce grows its own racha peppers on an organic farm in Thailand. They say it is “multidimentional.” I say you’ll want multiple squeeze bottles for home, desk, car, friends…  It’s small-batch, gluten-free and vegan. USDA Organic-certified. Available at  https://racha-organics.com AND Amazon at $11.99 each.

Loving Foods, Planet –  When you want mango salsa and a low carbon footprint? It’s time for a new book that shows you it all starts with your fork. Our choices can help cool the planet, says Cathy Katin-Grazzini. This plant-based chef has a book that should be savored slowly. “Love the Foods That Love the Planet” is full of thoughts and recipes, including: Asparagus Recoup Soup with Crispy Croutons, Salad with Baby Roasted Beets and Citrus, Pretty Apple Packets and things that are new to me and very exciting. Let’s enjoy everything around us.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie filling her cup with stimulating coffee, warm pumpkin tea and cozy thoughts. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Poor ol' Cajuns. Shrimp again?

 

 Those ‘poor’ ol’ Cajuns have to eat shrimp

 

Cajun historian Jim LaBove says his family figured they were “poor” as they lived off the land in Sabine Pass.

All they had to eat was shrimp and crab and such.

The seafood we now consider a treat was what LaBove helped his dad harvest from waters of Sabine Pass. Cotton’s Seafood sold fish, oysters, shrimp and crab to Granger’s Seafood and fed many a family over the decades. If you “broke” an oyster shell cluster on the boat, you had to eat it. No waste for these Cajuns.

 

          “Food was all we had,” LaBove said.

         

          It’s still a pretty good thing to have.

          LaBove shared some history and passion recently for an interactive program. The interaction is that attendees got to eat a fusion variation of his family’s recipes.

 Between servings of Crawfish French Bread, Chicken and Oyster Gumbo, LaBove discussed roux, gardening and the noble profession of bootlegging, a family tradition.

 

          A slide show accompanied the event at the Center for History and Culture of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast at Lamar University. Also on the menu:

Redfish Courtbouillion Served over Cajun Fried Rice and Peach Ice Cream Served with Fruit Cobbler.

          An author and artist, LaBove wrote letters of support to legislators who have recognized Port Arthur as the official Cajun Capital of Texas.

 

As a child, LaBove said his sisters wanted nothing to do with him so he hung out with his mother in the kitchen. Washtubs past their prime became planters for green onions and parsley. The family gathered and dried leaves for file.

The LaBoves bartered for rice and flour for baking bread.

          Cajuns, he said, love Mardi Gras, gumbo and a good fais do do.

“The big, scary thing is making roux, but you can’t learn unless you burn it one time,” he said his mother preached.

          “Food evolves. Make it your own,” the family advocates.

Chef Casey Gates, Chef Traci Gates and Chef Ashley Fisher prepped the food for the Feb. 19 event and the night involved Gates’ culinary students. Adam Nemmers, the center’s assistant director, interviewed LaBove at the program’s end.

Labove’s books, wildlife art and other works can be found at www.cottons-seafood.com

 

 Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who’s grandma Anita Huval hailed from Breaux Bridge, La. Reach Doiron at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Port Arthur is officially Cajun and we have the "real gumbo book.

 

Port Arthur is now the official Cajun Capital of Texas and we’ve got the goods to celebrate. Gumbo is one of our favorite foods and Jim LaBove has a new book about it. No matter how much you already know, you’re sure to learn something new from the man who grew up harvesting seafood out of Sabine Pass waters with his dad. Cotton’s Seafood fed the area. LaBove’s many books and drawings, which often pop up at farmers markets and craft booths, share his “Cajunisms.” Look for talkative Jim and his ever-smiling and friendly wife, Dodie. You’ll leave as friends.

               His latest release is “The (Real) Gumbo Book,” offering “A Deep Dive into the Lifeblood of Cajun Culture.”  If you’re lucky enough to have met LaBove, you know that his writing is just like having a conversation with him. Drawings of local ducks, boats, musicians, kitchen tools and even the plant that gives us file help complete the feeling of being down on the bayou.

               I always say everybody should think their own grandma’s gumbo is the best. There’s room for plenty of good recipes, though. I’d love to try all the different duck and seafood ones discussed in this book. Just follow the recipes.

