FALL FOODS
Hurricane Gustav managed to fell a tree on the roof of my home office, but the tree has been removed and blue tarp now covers the holes until a roofer can make repairs. As usual, we in south Louisiana did not go hungry during the hurricane. Although many were without power, we managed to cook (with the help of generators) gumbo and jambalaya. Those of us with butane grills grilled burgers, steaks and whatever else we had in our refrigerators and freezers to keep us going during the clean-up after the storm.
Fall weather (when it gets to south Louisiana) makes me crave for gumbos, stews (especially chicken fricassee), braised beef and other hearty meals. When sweet potatoes (called yams in south Louisiana) are in season, there is nothing better for an afternoon snack (as far as I’m concerned) than baked sweet potatoes drizzled with pure cane syrup. If you tire of sweet potato dishes that are just too sweet, try this. Peel a couple of sweet potatoes, then cut them into 1-inch dice and toss with olive oil, salt, black pepper, cayenne, chili powder, cumin and some smoked paprika (if you can find it). Arrange the potatoes in a baking pan lined with foil and bake at 425 degrees until tender, stirring once or twice, 15 to 20 minutes. They’re great with pork dishes or baked chicken.
