 |
|
 |
 Click here for an index
to all questions, answers, and reports
on New Orleans cooking, recipes, and restaurants. Click here to ask a question or give a report. |
|
Pepper Grass?
Lionel asks: I heard you talking about pepper grass as an ingredient in gumbo z'herbes. I never heard of it. Where do you buy it? What does it taste like? Do you really need it? Tom sez: A strange herb that's an historic ingredient in Creole cooking, pepper grass is known almost exlusively by the generation currently passing away. Pepper grass has scalloped leaves and tight little flowers that look like tiny cauliflowers. It wilts immediately after you pick it, but don't worry about that. It really does have a peppery kind of taste. You cannot buy it. Pepper grass is a weed that grows primarily in disturbed soils, usually in places that most plants find hostile. Neutral grounds and devil's strips are the most common places, especially if the soil is dry. There was always a small stand of the stuff right outside my old office, underneath the Claiborne overpass. Its main use is, as you note, in gumbo z'herbes. If you're very lucky, your gumbo z'herbes will have some pepper grass in it. But probably not. Revised 3/10/08 Copyright © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. |
|
 Try The Five-Star Daily Edition! Every weekday, I write even more articles, reviews, and recipes for the New Orleans Menu Daily Five-Star Edition. It's constantly updated on the web. And an e-mail version of the day's new articles goes out to subscribers at midday, five days a week. Subscribers also have access to all past articles, including hundreds of recipes (all tested in our own kitchen) and restaurant reviews, indexed for easy use. And no advertising. Upgrade to the Five-Star Edition! You'll find the price agreeable, because it's yours to decide. Any number of dollars you think it's worth. (If you give too much, I'll extend the subscription.) And if you decide later it's not for you, I'll give you a refund. Click here for more information and a sample. |
 "Best
Cookbook Of
The Year!"
--New Orleans Magazine  Here are my favorite recipes--the ones I cook all the time at home for family and friends--all with a distinctly New Orleans flavor. All the classics, plus plenty of originals. All tested thoroughly in my own kitchen. Clear instructions and the stories behind the dishes--as entertaining to read as to cook from! Get An Autographed, Personalized Copy. . . A Tasteful Gift! I would be pleased to personalize and autograph a copy of New Orleans Food for you or a friend. Click here to order a signed first edition. |