H O M E | F O O D | T R A V E L

P h o t o g r a p h s b y K A T H Y A N D E R S O N P H O T O G R A P H Y

All Hail the Queen!

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 / V I S I T E B O N Y . C O M 65

FAMED NEW ORLEANS CHEF LEAH CHASE KNOWS THAT DELICIOUS FOOD NEVER GETS OLD. THIS EASTER, SERVE UP HER SOULFUL CREOLE RECIPES WITH A HEAP OF HISTORY AND A DASH OF LOVE. B y A M Y E L I S A K E I T H

E D I T E D B Y A M Y E L I SA K E I T H

F or the Queen of Creole Cuisine, there are two in-gredients that she simply cannot cook without and most certainly will not skimp on. “Don’t come in

my kitchen if you don’t like butter. I love butter,” says Leah Chase, head chef at New Orleans staple Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. “And I don’t care what you cook, darling, you have to cook it with all the love you can.” Instantly, it becomes clear why Presi-dent Barack Obama and then-President George W. Bush have pulled up chairs at her restaurant to lick their fingers after a serving of fried chicken and partake of her sage advice. The love and the soulful flavors have kept guests packing the dining room

since she sautéed her way into the kitchen in 1946 after marrying musician Edgar “Dooky” Chase II. And she’s still whipping up her classics in that kitchen.

“The same dishes make me excited [now that did then]. I just got through with 20 or 30 gallons of gumbo,” says Chase, 90, who in spite of a limp is still hand chop-ping seafood, grinding her own herbs and doing the kind of work that has forced strong men decades younger into retire-ment. “I want it to go out there right, so I take the same extra pain, love and care that I did 60, 70 years ago.”

Back then, elegant restaurants were a privilege enjoyed by only a White clientele. Chase worked to change that, teaching for-mal service and refined Creole cooking to

staff both in front and back of the house, eventually adorning the walls of the restau-rant with pieces from her own collection of paintings by African-American artists. “I want it to be perfect, says Chase of her res-taurant’s ambience. “I like my white table-cloths and my linen napkins.”

The restaurant became a hub for the community—an essential stop for musi-cians, civil rights leaders and actors—but with laws declaring that the races were “separate but equal,” Dooky Chase was on-ly able to serve a segment of the population until the arrival of integration. After the restaurant was awash in flood water, then looted amid 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, re-location offers poured in. The Chases stood their ground, setting up shop in a FEMA

L I V E Food

1| GUMBO Z’HERBES

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS: 1 bunch mustard greens1 bunch collard greens1 bunch turnips1 bunch watercress1 bunch beet tops1 bunch carrot tops1/2 head lettuce1/2 head cabbage1 bunch spinach2 medium onions, chopped4 cloves garlic, mashed and chopped Water1 pound smoked sausage1 pound smoked ham1 pound brisket stew meat1 pound boneless brisket1 pound hot chaurice sausage5 tablespoons flour1 teaspoon thyme leaves1 tablespoon salt1 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon filé powder Steamed rice

PREPARATION:1. Clean all vegetables,

picking out bad leaves

and rinsing away all grit. In a large pot, place all greens, onions and garlic. Cover with water and boil for 30 minutes.

2. While vegetables are boil-ing, cut all meats into bite-size pieces and set aside. Keep chaurice separate.

3. Strain vegetables after boiling and reserve liquid. In a 12-quart stockpot, place all meats except chaurice and 2 cups reserved liquid, reserv-ing the remaining liquid. Steam over a high fire for 15 minutes.

4. While steaming other meats, place chaurice in a skillet over a high fire. Steam until all grease is cooked out, about 10

minutes. Drain charice, keeping grease in the skil-let, and set aside.

5. Puree all vegetables, either in a food processor or by hand in a meat grinder.

6. Heat the skillet of chau-rice grease over a high fire and stir in flour. Cook roux for 5 minutes or until flour is cooked. Pour roux over meat mixture and stir well.

7. Add vegetables and 2 quarts of reserved liq-uid. Simmer over a low fire for 20 minutes. Add chaurice, thyme, salt and cayenne; stir well. Sim-mer for 40 minutes. Add filé powder; stir well and remove from fire. Serve over steamed rice.

trailer and fueling the recovery with their hearty gumbo. They knew that moving would signal wavering confidence in their beloved city, and their steadfastness was rewarded.

These days, skin color and hurricanes are the least of Chef Chase’s worries. With Easter fast approaching, the restaurant faces one of its busiest times of the year, when she prepares to cook up to 100 gal-lons of gumbo z’herbes, commonly known as “green gumbo.” On Holy Thursday, three days before Easter, the historically predominant Catholic population of New Orleans is allowed a big meat meal before the high holiday. Guests flock to enjoy a bowl of Chef Chase’s gumbo made up of nine different greens, sausage, chicken and more. “We always say when we serve you gumbo z’herbes that you will have a new friend for every green I have in the pot,” says Chase as she chuckles about the superstition that her repeat custom-

ers are sure to mention every year. “That’s a lot of love in a pot.”