               Here’s what LaBove says: “Gumbo is an evolving dish that seems to be in a constant state of evolution. Her opinion aside, my Mama would be the first to tell you to make gumbo the way you like it and make the final recipe your own.”

In “The (Real) Gumbo Book,” Get the basics on the components of what makes various types of gumbo sing:

·       *  Roux? Basic and important.

·        * Eggs? Sometimes.

·        * Sausage? If you like.

·        * Holy Trinity? We need that.

·        * File? A thing unto itself.

Lagniappe:

·                Okra and the Cajun Diaspora is a chapter title that makes our bowl of gumbo seem legendary.

·        Learn about dried shrimp and water gumbo

·        The glossary includes words such as lapin, La PAN, Cajun French for Rabbit and

poisson rouge, as in redfish.

Flagship Mailroom and Emporium features some of LaBove's oeuvre. You can shop online at www.cottons-seafood.com. Now as for me, I gotta go get some gumbo.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie already awaiting the next crawfish season in Port Arthur. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Cajun, Louisiana books lead us into Lenten season

If you’re not craving chevrette,  gumbo and a nice cold biere after reading “Splendor in the Salt Grass: A Celebration of Untold Stories in Cajun History,” then I don’t know what, cher. Jim LaBove wrote and illustrated this book as part of what I call his Cotton’s Seafood series. With passion and detail, he tells about his experiences growing up Cajun and collecting seafood from Sabine Pass waters. The family’s background comes out in stories such as “Henri and the Louisiana Black Bear.” Questions on hoodoo? All the little boats that navigate our waters? The great barbecued crab debate? LaBove has stories. Look for all LaBove’s books and some of his very natural artwork at www.cottons-seafood.com You can wear his blue crab on a T-shirt. Now that will bring you some joie de vivre.

 

“Exploring Cajun Country: A Tour of Historic Acadiana” - Are you venturing out of the Great State of Texas into the Sportsman’s Paradise of Louisiana? Consider reading up on the food, music and folktales in a book written by an author I have given a grand tour of Port Arthur. Cheré  Dastugue Coen can tell you about a gris gris, wrap you up in a romance and haunt your dreams. She’s a traveling writer and in “ Cajun Country: A Tour of Historic Acadiana,” she fills us in on places we may have just passed through. Did you know Gonzales is the known as the Jambalaya Capital of the World? Our near-neighbor of Sulphur was once named the “richest 50 acres in the world.” In 1867 the mineral was discovered there and five men died trying to bring it to the surface.

I love the image of a flowering magnolia with floral “fallout” caught in a lower petal as a bee overs in a cup of cream-colored petal. An electric blue peacock of Jefferson Gardens’ Rip Van Winkle Gardens is on the next page, along moss-covered oaks of Avery Island. Coen’s book can be found on Amazon.

                   If I was the Queen of Spain in 1770, I’d be gifting church steeples left and right. St. Gabriel, La. got one. On the next page read about Carville’s leprosariam and Sorrento’s Acadian-Style Shotguns housing. A movie set is another page over in Houmas.

 Mary Kay Charisma – They said Mary Kay was “thinking like a woman.” She went with it. Her pink empire inspired thousands of women to be proud of their contributions to their home and business world. A new book has a “wow” story on every page about her extraordinary personality from business sense to sharing caring moments with her workers and their families, taking chauffeurs to dinner and a passion for burgers.

 “Fixing Food: An FDA Insider Unravels the Myths and the Solutions”  - Food labels, lemonade stands, saturated fats… Richard A. Williams, Ph.D., has produced a book that reads like an angry crime novel. The in-fighting that goes on behind closed government doors is enough to raise your blood pressure higher than a can of high-sodium soup. It should be simple. Tell consumers what’s in the can of food you are feeding your family. Then, make sure they understand what it all means.

               “Say it Now! Say it Right!” - Situations from spinach in your teeth, how do you like my cooking/management/child rearing and the dreaded “does my butt look big” are covered with skill in Mary J. Nestor’s book, “Say it Now! Say it Right!” Digestible short chapters will guide readers through job interviews, spats with friends and relationship bumps. “How to Handle Tough or Tender Conversations” is the subtitle.  Tip: Sometimes saying it right begins with saying you have been wrong before. Lots of tips here and in the back you can make notes on how you have handled things in the past, how you can do better and the consequences of speaking up or not.

