Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Continued from New Orleans Poboy 1 It is not uncommon for people
living in New Orleans to have grown up with the belief that all
French Bread must be toasted before being consumed. This ties in to
one of the stories of how the name Po-Boy became synonymous with
French bread. Because the bread was cheaply produced and plentiful,
it was always the most inexpensive bread to purchase. The loaf itself
became known as a Po-Boy because of its ability to feed many mouths
cheaply during frequent times of economic hardship. Because of its
hard outer shell, French bread tended to keep better than other
breads when stored in typical old-fashioned wooden bread boxes over
several days. Although no longer useful for great Po-Boys, it could,
if necessary, still be used to produce inexpensive sandwiches or
dipped in another famous New Orleans beverage, Cafe au lait. (Coffee
and Chicory mixed with hot milk and sugar). French bread was
frequently consumed at breakfast, and therefore was easy to toast on
the old black cast-iron pot-belly stoves that were common in many of
the historic New Orleans homes. It is time now to discuss the typical
methods of constructing a New Orleans-style Po-Boy. There are no real
rigid rules cut by a stiletto or machete into the side of a towering
moss-covered oak, that one may find anchored against some bank on a
long forgotten bayou. A few, however, may argue that their particular
families have been making sandwiches a certain way for the last two
hundred years. So, if there are any traditions, they may boil down to
some variations of the following. For a seafood Po-Boy, butter will
probably be used or suggested in place of a dressing like mayonnaise.
Whatever dressing is used, it should always coat at least the
condiment side of the bread. Preferentially, in my opinion, it should
coat both sides. New Orleans has two traditional Po-Boy meat
favorites. The Roast Beef Po-Boy, fully dressed, and Baked Ham
Po-Boy, usually served with freshly sliced Swiss cheese and creole or
brown mustard. Ummmmmmm! The Baked Ham and Swiss Po-Boy is frequently
served with the Swiss grilled or melted on top. I can almost taste
them now! Traditional french bread has a noticeable top and bottom,
determined by which side of the bread was lying on the baking tray.
This obviously results in a flat bottom and rounded top. The bottom
piece should have the condiments, properly layered; and the top piece
should have the meat. Anything else is an upside down or
non-traditional method of construction. If mayonnaise is used, there
are some very important considerations. A mayonnaise can make or
break a good Po-Boy. The mayo must be thick and tangy, but not as
sweet as a typical salad dressing such as Miracle Whip. My wife once
patiently tasted over seventy brands of mayo before selecting one
that was just right for her Cafe. It was a product made in Texas
called "Captain's Table". She is still using it today. The mayo
should be spread thicker on the flat side where it will eventually
mix in with the condiments. In New Orleans, the word "dressed"
usually means freshly torn lettuce, sliced Creole (locally grown -
first spring) tomatoes and dill pickle slivers. Again, the word
"dressed" has no real fixed meaning. Some customers will ask for
their Po-Boy to be "dragged through the garden", implying a little
bit of everything. The lettuce should go on first, lying over the
mayo, followed by the tomato slices, then the pickle. The meat is
layered over the top side of the sandwich, and then the two pieces
are finally brought together. If a mustard is suggested, it should be
spread between the upper bread slice and the meat. If a cheese is
suggested, it should lie between the mustard and meat. A decent
serving in New Orleans is generally on a piece of bread about 8 to 10
inches in length. The Po-Boy is then cross-cut on a diagonal in order
to expose more of the tasty contents and allow for quicker, bigger,
eager bites! When the entire length of French bread is used uncut to
make a Po-Boy, it is referred to as a Po-Boy "Loaf". Because New
Orleans is a port city surrounded by water, seafood is usually in
abundance all year round. Oysters, Lake Shrimp, Soft Shell Crabs and
many varieties of fish are frequently found on French bread Po-Boy
sandwiches. These Po-Boys are frequently eaten with the seafood
battered and then deep-fat fried with nothing more than butter on the
bread, with a few nearby twists of lemon used to sprinkle to taste.
My own personal preference is to eat my seafood Po-Boys fully
dressed. Ketchup and red hot pepper sauce are also requested table
additions. My wife's cafe serves a great kosher pastrami or corned
beef that goes great on French bread with a little yellow or brown
mustard. Sausages are a real favorite too. The three New Orleans
favorites are Italian, Smoked Pork and Hot Pork Sausage. Sliced
turkey breast, tuna and chicken salads are also frequently requested
by those concerned with healthy diets, but still looking for great
taste. Well, hopefully it won't be long before you are visiting our
wonderful city and biting into one of this City's great Po-Boy
treats. Until then, Bon Appetit!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
This article and or file may be copied and re-distributed without
compensation to the author as long as no profits are generated
through its re-distribution or sale and it is used in its entirety.
All opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the
author; and neither will the author be liable for the use of any
information supplied therein. Gary M. Raymond [70613,3165] -[30]-

Submitted By SAM LEFKOWITZ On 10-18-94

Browse by categories