CATHEY'S SHRIMP REMOULADE - A RECIPE

From France by way of New Orleans. You can buy your shrimp already cooked to save some time and effort. But if you are from New Orleans, you have very specific ideas about what to do with raw shrimp. You can even buy prepackaged remoulade at Carrefour. (You wouldn't do that, would you?) Here's Cathey's take on the entire process, guided by her favorite chefs.





REMOULADE                 
Makes 2 cups                                                                
Serves 10

1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup green onion
2 tbsp parsley
1 clove garlic
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped
2 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Pulse first 4 ingredients until finely chopped in food processor. Drain or dry with a paper towel. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined. Chill several hours.

SHRIMP BOIL
4 bay leaves
1 tsp whole allspice
10 whole cloves
8 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tbsp salt
2 lemons, cut in half
1 tsp cayenne, or as much as you can stand
2 garlic bulbs, cut in half horizontally
1 onion, quartered
2 pounds shrimp, shell on and preferably heads on
Wrap seasoning in cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine. Place the spices, 1 gallon water, salt, lemons, cayenne, garlic, and onion in a large pot (squeeze the  lemons over the water as you throw them in), and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes. Return the heat to boiling and add shrimp. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Drain and place on baking tray until room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mix with the Shrimp with the Remoulade and place on a bed of greens.

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RADISH LEAF SOUP - A BRIEF RECIPE

Fannie brings seasonal veggies to the church square just a few steps from our house on Wednesday and Friday mornings, fresh and locally grown, still wet with dew. We buy our lettuce from Fannie along with whatever else looks good that day. She even sold us the fresh pumpkin for our Thanksgiving pie, slicing off just as much as we needed from a big bruiser.

The other day, Fannie displayed bunches of radishes. When I commented on how pretty they were, a friend of Fannie's standing nearby commented that she made soup from the greens. Yes, Fannie said. Very good. So I bought a bunch and brought them back to Cathey. She checked out several recipes and came up with her own.

Cathey sauteed an onion in butter, then added the cleaned and chopped radish greens, a cubed potato, and stock. When the potatoes were finished, she pureed the lot and heated it back up with a bit of cream and salt and pepper to taste. Served with thin slices of radish as a garnish, Cathey's comment was, "It's very green."