“The Art and Science of Drawing” - Author/artist Brent Eviston’s book offers guidance to “Learn to Observe, Analyze and Draw Any Subject.” Ever glance at your tea cup and get an urge to sketch it? That gourd on kitchen counter? Let’s draw it. Ready to make 100 circles? How about a bird? You can do it, he says. The Ever-Changing Line is my kind of project. Draw a line that continually changes in quality and character. Begin anywhere and turn the line into dots, squiggles, explosions and smudges. Change the pressure of your pencil and fill the page. Now you’ve got some inspiration for representational drawing. Keep your mind open, he advises.

Empty Calories of Words – Got writer’s block? Take a break. Listen to music. Exercise. Hey that’s good advice for anyone. Then there’s stay hungry and get feedback. Why do all the food and diet exercises catch my eye in Steve Gamel’s book?  “Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion for the Written Word” is succinct, as he advises writers to be. What’s your niche and who is your audience? Remember to listen when people talk. Don’t make readers work to hard, get to the point and use fewer words. Get rid of those “empty calorie” words. For instance:

·            From “At all times,” to “Always”

·            From “In light of the fact that,” to “Because”

·            From “Have the ability to,” to “Can”

·            From “In order to” to “To”

·            From “On two separate occasions” to “Twice”

Sharing you Magic Dust?  - What’s your magic dust and how do you begin sprinkling it on others? Charisma, resilience and character are bound to be some of the things in the best dust. The opening Mark Cuban story of positive on positive is a good example. Author Mark J. Harris shares profiles of positive people he’s encountered in “Magic Dust: What Is It? Who Has It? How Do You Get It?” I say, let’s all get dusty in 2022.
 

“Committed: Finding Love and Loyalty Through the Seven Archetypes” - Cook for yourself and make dishes that you – not others – love to eat. If you’re not a good cook or you don’t like to cook, eat out by yourself. Ask for a table for one, put away your phone and dine with yourself. Savor and don’t rush. This is advice for a 30-day mind and spirit detox. This book covers getting over hurt and righting one’s self when dealing with workaholics, introverts, narcissists, etc. Hey, we’re all something. But we should all love ourselves, authors Carmen Harra and Alexandra Harra write.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie craving a quiet time and a good book. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Shrimp at home

I plated cold shrimp and spinach salad on a square blue plate and couldn’t help but post it. Likes came in and someone asked where I was eating that fancy meal. Home, I replied. Turns out, I’ve mastered the package of cooked shrimp available at supermarkets. Instead of cooking the cooked shrimp more and shrinking them, I simply let them soak in cold water and drained them. They looked great and were still a bit chilled. My apologies to author Jim Labove of Cotton’s Seafood. His books detail harvesting fresh seafood from Sabine Pass waters and flavoring it with leaves collected by moonlight and ground into file powder. Well Jim, we do the best we can these days. Got to shop from the market.

Bubbie’s Hawaii Mochi Blood Orange is trending this summer, like pumpkin spice in the fall. Bubbie’s Hawaii Mochi is bite-sized into 90 calories. Super-creamy, flavorful ice cream is wrapped in sweet rice dough. I think we southeast Texans need a little longer to get used to this style with Japanese roots. My husband asked “why.” I think the best aspect is that the dough is like the candy coating on one of America’s fave candies. So it melts in your mouth. The dough keeps your sweet treat from melting onto the sidewalk. Varied flavors of ice cream are very good and I suggest you try it to keep the mochi movement going. The more I try it, the more I go for it. www.bubbiesicecream.com Bravus Brewing Co. Who eats all their oatmeal? What if it’s brewed into a nice can of stout? What if it’s non-alcoholic near bear? If you’re down with all that, I present to you Bravus Brewing Co. and their successful experimentation. They’ve got the flavors. Since 2015 this Anaheim, Ca., company has been perfecting the centuries-old brewing craft by packing experience, not alcohol, into their cans. There’s plenty of reasons to reach for one. The taste ought to sell you. I do like a dark and foamy when I go crafty, so Oatmeal Stout was a great choice. Blood Orange IPA is trendy, light and delicious. Amber Ale is another foamy good deal. www.bravus.com Kyla Hard Kombucha Blood Orange raises a hand again to sparkle with Kyla. Keep reading. Kyla Hard Kombucha - Tepache is a fermented drink made with pineapple rind or peel. Peach Tepache with a hint of peach, pineapple, cinnamon & cayenne pepper and Sunset Trio with a hint of passion fruit, orange & guava are a couple of winners in this batch. Kyla Cocktails From the Riviera Series, Crafted & Cultured = Shiso Mint Mojito, Bergamot Blood Orange Fizz and Pom Pom Collins. Anything in either line is just right for summer. www.kylakombucha.com Fire Dept. Coffee Bourbon, whiskey, rum and tequila are off-duty flavors, but they sure perk up your morning coffee. Vanilla Bean Bourbon Spirit-Infused Coffee Fire Dept. Coffee’s “impossibly crafted” smooth and aromatic blend that is a small-batch “YES.” The artistic fire-hat wearing skeleton on “Skull-Crushing Espresso” serves as your warning. As a lover of powerful punches, I love the concept, taste and look of these offerings that support first responders. Forget an image of an overworked firehouse coffee pot of stale brew. Stations have gone gourmet. This coffee is upscale and the crew who thought it up is rightfully proud. www.firedeptcoffee.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who might make you wait to eat until after she photographs your meal. Share what you’ve been enjoying with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Jim & Dodie's Big Adventure

