The Southern Po' Boy Cookbook (6 page)

Serves 2

2 boneless pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup black rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 small onion, sliced

1 small green bell pepper, sliced into rings

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks, with juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

2 (6-inch) loaves French bread, split

2 tablespoons finely shredded carrot

1}
  In a large skillet over high heat, brown the pork chops on both sides. Add the broth, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, onion, bell pepper, and pineapple. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

2}
  Add the cornstarch to the water, stirring until smooth. Remove the pork chops from the skillet. Add the cornstarch to the sauce, and cook, stirring, until thickened and clear.

3}
  Place the pork chops on the bottom half of each loaf. Add the cooked bell pepper and onion. Top with the cooked pineapple and sauce, then the raw shredded carrot. Close the loaves and serve.

THE BANGKOK

Squid Po’ Boy with Thai Chili Sauce

Squid’ja think I was gonna leave Thailand out? No way! Especially when it becomes a Big Easy po’ boy. This one is some GOOD eating.

Serves 2

4 strips peppered bacon

1 (10 to 12-ounce) package frozen breaded calamari

4 tablespoons Thai-style chili sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Creole mustard

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

2 teaspoons thinly sliced green onion

Assembly

2 (6-inch) sesame hoagie, sub, or French rolls, split nearly apart

1 cup spinach leaves

1/2 cup julienned red onion

1 teaspoon paprika

1}
  In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp and brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Once the bacon has cooled, crumble it.

2}
  Cook the calamari according to package directions.

3}
  To make the sauce, mix together the chili sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, and green onion in a small bowl, and set aside.

4}
  Spread a generous layer of sauce across each side of the roll. Place the spinach on top of the sauce. Pile calamari on top, and sprinkle with bacon crumbles and red onion.

5}
  Serve the remaining sauce on the side, topped with a sprinkling of paprika.

THE VIETNAMESE

Mushroom Bánh Mì Po’ Boy

When you’re making a po’ boy at home and can’t get real New Orleans–style French bread, a really good substitute is a bánh mì loaf from a Vietnamese bakery. This bread has a nice mix of soft, chewy, and crunchy. In New Orleans, báhn mì sandwiches are actually called Vietnamese po’ boys!

Serves 2

Mushrooms

2 large Portobello mushroom caps

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Dressing and Sauce

1 carrot, sliced into sticks

1 daikon (white) radish, sliced into sticks

1 cup rice vinegar

1 cup fresh lime juice, divided

1/2 plus 1/3 cup cold water, divided

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 (24-inch) baguette, split

1 jalapeño chile pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium cucumber, sliced into long, thin strips

10 leaves fresh Thai basil

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1}
  Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the mushroom caps on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly, then slice into strips.

2}
  While the mushrooms are baking, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Plunge the carrot and radish sticks into the boiling water, and after a few seconds, remove them and plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. In a medium bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, 1/2 cup lime juice, and 1/2 cup cold water. Transfer the carrot and radish to the vinegar and lime marinade, and let soak for at least 15 minutes, longer if it’s convenient.

3}
  To make the sandwich sauce, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup lime juice and the soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup water in a small bowl.

4}
  Sprinkle a little of the sauce on each baguette half. Place the mushroom strips on the bottom halves, and sprinkle a little more sauce. Top with jalapeño slices, carrot and radish sticks (minus the marinade), cucumber strips, basil, and cilantro. Close the sandwiches and serve.

THE NACHO-YO BOY

Beefy, Cheesy Po’ Man

Adult-sized portions make it hard to call these big daddies little boys, so I decided “po’ man” would be more appropriate in this case. This is often true with all of these Big Easy gargantuan delights!

Serves 2

Beef Patties

1 pound ground beef

1/2 small onion, finely diced

pickled jalapeño chile peppers, sliced

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 (.25-ounce) packet taco seasoning mix

Assembly

1 (12-inch) loaf French bread, split

1 jar chili sauce

1 jar nacho cheese sauce

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, diced

1 bunch green onions, diced

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups restaurant-style tortilla strips

1}
  In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, jalapeño, garlic powder, and taco mix, using your hands to mix the ingredients. Dampen your hands, split the meat mixture in half and form patties large enough to cover the bread, 2 patties per sandwich. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the patties until cooked through and browned.

2}
  In separate small pots over low heat, heat the chili sauce until it is warm, and the nacho cheese until it has melted. Place the beef patties on the bottom half of the bread, and layer on the lettuce, tomato, and green onion. Add a few spoonfuls of the chili sauce and nacho cheese. Top with a dollop of sour cream, followed by the tortilla strips. Place the top half of the bread over the filling, and slice into 2 sections to serve.

THE TRUTH REMAINS

Time to feed your soul,

Let the good times roll,

On a beach they call Pontchartrain!

Where Old Man River,

Can still deliver,

A life as sweet as sugarcane!

When the Saints begin,

To go marching in...

Like parades we go marching on . . .

That muddy water,

That old French Quarter,

I know you miss ‘em when you’re gone!

All the joy and pride,

That you feel inside,

Shines through because the truth remains . . .

You’ve got NOLA fever,

You’re heart just can’t leave her . . .

There’s café au lait in your veins!

ELEGANT AND FANCY BOYS

“If you’re open to it, New Orleans will teach you about yourself, but if you want to hide from who you really are, the city will help you do that, too.”

—Laurell K. Hamilton

THE GERT TOWN

Pork Tenderloin Po’ Boy

One thing about po’ boys—they’re loved by all classes of folks down here. Blue collar, white collar, it doesn’t matter what part of town you grew up in, it doesn’t matter who your daddy was or wasn’t, baby: Po’ boys are for everybody! Gert Town is a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. Notable New Orleanians from Gert Town include singers Merry Clayton and Tami Lynn, and musician-composer Allen Toussaint.

Serves 4

Pork Tenderloin

5 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning

2 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt