A Cajun taste in a Butler kitchen for Thanksgiving
Moving to Butler after growing up near the border of Texas and Louisiana left Lisa Quebedeaux with a distinct lack of Cajun food that is typical for the area, including on holidays like Thanksgiving.
So she brought the Cajun to Butler herself.
Quebedeaux said she now rotates between making dishes including jambalaya, gumbo and this year’s entree of choice, étouffée, for Thanksgiving. She shares these foods with the rest of her family, including her “mostly Czech and Polish in-laws,” whom she said had never had most of these dishes before her input.
Although this was the in-laws’ first exposure to these southern staples, Quebedeaux said they have mostly been well-received.
After a few years of her cooking on Thanksgiving, she said her in-laws have become fans of some of the dishes, even adapting them to compliment their own taste palates.
“There’s a couple family members who put a little étouffée on their stuffing and mashed potatoes,” Quebedeaux said. “It’s like a curry — it has thick sauce and protein and vegetables. It’s delicious, and I am always so glad to make it for them.”
Quebedeaux said people can make their own Cajun foods in Western Pennsylvania, where grocery stores still carry most, if not all, of the needed ingredients.
The “trinity,” for example, is celery, onion and bell pepper, which are integral to make étouffée. The other ingredients are butter and flour, which make up the food’s base; garlic; hot sauce; and a protein, normally shrimp — plus a lot of stirring.
In one pan, combine the “trinity” of ingredients, sliced or diced to your liking, and in another pan, create the sauce.
“I would melt about two sticks of butter, mix half a cup of flower, and stir and stir and stir,” Quebedeaux said. “You stir until the flour is a golden color, and you add a little water to it, until it becomes less thick. In the other pan, you’re doing a lot of sautéing, toss in the shrimp and sauté them too.”
Although Quebedeaux diminishes the spice in her down home dishes to better appeal to her northern audience, she said these dishes still work based on their ingredients and preparation. However, those who want to spice it up for themselves have that option as well.
“I put hot sauce and Cajun seasoning all over to make it spicy. Add garlic for some extra taste,” Quebedeaux said. “Once the sauté is done, I pour it into the roux. I like to serve it over rice like curry. I use a big ladle, and make sure you get a lot of shrimp, and pour it over rice.”
This is the way Quebedeaux makes étouffée now, and she commented that her hot sauce of choice is from the brand Tony Chachere’s, which makes different levels of heat, including a level that Quebedeaux said is perfect for southern taste buds.
“If I was back home cooking it, you would feel that heat in your ears,” Quebedeaux said of her étouffée recipe.
Aside from étouffée, Quebedeaux has also brought jambalaya and gumbo to Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania, both of which are also not very common around these parts.
Jambalaya is easy enough; Quebedeaux said people in Butler County can find a mix at certain grocery stores and follow the instructions on the package. Home chefs can make jambalaya with sausage or chicken, whichever they prefer, and they can add in as much garlic or other seasoning as they want to make it their own.
To Quebedeaux, the important part of making jambalaya is to bake it, not boil it.
“My secret that I always tell people is you can’t boil it and you’ve got to bake it, 35 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees,” Quebedeaux said. “Then you take the jambalaya out of the pot. That gives it such a delightfully crispy taste; it still has the succulent juices.”
Gumbo is a bit of a different story, because it is a pretty complicated dish. Quebedeaux said a person could go through a five-hour cooking lesson to learn how to make gumbo, and even she reserves it for special occasions.
Although these southern foods involve a lot of effort for a chef to make — especially in Pennsylvania where their ingredients are less prominent — Quebedeaux said it is always worth it to help share her culture.
“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year by far. Everyone brings a dish and it’s something special to them,” Quebedeaux said. “I always try to bring a dish that is typical of Thanksgiving in the south.”