                             You know that full-tilt author-artist-guitarist-cook-famer-talker Jim LaBove and his equally engaging wife, Dodie?

                             Hopefully you’ve read his books, including “Cotton’s Seafood” about his family living off the land and from the waters of Sabine Pass.

                             They’re organically growing English cucumbers, string beans and cherry tomatoes in such stunning fashion that you’ll probably want to take a selfie with them. That’s a “thing” at Jim & Dodie’s Big Adventure. After that, you have fresh veggies, a great memory and a desire to tell everyone you know to call them up and visit their Beaumont spread just off the Eastex Freeway.

                             I finally got to visit the pair and went back to show my husband. A neighbor followed us to get in on the action. Current crops are cucumbers, “Purple” heirloom string beans, mustard and turnip greens, turnips, cherry tomatoes and sweet banana peppers. Corn is on the way.

                             I got to see lacy asparagus sprouting from its bed and get a whiff of chocolate mint. A pot of ruffled, hairy Cuban oregano came home with me, too. Jim can even give interesting lessons on his various piles of compost, a sure sign of a smooth talker.

                             I love that beans in my favorite color, purple, are ready to eat right off the vine with a pleasant crunch. If you stir fry them in olive oil, they’ll get green.

                             Here is what the LaBoves say about their goods: “All of our produce is organically grown without the use of any chemical fertilizers and especially NO chemical pesticides ever. The only things that you will get from eating Jim & Dodie’s famous English cucumbers is a full complement of vitamins, minerals and flavor that nature intended for you to have…. Often, both my wife and I will eat cucumbers right off of the vine as we are harvesting them – without being concerned about Nature’s coating or anything else.”
          Lagnaippe is also a “thing” with these two, so you may go home with printed papers on how to enjoy your purchase, like this: “We recommend lightly rubbing each cucumber under cool tap water and then chopping into sticks or slices or any other way you might decide. Mainly, don’t forget to always eat the skin on Jim & Dodie’s famous English cucumbers. This variety is bred especially for a good tasting skin – it’s never bitter so you don’t ever have to peel them. Try dipping cucumber sticks in your favorite dressing for a healthy treat. Our favorite way to eat them is sliced with extra virgin olive oil and organic vinegar (like Bragg’s). I like to add freshly chopped dill to mine and Dodie likes freshly chopped basil leaves to hers.”

                             Jim has illustrated his books with drawings of the crab, birds, shrimp and wildlife of our area. He’s created a line of Cajun-themed cards and gift tags that will make you feel warm all over.

            Jim & Dodie’s Big Adventure has a Facebook page. When you drive up, you see a big gray business building, not the garden, which is around back. Don’t be fooled. The one-eyed cat, Fauntleroy, is another clue you’ve got the right place. Call (409) 284-4411 and you’ll get more info and then you’ll make a couple of new friends at 7415 Eastex Plaza Drive. JimandDodie.com.

            P.S. Talking Point: Bring up New Orleans, because Dodie is a former New Orleans Saint Cheerleader! You’ll love these guys.

           

                             Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who loves every aspect of farm to table. Got tips? Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com