The Southern Po' Boy Cookbook (4 page)

strawberry jam

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons cane syrup

1}
  To make strawberry jam, mash the strawberries in a large, wide bowl. In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix together the mashed strawberries, 4 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to high, and bring to a full rolling boil. Keep at a boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220°F on an instant-read thermometer, then remove from the heat. Pour into a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

2}
  Beat the eggs in a bowl or baking dish large enough to submerge the bread in. Add the milk, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, and vanilla extract, and mix well. Soak the bread in the egg mixture, coating both sides.

3}
  In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter and oil. Fry the bread until golden brown on both sides.

4}
  Place the bacon on the bottom half of the bread, then top with strawberry jam, cinnamon, and powdered sugar. Add syrup, close the sandwich, and cut into 2 sections to serve.

NOW YOU KNEAUX

The reason we say WHO Dat?

The SAINTS, I thought you KNEW Dat!

Come join the chosen FEW Dat

Do dis like we DO Dat!

And get accustomed TO Dat!

Yeah, you right and TRUE Dat!

For Halloween it’s BOO Dat!

For football we say DREW Dat!

For Gumbo we like ROUX Dat!

For Mardi Gras it’s KREWE Dat!

Abita Beer, hey BREW Dat!

And Audubon is ZOO Dat!

The reason we say WHO Dat?!?!

The SAINTS, I thought you KNEW Dat!!!

Well, at least . . . Now You Kneaux!

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

“But the truth is something I’ve said many times, that the best way to describe New Orleans is that if you love them, they will love you back.”

—Drew Brees

THE ITALIAN

Spicy Italian Sausage Po’ Boy

Who says making a po’ boy has to be a complicated endeavor? If you like the simple methods best, this is the one for you! It’s easy yet succeeds at satisfying even the most insatiable appetites.

Serves 2 to 4

8 (4-ounce) links fresh spicy Italian sausage

1 (26-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 onion, sliced

Assembly

2 (12-inch) loaves French bread, split nearly apart

Louisiana-style hot sauce

1 (8-ounce) package shredded Italian cheese blend

1}
  Place the sausage links, spaghetti sauce, bell pepper, and onion in a slow cooker. Stir to coat all the ingredients.

2}
  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Place 4 of the cooked sausages on each loaf of French bread and ladle a generous amount of the sauce over the top. Add hot sauce to taste and as little or as much cheese as desired. Serve immediately.

THE BYWATER

Eggplant Parmesan Po’ Boy

The Bywater area of NOLA isn’t outside of the U.S. like the other recipes in this International Affairs chapter, but my friend Pam is Italian-American and she lives in the Bywater and she makes this po’ boy all of the time!
Seaux
now do you see my logic?! If not, hey, it’s still an awesome po’ boy.

Serves 4

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

1 eggplant, thinly sliced

1 cup tomato sauce

8 (1-ounce) slices mozzarella cheese

Assembly

4 (6-inch) loaves French bread, split nearly apart

6 pickle spears, sliced

4 leaves romaine lettuce

1}
  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2}
  Place the beaten eggs in a shallow, wide dish, and the bread crumbs on a large plate. Dip the eggplant slices in the egg, and then dredge in the bread crumbs, tapping off the excess. Place in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on one side, then flip and bake for 5 minutes on the other side.

3}
  Remove the eggplant from the oven, and transfer to an oiled, 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Cover the eggplant slices with the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

4}
  Place the rolls directly on the oven rack to crisp them up for about 3 minutes. Line the bread with pickles and lettuce, and place the baked eggplant on top. Serve immediately.

THE SWEDISH

Meatball and Gravy Po’ Boy

My friend Eric Olsson of
www.redbeansanderic.wordpress.com
, foodie extraordinaire and NOLAvore, is of Swedish ancestry and enjoyed the challenge of developing a recipe for this po’ boy. First thing I did was test it to make sure it tasted as scrumptious as it sounds, and I’m happy to report that YES it was totally incredible!

Serves 2 to 4

Meatballs and Gravy

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided

2 tablespoons grated onion

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup flour

4 cups beef stock

1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Assembly

2 (12-inch) loaves French bread, split nearly apart

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin

pickle slices

1}
  In a small sauté pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and cook the onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. With your hands, mix together the ground meat, sautéed onion, egg, milk, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Dampen your hands, and form the mixture into balls about 1 to 1-1/2 inches across (about the size of a golf ball). You should get about 35 to 40 meatballs. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, about 8 to 10 at a time. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter before cooking each batch. Once all the meatballs are nicely browned, put them in a bowl and set aside.

2}
  To make the gravy, use the same nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter, and then stir in the flour to make a roux. Heat the beef stock in the microwave on high for about 3 minutes. Continuously stir the roux until it has reached a coffee color then slowly mix in the heated beef stock while stirring, and continue until the gravy is smooth.

3}
  Add all the meatballs to the pan containing the gravy, and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove the meatballs to the bowl. If desired, mix sour cream into the gravy, and simmer on low until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4}
  Place the meatballs on the bottom half of the bread, and dress with lettuce, tomato, and pickle slices, then top with gravy. Nice and messy! For another Swedish touch, you could spread lingonberry jam on the top half of the loaf. Close the sandwich, and slice into 2 sections to serve.

THE HAVANA

Cuban-Style Pork Po’ Boy

Sugar and spice and everything nice — what girls are made of? Maybe, but sometimes, certain BOYS are too! Ya
kneaux
?!

Serves 4

Pork Roast

1-1/2 cups cold water

4-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning, divided

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced

4 allspice berries (optional)

1/2 cup dark rum

2 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/4 head red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon roasted peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Assembly

4 (6-inch) hero rolls, split

1/4 cup Creole mustard

4 tablespoons mayonnaise or sour cream

sweet pickles

pickled peppers (optional)

4 (1-ounce) slices Swiss cheese

1}
  Make a brine for the pork by combining the water, 3 tablespoons salt, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and allspice berries, if using, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and stir in the rum. Cool to room temperature. Place the tenderloins in a wide bowl or shallow container, pour the brine over them, and cover. Alternatively, place the tenderloins and brine in a large Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.