According to their announcement, during Red Cross Month, “…the Southeast Louisiana Chapter kicks off a campaign to recognize and thank the supporters and volunteers whose efforts enable the Red Cross to respond to disasters down the street, across the country and around the world.” New Orleans diners and cocktail buffs can participate, too, with these fund-raising offerings from Cure and Dante’s Kitchen.
At Cure, order “The Red Cross Cocktail”, a libation specially made for the Southeast Louisiana Chapter, and $7 of every cocktail sold will be donated to the group. This refreshing adult beverage is a rum sour with a splash of red wine, and described as a “claret version of a daiquiri”. It will only be available during the month of March.
Wednesday nights at Dante’s Kitchen, with every Shrimp & Grits appetizer ordered, the restaurant will donate 20% of the menu price to the Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter.
Be sure to check out the full list of Red Cross Month events for free and low-cost programs, including another charitable dining incentive from Chili’s restaurants.
I was suffering from a MAJOR sweet tooth, but wanted nothing to do with a pastry or cookie from the food court across the street. Instead, I called up my pals over at Yokohama Sushi (201 Baronne St.) and they delivered me a fun fried banana to satisfy my craving.
In the year 2000, if your business had a website, people were impressed. Ten years later, it’s a necessity. When it comes down to it, if I am trying to decide between two well-recommended businesses, but only one has a website, I will most likely patronize the business with the online presence. Why? Because I’m not made of money, to put it bluntly. I want to know that I will be comfortable and that the amenities are to my liking. Being able to see a business’ website before I visit them gives me an idea of what I am in for. What about you? Just for fun, here’s a little poll I threw together.
Looking for a fresh take on a crunchy salad? Look no further than Daniele’s Kale Salad recipe, made with locally-grown greens. -Leslie
Now that Lent us upon us, I know that some of you are cutting back on the meat, especially on Fridays. One of our NOLA Eats friends (Hi, Emmy!) is taking this time to learn new ways to cook veggies without relying on pork products for seasoning. She asked me to share my recipe for kale salad. I picked up a bunch of kale from the Hollygrove Market and Farm this past Saturday, so now we have the perfect opportunity to do so.
Back in October, for the NOLA Eats fall pot-luck, I made a kale and blue cheese salad that was inspired by a salad I’d had at Satsuma Café. I suspect I’m not the only one who had never tried (or even thought to try) eating raw kale. I figured it would be too bitter to eat without cooking. As it turns out, raw kale isn’t bitter at all! It’s got a strong flavor, sort of a cross between broccoli and cabbage.
Shortly after Satsuma Café taught me that kale is a good food to eat raw, I came upon a Martha Stewart recipe for kale slaw. I thought the idea was brilliant, but didn’t really like the particulars of the recipe, so I decided to come up with my own.
And so, I give you my recipe for kale salad with buttermilk-blue cheese dressing and walnuts. This recipe is by no means exact. I am the sort of cook that just throws things together as I go, so please feel free to improvise to suit your own tastes.
Daniele’s Kale Salad
In a separate container, make the dressing by combining:
1.5 c buttermilk
1/4 c mayo
1/3 c crumbled bleu cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Buzz the dressing with an immersion blender (or your mixing implement of choice) until it’s well mixed, but some of the cheese chunks still remain.
Wash the kale and remove the tough stalks. Chop it up into roughly bite-size pieces and put it in a big bowl. Toss the kale with enough dressing to coat well (you probably won’t need all of it). Handy Tip: Make certain that the kale is dry before tossing with the dressing. Wet greens will dilute your dressing and will cause it not to adhere as well. Stick it in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Toss in some chopped walnuts just before serving. Et voilà! Veggies without pig!
Many of my favorite dishes I prepare at home feature aromatic rices, so I can’t wait to try it. Jazzmen Aromatic Rice can be found at Zuppardo’s and your local Rouses supermarkets. Be sure to get your recipe in by April 1, 2010. Good luck to all that enter!
