The Big Easy does it

The Philadelphia Flower Show, the oldest and largest event of its kind in the world, opens at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Sunday with a weeklong salute to New Orleans.

Professional and amateur horticulturists will "Jazz It Up," according to this year’s theme. There will be beautiful walled gardens, wrought-iron balconies — unique to the city’s French Quarter — decorated with all sorts of flora, as well as gardening tips and cooking demonstrations.

New Orleans is probably the most unique city in the country. The same can be said for the foods of The Big Easy. The Creole and Cajun cuisines are steeped in French, African, Caribbean and Spanish cultures.

Angie Miller, my Cajun neighbor, is from Lafayette, La. After a recent trip home, she brought back fil� powder and spices, which are an integral part of Cajun fare.

After visiting the Flower Show, head to Reading Terminal Market for the necessities to whip up a pot of gumbo, jambalaya or shrimp Creole. The marvelous thing about New Orleans cooking is so many dishes are made in one pot and can be modified to serve any number of people.

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Jambalaya

Ingredients:

Olive oil, to coat the bottom of a five-quart pot

2 large red bell peppers, diced

2 large onions, diced

4 ribs of celery, diced

4 fat cloves of garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Hot sauce, to taste, optional

1 15-ounce can of chopped tomatoes with their juice

3 cups of chicken stock

1-1/2 cups of long-grain rice

1 pound of medium shrimp, shells removed

1 pound of sea scallops, halved

2 smoked sausages

Directions:

Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high. Add the peppers, onion, celery and garlic and saut� for five to eight minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.

Add the hot sauce, if desired, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil. Add the rice. Lower to simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed. Bury the shrimp, scallops and sausage in the rice. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.

Serves four to six.

Note from Phyllis: Jambalaya comes from "jambon," the French word for ham. Often tasso ham, which is hard to find in Philadelphia, is in this dish. One to two cups of cooked, chopped ham is a nice substitute.

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Shrimp Creole

Ingredients:

Olive oil, to coat the bottom of a four-quart pot

2 red peppers, diced

2 onions, diced

2 ribs of celery, diced

1 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes with their juice

1 cup of dry white wine

1 10-ounce package of frozen okra or 1 pound of fresh okra

2 pounds of large shrimp, peeled

Directions:

Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high. Add the peppers, onions and celery and saut� for five to eight minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.

Serve over hot steamed rice.

Serves four.

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Smoked Duck and Andouille Gumbo from "Crescent City Cooking" by Susan Spicer

Ingredients:

4 duck legs or 1 whole duck

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup of vegetable oil or rendered duck fat, plus extra for cooking the okra

1/2 cup of flour

2 medium onions, chopped

2 bell peppers, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 pound of Andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced

4 jumbo garlic cloves, minced

6 cups of chicken stock

2 cups of sliced okra, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 teaspoon of fresh thyme

1 teaspoon of fil� powder, optional

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

Hot sauce, to taste

Cooked white rice, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the duck in a roasting pan and season with the salt and pepper. Roast the legs for about one hour; the whole duck for about two hours, or until tender. (If desired, save the rendered fat to make the roux.) When cool, pick the meat off the bones.

Heat the oil or duck fat in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or cast-iron pot over medium-high until almost smoking. Add the flour and whisk constantly until the roux turns a deep brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the onions, peppers and celery. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring, for five minutes.

Stir in the sausage and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic. Whisk in the stock one cup at a time. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high. When hot but not smoking, sear the okra and add to the pot, along with the half cup of scallions.

Add the thyme, fil� powder, Worcestershire, hot sauce, duck meat and a little salt. Simmer, stirring from time to time, for at least one hour. Skim off any fat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with the salt, pepper and hot sauce. Serve over the rice and garnish with the reserved scallions.

Serves eight

Note from Phyllis: Roasted chicken can be substituted for the duck.