There is that love again. And not only does the affection make for great gumbo, but it also helps her keep up with her 22 great-grandchildren.

She and Dooky II had four children of their own, then came 16 grandchildren, followed by this new generation who have made family dinners—which are held at the restaurant because of sheer size— a loud, good time. “It is just fun, especially with those little ones,” Chase says, recall-ing one 4-year-old great-granddaughter showing her how to walk faster. “They are more than you can handle.”

For Leah Chase, no matter how long it takes her to walk from table to table greet-ing guests or how many years she spends bent over a stove, feeding people mouth-watering food is a blessing. Her blessing. “That encourages me to do better and to make a better world for my people.”

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 / V I S I T E B O N Y . C O M 67

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68 V I S I T E B O N Y . C O M / A P R I L 2 0 1 3

L I V E Food

2| CRAWFISH BISQUE

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:10 pounds boiled crawfish1 1/4 cups vegetable oil2 cups chopped onions2 cups chopped celery1 cup chopped green peppers1 cup chopped green onion2 tablespoon chopped garlic1 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 teaspoon paprika1/4 cup chopped parsley1 cup bread crumbs Crawfish fat from heads2 cups plain flour2 cups whole tomatoes1 quart water2 sprigs of fresh thyme1 whole dried red pepper1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 cup dry sherry2 bay leaves

PREPARATION:1. Peel and devein crawfish tails.

Save heads of crawfish. Chop crawfish meat and set aside. Heat ¼ cup oil in heavy pot. Add 1 cup onion, 1 cup celery, 1/2 cup chopped bell pep-pers, 1/2 cup green onion and 1 teaspoon of garlic. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes. Add crawfish meat, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 1 table-spoon parsley. Mix well. Make sure onions are soft. Add bread crumbs to mixture. Mix well. Mixture should be tight enough to stuff into heads. Set aside.

2. Tap heads of crawfish in a bowl to remove fat. Save fat.

Pull legs and eyes from shells. Clean shells well. Stuff mixture tightly into 20 of the heads; discard remaining heads. Roll each stuffed head in flour, coating well.

3. Heat 1 cup oil in Magnalite Dutch oven. Place stuffed heads in hot oil and cook to a light brown on all sides. Set fried heads aside.

4. Sift flour that was used to roll heads. Add 1 cup sifted flour to hot oil. Brown flour and add remaining onions; cook until onions are soft. Add re-maining celery, bell peppers, green onions and garlic and stir well. Add whole tomatoes and chop them into mixture. Slowly add water and stir well. Add remaining salt, paprika and parsley, then add the thyme, dried red pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir well. Mix the reserved fat in gravy and let simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add sherry, bay leaves and stuffed heads; continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

3| RED BEANSSERVES 6

INGREDIENTS:1 pound red kidney beans2 quarts water1 large onion (chopped)1/4 cup vegetable oil1 pound smoked ham (cubed)1 pound smoked sausage (½-inch slices)1 cup water1 tablespoon chopped garlic1 bay leaf1 tablespoon black pepper2 tablespoon chopped parsley1 teaspoon whole thyme leaves2 level tablespoons salt Steamed rice

PREPARATION: 1. Pick through beans, remov-

ing all bad beans or any other particles; wash well. Place beans in 5-quart pot. Add 2 quarts of water. Add onions; bring to a boil. Lower heat and let beans boil slowly for 1 hour. When beans are soft, stir well, mashing some against side of pot.

2. Heat oil in frying pan; add ham and sausage. Sauté in oil for 5 minutes. Add the sausage, ham and oil to beans. Deglaze pan with cup of water, then pour into beans. Add all other ingredients. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Beans should be nice and creamy. Serve over rice.

4| SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:1 3-pound whole chicken1 tablespoon salt1 tablespoon black pepper2 eggs (beaten)1/2 cup Pet Evaporated milk1/2 cup water2 cups flour1 teaspoon paprika1/4 teaspoon ground thyme1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic1 quart oil for frying

PREPARATION:1. Cut chicken into 8 pieces.

Season well with salt and pepper; set aside. Mix eggs, milk and water, then pour mixture over chicken. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a heavy paper bag, mix flour, paprika, thyme and garlic. Place chicken in bag with flour mixture. Shake until chicken is well coated.

3. Heat oil, which should reach 350 degrees, in a Magnalite fryer, then place chicken in hot oil. Fry, turning as chicken browns. Heavy parts such as breast, thighs and legs will take 15 to 20 minutes; wings about 10 to 15 min-utes. Drain chicken on paper towel.

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