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Fun, Funky, and Fabulous

An interview and recipe from New Orleans food writer Jyl Benson

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Country Roads contributor and New Orleans native Jyl Benson has a new cookbook out for those who love the fun, funky side of New Orleans food culture. With recipes from some of the city's favorite neighborhood restaurants—MoPho, Toup's Meatery, Lola, Bhava, and Juan's Flying Burrito, to name a few—Fun, Funky, and Fabulous is as much restaurant guide as recipe book. The book is filled with tantalizing photography by Sam Hanna and illustrations by Simon Hardeveld. Read the interview with Jyl below and then try one of the scrumptious recipes from the book: Shrimp and Tasso Tacos with Pickled Okra and Pepper Jelly.

When did your passion for food begin?

I grew up in New Orleans, and most of the people in my life were excellent cooks, my father especially. My mother, unfortunately, was an abysmal cook so I started cooking in self defense when I was six. My father gave me a subscription to Gourmet when I was nine, and it remained current until they ceased to print a few years ago.

What is your favorite dish to cook?

There are a million, but I never tire of making kitchen sink gumbos. They change based on what is in the refrigerator or freezer. Gumbo is hugely adaptable.

What made you want to write a cookbook?

Like I said, I have been cooking since I was six. As a child, I would spend hours reading through the entire collection of Good Housekeeping cookbooks my parents were given as a wedding gift in 1950. They did not help my mother, but they made an impression on me. I wanted to write a cookbook because I am interested in not only process but in culinary culture. I love stories of people's relationship with their native cuisines: Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are.

What’s something that people might not know the casual dining scene in New Orleans?

People outside of the city do not realize how culinarily (is that even a word? if not, it should be. So it's my word now) diverse we have become. Fresh, inspired food is available everywhere and to everyone at all socioeconomic levels.

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RECIPE

Shrimp and Tasso Tacos with Pickled Okra and Pepper Jelly 
From Nate Kelly, Juan’s Flying Burrito: A Creole Taqueria

Nate Kelly, general manager of Juan’s Mid City, came up the idea for this playful riff on the famed Shrimp Henican from swanky Commander’s Palace. This kind of creativity is a signature of Juan’s: Many of their people, including Nate, joined the staff after defecting from the likes of Commander’s, Restaurant August, and Emeril’s.

Yield: Makes 6 tacos

Ingredients:

18 medium Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined 
1 tsp. Creole seasoning 
1 tsp. minced garlic 
1 tbsp. olive oil 
6 oz. tasso, diced small 
2 tbsp. Salsa Fresca 
6, 6-inch flour tortillas 
1 cup finely shredded red and/or green cabbage 
3 tbsp. pepper jelly, warm 
6 whole pickled okra pods, split lengthwise 
sliced green onions, for garnish

Method:

  1. Combine the shrimp, Creole seasoning, garlic, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Allow to marinate for twenty to thirty minutes before cooking.
  2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat. Add the shrimp and tasso and sear, turning as necessary until shrimp are just pink and the fat begins to render from the tasso, about three minutes. Add the Salsa Fresca and cook until the shrimp are fully pink, two to three minutes. Set aside.
  4. Warm the tortillas in the oven for four to five minutes.
  5. To serve, divide the shrimp and tasso evenly among the tortillas. Top each with cabbage, then drizzle with a half tablespoon warm pepper jelly and two okra spears. Garnish with green onions, if desired.
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