Okra Gumbo

Ingredients

• Four skinless chicken breasts,
• One tablespoon of Crisco Shortening
• One tablespoon of white onion,
• One tablespoon of all-purpose flour,
• Salt,
• One slice of ham,
• Three red pepper pods
• Four pods of okra
• Two cans of stewed tomatoes

Directions

1. Cut chicken breasts and ham into small cubes.
2. Add shortening and flour into a saucepan and stir until light brown.
3. Once the rue (gravy) is ready slowly add chicken, and onion to saucepan stirring occasionally. 
4. Add ham, red peppers and salt to taste after adding a quart of boiling water.
5. Let cook over medium heat for two and a half hours.
6. Next chop okra and place in sauce pan with one cup of water and simmer for fifteen minutes.
7. Add two cans of stewed tomatoes and slow cook for an hour.
8. After gumbo has cooked for two and a half hours; remove from fire and let cool.
9. Skim the grease off the top and add okra and tomatoes to the contents.
10. Finally simmer slowly for one hour until all ingredients are thoroughly cooked.
11. Dish can be eaten over rice if preferred.

—Mme. Eusis, Me’re.
—Whitchurch.

Source - Cooking in Old Creole Days

Prepared by Christina Ross 

Louisiana Anthology

January 12, 2015

Okra Gumbo

Ingredients

• Four skinless chicken breasts,
• One tablespoon of Crisco Shortening
• One tablespoon of white onion,
• One tablespoon of all-purpose flour,
• Salt,
• One slice of ham,
• Three red pepper pods
• Four pods of okra
• Two cans of stewed tomatoes

Directions

1. Cut chicken breasts and ham into small cubes.
2. Add shortening and flour into a saucepan and stir until light brown.
3. Once the rue (gravy) is ready slowly add chicken, and onion to saucepan stirring occasionally. 
4. Add ham, red peppers and salt to taste after adding a quart of boiling water.
5. Let cook over medium heat for two and a half hours.
6. Next chop okra and place in sauce pan with one cup of water and simmer for fifteen minutes.
7. Add two cans of stewed tomatoes and slow cook for an hour.
8. After gumbo has cooked for two and a half hours; remove from fire and let cool.
9. Skim the grease off the top and add okra and tomatoes to the contents.
10. Finally simmer slowly for one hour until all ingredients are thoroughly cooked.
11. Dish can be eaten over rice if preferred.

—Mme. Eusis, Me’re.
—Whitchurch.

Source - Cooking in Old Creole Days

Prepared by Christina Ross 

Louisiana Anthology

January 12, 2015

Delicious Stew

Ingredients

• Two pounds of beef tip stew meat
• One half stick of butter,
• One tablespoon of white onion,
• Two tablespoons of all-purpose flour,
• Two tablespoons of fresh parsley,
• One half cup beef stock or mutton broth,

Directions

1. Place beef tips in a two quart sauce pan over medium heat for two minutes
2. Once golden brown; remove beef meat from pan
3. Next add butter, onion, parsley, flour, and stock into sauce pan and simmer for one half hour
4. Finally, return browned beef tips to contents and stir in lightly
5. Cover sauce pan with lid until ready to serve

—Katie Seabrook, Pres. Mckinley's Colored Cook.

Source - Cooking in Old Creole Days

Prepared by Christina Ross 

Louisiana Anthology

January 12, 2015

Delicious Stew

Ingredients

• Two pounds of beef tip stew meat
• One half stick of butter,
• One tablespoon of white onion,
• Two tablespoons of all-purpose flour,
• Two tablespoons of fresh parsley,
• One half cup beef stock or mutton broth,

Directions

1. Place beef tips in a two quart sauce pan over medium heat for two minutes
2. Once golden brown; remove beef meat from pan
3. Next add butter, onion, parsley, flour, and stock into sauce pan and simmer for one half hour
4. Finally, return browned beef tips to contents and stir in lightly
5. Cover sauce pan with lid until ready to serve

—Katie Seabrook, Pres. Mckinley's Colored Cook.

