Simply stated, I enjoy good food. Therefore I am always on the lookout for new and creative ways to make or cook different dishes. I have amassed a substantial collection of cookbooks in my life. In fact, I have a bookcase just for my cookbooks.

One of my favorites is Justin Wilson's Homegrown Louisiana Cookin'. The book was published in 1990 and contains 288 recipes and prices out at $19.95. People from this area use their imagination and take what the land and the water provides and turns food into mouth-salivating dishes. You have a combination of creole dishes which sometimes are complicated to make and frequently use sauces and Cajun cooking which is usually ingredients grown or fished from the surroundings and may often may be a one-dish meal.

The first chapter of Justin Wilson's Homegrown Louisiana Cookin' is Appetizers and as Justin says Louisianans will use any excuse to throw a party so there is a plethora of recipes in this section. One of my favorites is Shrimp Dip which is best when made several hours or even the day before. Basically it is shrimp chopped that you add to a cream cheese-onion mixture with an assortment of spices. I have served this dip at least a dozen times. Also delicious is Shrimp Ceviche which is really a shrimp cocktail. If you looking for something really different, Stuffed Okra is another tasty appetizers. Okra is stuffed with a crabmeat dressing. Yum!

The second chapter is titled Salad and Dressings and filled with different type of salad dressings and all types of salads such as vegetable and pasta. Their potato salad recipe is tasty with olives, onions and celery added to the basic potato and egg mix.

Chapter three is Gumbo and Soups. Gumbo comes from the Bantu word for okra, which is a native of Africa and a primary ingredient in many gumbos. Gumbo is usually served over a bed of rice. I have tried the Seafood Gumbo which is lip-smackin' good with all the different fishes in it.

Sauces and Gravies in the fourth chapter is really where many of Louisianans start their recipes as this contains the instructions on how to make Roux which is the base or sauce for many of the dishes created in Louisiana and France. Essentially a roux is a shortening, oil, bacon drippings, lard or a combination of any of these mixed with flour. I'm fortunate in this department as my mother taught me from an early age how to make a white roux or white sauce and porkchop roux at a young age as this was a favorite gravy of my father. This chapter also contains recipes on how to make hollandaise, horseradish sauce and cocktail sauce to name just a few.

Another favorite chapter in this book is five Rice, Pasta, and Dressing. I have two dishes I like to make which are Dirty Rice which I just made last week and Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. I can smell the rich aroma now of both of those dishes. There also all kind of dressings such as eggplant, seafood, and sweet potato.

The Deep-Fried Turkey is just one of the recipes contained in Chapter six Poultry and Eggs of Justin Wilson's Homegrown Louisiana Cookin'. I thought that this idea was something fairly new, but according to Justin he's been doing it this since the 1930s.

Chapter Seven Seafood is probably one of the thickest chapter in Justin Wilson's Homegrown Louisiana Cookin' as seafood is a big staple in the Louisianans diet. There is also a section on how to crack crabs, peel crawfish, and open oysters along with the recipes to go with them.

In Chapter Eight Meat many of recipes deal with different ways Louisianans fix pork and beef, including some of the less popular cuts like tongue and liver.

Game in Chapter Nine contains ways to fix venison, alligator, dove, rabbit, and frog legs.

Chapter 10 is Vegetables such as the traditional Monday dish of Red Beans served over rice which is good. Also Collards and Ham Hocks another Louisiana favorite is in there. There are several eggplant recipes which is a favorite vegetable of mine along with a few okra recipes.

Cornbread, biscuits, hush puppies, muffins, pancakes, crepes, dumplings, and beignets (fried bread) recipes are included in Chapter 11 Breads.

Desserts in Chapter 12 include recipes for two of my favorites Bread and Rice Pudding. Also a sweet potato pie, pecan pie, the Mardi Gras King Cake and a cheesecake recipe are in this section.

Southern drinks like Orangeade and Mint Julep are included in Chapter 13 Beverages.

The last chapter on Preserves gives instructions on how to make File a spice sprinkled on gumbos and soups. You can also learn how to make hot pepper jelly and other Louisiana favorites from this chapter.

All in all this is an in depth look at the traditional dishes and not-so-traditional dishes that are served on Louisiana tables. I don't know what I would do without this cookbook in my collection as I have found myself time and time again going back to flip through it to find a flavorful dish.



Recommended: Yes