It’s veggie time, guys and gals! Daniele brings us a new post about a not-so-known provider of Indian cuisine tucked away in the Faubourg Marigny. Enjoy! -Leslie
As anyone who has spent time in New Orleans can tell you, good things can turn up in unexpected places here. So I was pleased, but not exactly surprised, when a neighborhood joint in the Marigny started serving Indian food a few years ago. You may already know Schiro’s for one of the other services provided there: po’boy shop, bar, convenience store, laundromat, guest house. With a list that long, it’s fair to worry that adding yet another activity might just be setting oneself up for mediocrity. That certainly isn’t the case here.
On one side of Schiro’s menu you’ll find the standard (not very veggie-friendly) po’boy shop fare. But flip the menu over and… Score! The menu for Julie’s Little India Kitchen… with vegetarian options! Two of my favorite Indian dishes are on the menu: samosas and saag paneer. The samosas are what I am most impressed by. They are super tasty and great to share with a friend as a starter. The saag paneer is more mildly flavored than others I’ve had, which allows the creamy texture and flavor of the paneer to come through. It comes with the standard basmati rice, papadam and naan to make a nice, filling meal.
I’ll concede that it’s not the most amazing Indian food I’ve ever had, but it definitely hits the spot when I get a craving for it. What I really appreciate about this set-up at Schiro’s is how seamlessly a po’boy shop and an Indian restaurant exist together in the same space. It’s the perfect place to go when you are craving ethic food, but your dining companions are wary of stretching their culinary bounds beyond cheese fries. And if you’ve got friends like that, be sure to give them a bite of your samosa so they know what they’re missing out on!
Despite the fact that the season has yet to begin, I have been plagued with major crawfish cravings. I consulted the NOLA Twitter population for recommendations of seafood restaurants that offer dine-in service. I amassed quite the list of restaurants that I will soon be hard at work scratching off one by one.
A stand-out suggestion came from Chef Mary Sonnier, who stated that she enjoyed the offerings from Smitty’s Seafood in Kenner. Since I don’t make it out to that area too often, I decided to try them out for myself. Knowing that crawfish aren’t at their best right now, I knew that the price per pound would be steep and there was a high probability of being disappointed. I opted for a starter of their seafood gumbo and just three pounds of crawfish.
I am an odd one when it comes to gumbo. I don’t care for sausage, chicken or turkey variations. I prefer a simple seafood recipe that’s easy on the oysters. This cup from Smitty’s was very tasty and did the job of satiating my cravings for a good gumbo. The roux lacked a bit of depth, but was still quite flavorful. The oyster meat, minced and mostly undetectable, added what I thought would be a sufficient amount of its essential flavoring. While I do not like oysters (Yes, I know. Blasphemy.), I don’t think you can make a good seafood gumbo without them.
My daughter ordered a simple ham and cheddar po-boy with a side of baked macaroni. The quality of the ham was better than she and I anticipated and was deemed “yummy”. She also noted that the bread was chewier than she liked, but since I didn’t try the bread, I couldn’t agree or disagree on the matter. The baked macaroni came out in a brick that could easily feed three people. We all sort of stared at it for a few seconds, taken aback by its enormity. I prefer a creamier baked macaroni, but for those who like this home-style variation, it’s a pleaser.
Alright, now let’s get down to business. As I said before, I only ordered three pounds of crawfish. Had I not ordered the gumbo, I would have ordered five. The price per pound is definitely steep this early in the year. At the time of my visit I paid $4.99 per pound. When my tray arrived, I noted that most were intact, of a reasonable size and very few had hard shells. We were already off to a good start!
The seasoning is exactly how I like it; I wasn’t crying in pain, but I wasn’t reaching for the hot sauce, either. The levels of spiciness, saltiness and lemon were well-balanced and even throughout the batch. At another restaurant, I was once served a tray that tasted like it was made from two different pots and weren’t even close to being similar in flavor. Not at Smitty’s. Their crawfish is also very clean. All boiled sides, such as potatoes, mushrooms and heads of garlic, can be ordered at an additional cost. My potatoes came six to an order, I believe, but by the time I decided to get them, I certainly could have done without. I did it in the name of science, I tell ya.
My experience at Smitty’s was a pleasant one, so I thank Chef Mary for the recommendation. I will definitely return in a few weeks when the crawfish are in their prime and the price is more reasonable.