Source - Cooking in Old Creole Days

Prepared by Christina Ross 

Louisiana Anthology

January 12, 2015

Chicken Croquettes

Ingredients

• Two chickens weighing six pounds
• Two onions
• Two carrots
• Half pound of butter
• One tablespoon of flour
• Bunch of thyme and parsley
• Pinch of cloves 
• Half grated nutmeg
• Four boiled eggs
• Half cup of stock (in which the chickens are boiled in)

Directions

Inside Mixture

1. Boil fowls in sufficient water to cover them
2. Add two onions, two carrots, small bunch of thyme and parsley, a few cloves and half a grated nutmeg to boil
3. After they have become cold and very tender, divest them of skin, fat gristle and tendons
4. Chop the meat as fine as possible
5. A half pound of butter to each chicken should be put into a saucepan with a tablespoonful of flour, and cook together
6. Stirring constantly to prevent burning
7. Add a half cup or so of the stock in which the chickens are boiled and a tumbler of rich cream
8. Boil eight or ten minutes, stirring constantly
9. Remove from the fire and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg
10. Mix well. Stir in milk rapidly
11. Add the yolks of four eggs
12. Put all on the fire and stew the mixture for a moment, stirring briskly

Outside Coating

1. After stirring, pour the mass out in a flat dish, and let it remain until perfectly cool
2. Then make it up into pear shaped rolls with the assistance of a little flour to prevent the mixture from sticking to the fingers
3. When all are ready, dip each one separately into the yolk of eggs beaten with a little cream, and roll them as fast as dipped into fresh bread crumbs made from day old bread
4. Let them stand for an hour or so to dry
5. Now fry them a delicate brown in plenty of clear frying hot lard
6. Lay them in a colander to drain
7. Serve on a napkin in a warm dish

Source - Cooking in Old Creole Days

 Prepared by Khallum Hall  

Louisiana Anthology

January 11, 2015

Chicken Croquettes

Ingredients

• Two chickens weighing six pounds
• Two onions
• Two carrots
• Half pound of butter
• One tablespoon of flour
• Bunch of thyme and parsley
• Pinch of cloves 
• Half grated nutmeg
• Four boiled eggs
• Half cup of stock (in which the chickens are boiled in)

Directions

Inside Mixture

1. Boil fowls in sufficient water to cover them
2. Add two onions, two carrots, small bunch of thyme and parsley, a few cloves and half a grated nutmeg to boil
3. After they have become cold and very tender, divest them of skin, fat gristle and tendons
4. Chop the meat as fine as possible
5. A half pound of butter to each chicken should be put into a saucepan with a tablespoonful of flour, and cook together
6. Stirring constantly to prevent burning
7. Add a half cup or so of the stock in which the chickens are boiled and a tumbler of rich cream
8. Boil eight or ten minutes, stirring constantly
9. Remove from the fire and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg
10. Mix well. Stir in milk rapidly
11. Add the yolks of four eggs
12. Put all on the fire and stew the mixture for a moment, stirring briskly

Outside Coating

1. After stirring, pour the mass out in a flat dish, and let it remain until perfectly cool
2. Then make it up into pear shaped rolls with the assistance of a little flour to prevent the mixture from sticking to the fingers
3. When all are ready, dip each one separately into the yolk of eggs beaten with a little cream, and roll them as fast as dipped into fresh bread crumbs made from day old bread
4. Let them stand for an hour or so to dry
5. Now fry them a delicate brown in plenty of clear frying hot lard
6. Lay them in a colander to drain
7. Serve on a napkin in a warm dish

Source - Cooking in Old Creole Days

 Prepared by Khallum Hall  

Louisiana Anthology

January 11, 2015

New Orleans Oyster Soup

Ingredients

• Pint of fresh water 
• A quart of oysters
• Pinch of parsley
• Butter
• Flour
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

1. Make “a brown” [a roux];  putting a lump of butter or lard into a saucepan
2. Adding flour, and stirring until it becomes a rich brown, but is not burned
3. Add to your brown, salt and pepper
4. Take a quart of oysters, separate them from their water
5. Add a pint of fresh water to your brown
6. Then put in the oyster water
7. Let it simmer slowly for half an hour
8. Then put in a little parsley
9. Add your oysters a quarter of an hour before serving
10. A few minutes before serving, cayenne pepper or green onions can be added to taste

—Josephine Nicaud, New Orleans

Source - Cooking in Old Creole Days

 Prepared by Khallum Hall

Louisiana Anthology

January 11, 2015