I stopped in the bookstore earlier in the week and found Chef Vishwesh Baht's James Beard Award-winning cookbook I Am From Here on sale, so of course I bought it. He's the head chef at Snackbar up in Oxford, Mississippi, and his menu takes beloved local ingredients and often uses some of the flavors and techniques from his Indian heritage to give them a new twist. He has several recipes for grilled okra, a cooking method for okra that I've never tried, and I'm looking forward to giving it a go. We had the chicken recipe presented here earlier this week and it's delicious.

As I was making room to add the book to my already extensive collection of cookbooks, I picked up Chef Susan Spicer's excellent cookbook Crescent City Cooking. I've had it for years but hadn't looked at it in a while; I'd forgotten how much I like it. She also presents recipes featuring local ingredients that incorporate international flavors. She suggests using the pork roast presented here as a filling for tacos paired with her recipe for green rice, also in the cookbook, or to make ciabatta sandwiches with pickled cabbage and Creole mustard, also in the book.

The final recipe features pan-seared shrimp, my favorite seafood, as the star in a salad I enjoy all summer as an entrée. 

Enjoy this week's recipes, stay cool, safe, and healthy, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. 

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director

Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

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Jalapeño Roast Pork

This recipe is from Chef Susan Spicer's excellent cookbook, Crescent City Cooking. While New Orleans is known for its seafood dishes, pork also plays an important part in our menus. BONUS- it's a very affordable protein. This requires a nominal amount of prep work then roasts, undisturbed, for 3-4 hours. Freeze leftovers for a fast meal down the road.

Grilled Chicken with Peaches, Chiles, and Spiced Honey

From I Am From Here by Chef Vishwesh Baht, this recipe is full of the flavors of summer, and will be on my repeat list as long as peaches are in season.

Avocado and Shrimp Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing

This recipe is written to be a side salad that serves 4, but it's substantial enough it'll make an entree serving for 2 people. I make the rub first and get the shrimp seasoned. Set them aside while you. prepare the dressing and prep the salad so the shrimp have time to absorb some of the flavors. Then give them a quick pan sauté, assemble the salads, and serve while the shrimp are still hot.