Autopsy results on Mitchell Guist, a star of the reality TV show “Swamp People,” should be ready Wednesday, a local sheriff in Louisiana said.
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Autopsy due for ‘Swamp People’ star
Mitchell Guist, an alligator hunter and cast member from the History Channel reality show “Swamp People,” died Monday in Louisiana, the Associated Press reports . He would have turned 49 Friday. Guist fell while on his boat Monday and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the AP reports. According to 911 tapes obtained by WBRZ in Baton Rouge , the caller believed Guist had suffered from a seizure and cardiac arrest. Read full article > >
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Mitchell Guist from ‘Swamp People’ dies
Chefs with Issues is a platform for chefs, writers and farmers we love, fired up for causes about which they're passionate. Michael W. Twitty is a culinary historian, living history interpreter and Jewish educator from the Washington D.C. area. He blogs at Afroculinaria.com and thecookinggene.com . As the originator of the Cooking Gene Project, he seeks to trace his ancestry through food. Edward Booker, Hattie Bellamy and Washington Twitty didn’t know what an organic farm was, but nearly everything they ate was organic. They enjoyed wild caught, sustainable fish; they were no strangers to free range chickens, and they ate with the seasons with almost nothing originating more than a mile or two away from their cabin door. They had gardens, composted, and ate no processed foods. Their food was fairly simple, often meatless; and it was a fusion cuisine, with ingredients drawn from five continents. They were not culinary revolutionaries living out of the foodie playbook – they were three enslaved individuals living among the over 4 million held in bondage before the Civil War, and they were my ancestors. In the upcoming months I will return to the fields, forests and waterways of the Old South in search of my culinary version of Roots, tracing my family tree through food from Africa to America and from slavery to freedom. The project is called The Cooking Gene: Southern Discomfort Tour . Slavery is not just a practice or moment in American history; it is a metaphor for our relationships to lifestyles and food systems that many of us view as beyond our control. Most of us are enslaved to food systems that aren’t sustainable, but eat we must. And because we must eat, food is a natural vehicle for telling the kinds of stories about historical slavery and the impact of “race” on how we eat , even as we critique and question our contemporary food politics. Food is our vehicle to move beyond race and into relationships and use those relationships to promote the kind of racial reconciliation and healing, our nation desperately needs. Food is not an afterthought in the story of race, class and power. It is the founding element in our American story. In human no enslaved people have transformed the food habits, tastes and relationship with the table of those who enslaved them, as Africans did in the Americas. We are – all of us Southerners – the products of a strange and painful, joyous and regret-free cuisine that is the confluence of mothers and men speaking over 100 languages struggling over the means to express a common culinary love in the middle of a heartbreaking and irrevocable exile. This is the heritage I am thrilled to carry in my DNA but like many of us, terrified to reclaim and own. Why now? In the words of one my faith’s greatest sages, “If not now, when?” We need this conversation because we have tired of our ancestors being referred to anonymous “slaves” lingering in the background of Southern culinary and cultural history even as children of color could be actively engaged in growing the heirloom crops of their ancestors in urban community gardens. We feel locked out of the epic story of barbecue, revised to erase its African/Diaspora ancestry. Our farmers are struggling to hold onto land purchased after the Civil War, when they could be producing quality organic food. Many of us are crying for a culinary voice that respects and embraces the best of our contributions rather than devaluing them with buzzwords centering on contemporary food practices which aren’t as healthy or wholesome as classic early African American cuisine actually was. As my team and I wind our way from Maryland to Louisiana and back we hope to find ourselves using this story to remedy these ills of historical and cultural obfuscation and overall lack of access to the contemporary food scene. Most of all I am hoping to sit down with the descendants of the families who owned my ancestors,and in some cases are my blood relatives. If nothing else, our names, the land, shared histories and Southern food bond us and connect us in ways other Americans are not. I’ve caught the DNA bug, and want to trace these tree lines back to West and Central Africa, Europe and Native America to understand where it all comes from so that we know where we’re going. American food culture today is an inquisitive and contested landscape in search of values, directions, and its own indigenous sense of rightness and self-worth. It is a culture looking towards American ecology, seasons and opportunities for new ways to invigorate and color the national palette. It is concerned with health, sustainability, local economies, environmental integrity and social justice. We could not ask for a better season to harvest the fruits of our common food Ancestors: the cooks of kitchens high and low in the Old and Deep South. It is these men and women who I hope to champion and elevate not just because the past needs us, but because we need the past; and the future needs us now. Follow Michael on his journey at thecookinggene.com and learn more about the fundraising effort at indiegogo.com . More on Southern Food : Old world ingredients you should know and use from the South Why it's different in the South Why diversity matters in a restaurant kitchen Hugh Acheson: Southern food, beyond the butter Why eating grits doesn't automatically make you a Southerner 5@5 – Overlooked Southern ingredients Mehepyewpleez? A love letter to K&W Cafeteria Boiled peanuts She-crab soup, shrimp and grits, benne seed wafers and the lowdown on Lowcountry cuisine 5@5 – Virginia Willis – Southern is a state of mind Talk with your mouth full – what is Southern food? Reclaiming the soul of Southern food Southern food: more voices from the field
Several people were reported injured on a United Airlines flight that encountered turbulence over Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Wednesday, said Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration.
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Turbulence shakes plane, 12 hurt
Rick Santorum’s victory, propelled by social conservatives, is unlikely to derail Mitt Romney, his chief rival.
