ROUSES_Winter2023_Magazine Pages-web

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 4 cups cooked rice 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 cup chopped cooked bacon 1 cup sliced mushrooms ½ cup chopped red bell pepper ½ cup chopped green bell pepper ¼ cup chopped green onions 1 cup pork gravy

Marcelle Bienvenu's MAMA’S STUFFED PORK ROAST Makes 12 to 14 servings WHAT YOU WILL NEED: One 10- to 12-pound fresh ham shank 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3 teaspoons salt 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon black pepper Vegetable oil 2 cups water (or more as needed) HOW TO PREP: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Set the ham shank on a large cutting board or platter. Combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, cayenne and black pepper in a small bowl and mix well. With a sharp boning knife, make several deep slits in the roast spaced several inches apart. Using your index finger, stuff the seasoning mixture into the slits, packing it in firmly. Season the outside of the roast generously with more salt and cayenne pepper. Rub the roast lightly with vegetable oil. Place the roast in a heavy roasting pan and put it in the preheated oven. When the bottom of the pan begins to sizzle, carefully add the water. Bake the roast until it browns evenly, 30 to 45 minutes. More water can be added if the pan becomes too dry. This will mix with the roast drippings and make a dark gravy that can be used now for basting the roast, then later to pour over steamed rice. When the roast is well-browned, reduce the heat to 350°F, cover it, and

Christmas Roast My maternal grandfather, “Pop-Pete,” was a sugarcane farmer who also maintained a full-fledged farm stocked with pigs, cows, ducks and chickens. A vegetable garden yielded tomatoes, corn, beans, cabbage, beets, eggplant and potatoes. I loved nothing better than spending Sundays there, when the meal usually featured a perfectly baked chicken and rice dressing that sometimes had the addition of bits of smothered eggplant. Sometimes there was corn pudding or green beans pecan pie or creamy bread pudding. But the real prize that was usually offered for festive occasions was the fresh ham, shank end. smothered with ham or bacon. Dessert was When Pop-Pete hosted his annual boucherie, sometimes three pigs were slaughtered so that friends, neighbors and the farm workers could have a stash to take home, but it was the fresh ham shank that he always set aside for a special family event. This is the cut that usually is used for bone-in hams. - Marcelle Bienvenu

HOW TO PREP: Combine all ingredients but the pork gravy in a large heavy pot over a low heat. Warm and gently stir to mix. Add the pork gravy, a little at a time, until everything is well moistened. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, with salt and cayenne pepper. Rouse Family Recipe HWY. 1 STUFFED MIRLITONS Serves 12 WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 6 fresh mirlitons 1 tablespoon Rouses Extra Virgin olive oil 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon dried thyme Rouses salt and black pepper, to taste Rouses Cajun seasonings, to taste 3/4 pound medium-sized wild-caught Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined 3/4 pound Louisiana crawfish tails 3/4 pound lump Gulf crabmeat Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs, for topping In a heavy black iron pot, bring about 2 inches of salted water to a boil. Drop whole mirlitons in water, cover pot, and reduce heat. Simmer until mirlitons are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside to cool. Cut mirlitons in half, lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Scoop out the flesh, keeping the shell intact. Rough chop the flesh and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm one tablespoon of Rouses olive oil. Add onions, mirliton flesh, bay leaf, and thyme and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook until the shrimp are just pink. Remove from HOW TO PREP: Preheat oven to 350°F.

cook until the juices run clear and the roast is tender, 3 to 4 hours. Remove from oven and cool slightly before carving.

Marcelle Bienvenu's DRESSED-UP RICE Makes 8 to 10 servings

The gravy from the roast pan is also a treasure, and usually there is a cup or two that can be poured into jars to store in the fridge or the freezer for later use.

62 ROUSES WINTER 2023