Turkey Reubens

Makes 2 Sandwiches
I made about 5 small ones with a bakery loaf.

1/3 C Mayo
1 T Ketchup (I subbed with spicy ketchup)
1 T sweet pickle relish
2 t cider vinegar
4 slices rye bread
6 oz sliced cooked turkey (turkey breast clearly slices better than chunks of dark meat. And it is easier to eat the sandwich later)
3/4 C drained sauerkraut
1/4 lb sliced Swiss cheese (4-8 slices)
3 T unsalted butter
( a large pinch of chili powder for the dressing)

1) Whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, vinegar, and 1/8 T each of salt and pepper (and chili powder). Spread on bread and make sandwiches with turkey, sauerkraut, and cheese.

2) Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, then cook sandwiches, turning once, until bread is golden and cheese is melted. About 6 minutes total.


This sandwich was awesome! Having a bakery-style sliced rye bread with seeds and the works was nice and helped the sandwich hold up against the sauces.

For the corresponding post on MeetAndEatOnline...

Spinach au Gratin a la Minnie (Miss Helene Villere)

6 bunches of spinach (no idea how much is in a bunch. I just got a lot)

cream sauce (no idea what kind or how much. I used 2/3rs of a jar of Classico Alfredo)

1/2 lb cheese (no idea what kind. I grated whatever hard cheeses were in my fridge)

hard-boiled eggs (no idea how many. I ended up with 5)

Bread Crumbs
Butter


Pluck the veins and stems thoroughly from the spinach, boil it in a minimum of water, then press it through a colander and whip it well. (No idea what "whip it well" means, but I laughed really hard as I beat the spinach in the colander)

Dissolve the cheese in the cream sauce, In a baking-dish, put a layer of spinach, then a layer of the sliced hard-boiled eggs (3 or 4 slices to one egg) then a layer of sauce. Repeat until the dish is filled. Top with bread-crumbs, dotted with butter, and bake. Spinach as angels would eat it!

(Happy angles for sure! Since this was all over the place, I took a few liberties. I put a layer of spinach, then crumbled all the eggs and made a layer, then the Alfredo sauce, then the cheese, then more spinach, then bread crumbs, then butter and baked till I saw bubbling...about 30 minutes at 350. This was a delicious "vegetable" dish that cracked me up!)

Natalie Scott & Caroline Merrick Jones, "Gourmet's Guide to New Orleans" 1933

Jalapeno Cheese Grits

1 C stone-ground white corn grits (I used *gasp* Quaker's and they were still great)
1 jalapeno pepper
3 T butter
2 T mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Edam cheese (or whatever hard cheese you have)
Salt

1. Heat 4 C of water in a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until it comes to a boil. Slowly pour in the grits while whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes.
2. While the grits are cooking, pan-roast the jalapeno pepper in a small skillet over high heat until the skin is brown and blistered. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove the skin and the seeds from the pepper and discard. Mince the flesh and add it to the pot of grits.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and fold in the butter, mascarpone, and Edam cheese. Season with salt.

I salted the water from the beginning and adjusted seasoning as I went. You will see that I also mixed in bacon chunks.

John Besh, "My New Orleans: The cookbook, 200 of My Favorite Recipes & Stories from My Hometown (2009)

The Sazerac

"The Official Sazerac Cocktail"

1 cube sugar
1 1/2 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey or Buffalo Trace Bourbon (Note that this is branded liquor by the company who supplied the recipe)
1/4 ounce Herbsaint (or absinthe)
3 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters
Lemon Peel

1. Pack an Old-Fashioned glass with ice
2. In a second Old-Fashioned glass place the sugar cube and add the Peychaud's Bitters to it, then crush the sugar cube
3. Add the Sazerac Rye Whiskey or Buffalo Trace Bourbon to the second glass containing the Peychaud's Bitters and sugar
4. Empty the ice from the first glass and coat the glass with the Herbsaint, then discard the remaining Herbsaint
5. Empty the whiskey/bitters/sugar mixture from the second glass into the first glass and garnish with lemon peel

Sazerac Company Inc, www.sazerac.com/company

Sazerac-Havana Style

1 t sugar
drops of absinthe
1 glass rye or Bourbon whiskey
dash of Angostura (bitters)
Drops of orange bitters

1. Put in glass with ice. Stir, but do not shake

Natalie Scott & Caroline Merrick Jones, "Gourmet's Guide to New Orleans" 1933

Sazerac Cocktail

Herbsaint or absinthe
twist of lemon peel
2 shots rye whiskey
1 shy shot simple syrup
4 dashes Peychaud's or Angostura bitters (some advocate doing half and half of each)

1. Rim the glass with Herbsaint or absinthe. Twist the lemon peel to release the oils, then drop it into the glass.
2. Pour the rye, simple syrup, and bitters into a cocktail shaker filled with crushed ice and shake well. Strain inot the prepared glass.

John Besh, "My New Orleans, the Cookbook" 2009

For the corresponding post on MeetAndEatOnline...

Red Sauce Vs. Red Gravy

From: "Not Forgotten" by Elizabeth Williams in Southern Cultures, Winter 2009

Nana's Basic Tomato Sauce
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1 anchovy, mashed
3 large onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
2 carrots, grated
1 small can tomato paste
5 pounds tomatoes, put through a food mill or 3 large cans crushed Italian tomatoes (I used canned tomatoes)
1 C red wine
2 bay leaves, whole
2 T dried oregano
Juice and zest of half a lemon
S+P to taste

1. heat oil in a large pot with a heavy bottom
2. slowly saute anchovy until it dissolves (I skipped this because I do not like anchovies and was not willing to do it all over again if I could, in fact taste them)
3. Saute onions, garlic, celery, and carrots until very soft
4. Add tomato paste and continue cooking until caremelized
5. Add the tomatoes, wine, and bay leaves. Stir. Cover and simmer for at least an hour (cooking time for fresh tomatoes will be longer)
6. Continue simmering uncovered to allow to thicken.
7. Add oregano, zest, and lemon juice. Cook 15 minutes and serve over spaghetti with cheese if you wish.

Creole Red Gravy
1/4 C bacon grease
1/4 C flour
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
3 cans tomato sauce (no, I have no idea what size)
1/4 C parsley, chopped
1 t dried thyme
1 t Louisiana hot sauce (or more to taste)
S+P to taste

1. heat bacon grease in large pot with a heavy bottom
2. Slowly saute flour, stirring constantly, until it is the color of cafe au lait
3. Add onions and garlic. As they soften, add celery, bell pepper, and scallions.
4. When vegetables are soft, add the tomato sauce. Stir. Simmer for about an hour (Be careful that it doesn't burn at the bottom of the pot!)
5. Add parsley, thyme, and hot sauce to taste, S+P to taste. Serve over spaghetti with cheese if you wish.

Check out MeetAndEatOnline for the corresponding blog post