Chapter 2 : Louisiana and the Trinity

Taking on the task of making the most bizarre, insane, and unexpected food blog on the planet isn't easy, so Katrina and I left China tired, and in need of a rest. We decided to get back to something normal, a little closer to home, and we figured a stop by New Orleans would be a little more familiar. I lit a cigarette as we stepped off the boat, and grabbed her soft hands and pulled her up beside me. Down the docks I could see ships eagerly pulling in hauls of shrimp.

The last time a Katrina came through New Orleans it wasn't pretty, and we agreed we could keep her identity a secret, but with a giant plume of oil extending off the coast the inhabitants were sure to catch on so we needed to make our way out to the Acadian countryside quickly, and mingle with the immigrants who settled out there.

New Orleans is home to two seperate twin cuisines. The affluent French descendants who still practised Catholicism and spoke French led the charge in this strange land, adapting classical European styles to local ingredients, blending French, Spanish, Mediterranean, African, and Indian cuisines together into food fit for the city.

The Acadian countryside, however, housed something altogether different, despite sharing ingredients. The poor rustic communities would take what they could get, and blended their European heritage more directly with what the land and sea could give them, many dishes consisting of whatever they could find at the time.

The people out there worship the Holy Trinity, or maybe it's 'Da Trinity'. I'm not quite sure how to say it, but it's not the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost like you might think. Turns out, it's a mix of onions, celery, and green peppers, derived from the 'Mir Poux' of their French ancestors. Many of the dishes are thick and stewy. Some, like Etouffe use the starch of wheat blended with butter in Roux. Others, like Gumbo use Okra, a mysterious long green fruit from Africa.

I rushed in without looking, as always, but I had a few important things to back me up. Some hot sauce is always helpful, but it also doesn't hurt to find yourself some capers and gumbo file seasoning. File seasoning takes a little searching for, but it's Sassafras, or a mix of Sassafras and Thyme, that will provide some dishes with a suitably 'Earthy' flavor.

It didn't take me long to find the Trinity in all its glory. The symmetry of the flavor adapts to any dish and makes it stand out, even in something basic like Red Beans and Rice. I recommend finding yourself some par boiled rice. Use Uncle Ben's if you gotta, but skip past the instant stuff. You'll thank me for it later.

Red Beans and Rice
Prep Time: Four hours to overnight
Cooking Time: Two Hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 lb dry red beans
2 quarts water
1 lb sausage (preferably andouille, but kielbasa or italian sausage will do if you can't find it)
1 large onion
1 large green pepper
2 stalks celery
1 bay leaf
2 cups dry rice

Prep:

Soak the red beans for at least four hours in water. The longer, the better. Some people recommend a couple days, but make sure you change the water at least once a day.

Right before you begin, you'll want to chop up your onions, celery, and green pepper.

Cooking:

Drain the red beans and put them into a pot with fresh water. Add everything except the sausage and rice and boil for at least two hours.

Steam your sausage to the side and then slice it up, and toss it in about 15 minutes before it's done. Prepare your rice to the side, following its directions.

When it's done (the beans will be suitably mushy) drain it, and serve with rice.

You may want to pepper and salt it up a bit, but you'll have a delicious, and enormously filling, meal.