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Santorum Wins Louisiana Primary
METAIRIE, La. — Republicans went to the polls Saturday in Louisiana to vote in a primary poised to give a boost to Rick Santorum , but also add to Mitt Romney ’s growing, if not insurmountable delegate lead in the race for the GOP nomination. Read full article > >
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Louisiana votes in GOP primary Saturday
Voting is under way in Louisiana in the race to pick a Republican White House contender, with Rick Santorum expected to do well.
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Santorum seeks Louisiana rebound
Rick Santorum has a very good chance of scoring a major victory in Saturday's Republican presidential primary in Louisiana, but the big question is whether it will still matter.
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Santorum looks for win in La.
Kate Krader ( @kkrader on Twitter ) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up. Drumroll, please. The feverishly awaited premiere of Mad Men’s newest season is almost here. Hopefully you’ve all been drinking like Don Draper in anticipation of the moment (Sunday, March 25th at 9 pm ET, if you’re synchronizing your countdown). In fact, it’s increasingly easy to drink like the Old Fashioned-swilling star of show. According to statistics from the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, last summer more than five million barrels of bourbon and other whiskeys were aging in Kentucky. That’s the highest inventory since 1982. To celebrate Mad Men’s new season with Old Fashioneds, or some of the show’s other signature drinks, here’s a guide to places that specialize in them, plus some scenes from Mad Men that made them famous. Mint Julep – Julep Bar : Boston, Massachusetts One section of the cocktail menu at this new vintage bar and lounge is dedicated to Vintage Classics & Crafty Cocktails. That includes the classic, simply titled The Julep. It’s made with Bulleit bourbon, fresh mint and simple syrup, shaken and served over shaved ice. No fancy tricks. The bar menu has some classic throwbacks, too, like the Old School Wedge Salad – though if you want more real-time dishes, there are Kobe meatball sliders. Mad Men’s Mint Julep Moment: In Season 1, Betty and Don Draper throw a springtime birthday party for their daughter, Sally; Betty makes a tray of Mint Juleps for the adults. Mai Tai – The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar : San Francisco, California The Tonga Room claims to be the nation's first tiki bar; indeed it made its first umbrella drink at The Fairmont San Francisco in 1945. Recently, it’s been looking spiffier, thanks to a $1 million renovation, but there are still periodic simulated rainstorms and their signature Tonga Mai Tai (dark rum with triple sec and fruit juices), which they like to call “a coconut cup of South Seas hospitality.” Mad Men’s Mai Tai Moment: In Season 1, unsatisfied client Rachel Menken (who owns an upscale department store that’s considering Draper’s agency Sterling Cooper for its advertising) drinks a Mai Tai while Draper tries to win back her account and attempts to seduce her. Tom Collins – The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The cocktail list at this amazing bar, which fronted the country’s largest alcohol-smuggling ring during Prohibition (wow), is action-packed with interesting contemporary mixes. (The Midnight's Children cocktail = Old Grand Dad 114, rum, Pedro Ximenez sherry and house mulled wine syrup.) They call their retooled Tom Collins a “John Collins”: It’s made with genever, lemon juice and orange bitters, and served tall with club soda. Mad Men’s Tom Collins Moment: In Season 2, Draper instructs his young daughter, Sally, on the art of mixing a Tom Collins for him and his neighbor Carlton Hanson: “Okay, you don't smash the cherry on that. Just plop it in at the end. Try to keep it in the top of the glass. Gin.” Old Fashioned – Jbird Cocktails : New York City The New York Times recently called out this new spot and its six variations on the classic drink. Jbird uses a definition from 1806 as the benchmark: “Spirit, sweet, and a dash of bitter, stirred and served over hand-cut ice.” Among the versions at this Upper East Side place are the Coco Viejo, made with coffee-bean-aged rum, cane syrup and grapefruit bitters; and the Honey-Nut Old Fashioned, a mix of roasted-peanut-infused bourbon, honey syrup and bitters. Mad Men’s Old Fashioned Moment: Lots of those. But the defining one, when we learn that it’s Draper's go-to drink before we even learn his name, comes in the first scene of the first episode of Season 1, when he tells the waiter in a smoky bar (where he's brainstorming ideas for a Lucky Strike campaign), “Do this again – Old Fashioned, please.” Vodka Gimlet – Bar UnCommon : New Orleans, Louisiana The gimlet at this bar in the Pere Marquette Hotel is as simple as it should be – Grey Goose, lime juice and simple syrup. Fourth-generation bartender Chris McMillian is the guy who put that classic on Bar UnCommon’s menu; he’s the co-founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail, which is also in New Orleans, if you’re shopping for something to do besides getting smashed on gimlets in a bar. Mad Men’s Vodka Gimlet Moment: The Gimlet is Betty Draper's drink of choice. After a Season 1 dinner with her husband's boss Roger Sterling and his wife, when she’s queasy in the car, Betty notes: “Lobster Newburg and Gimlets should get a divorce. They're not getting along well.” More from Food & Wine : 50 Best Bars in America Best Pizza Places in the U.S. Best Burgers in the U.S. Classic Cocktail Recipes Easter Recipes
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Drinking with Don Draper – where to find Mad Men’s classic cocktails
All four rivals for the GOP presidential will focus on Louisiana on Friday, the eve of that state's presidential primary.
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GOP candidates focus on Louisiana
Says he doesn’t want to pretend he’s from Louisiana.
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Romney Catches Himself Pandering
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. In their book, “The World in Skillet,” authors Paul and Angela Knipple reveal that because America is a nation built by immigrants , traditions from Uganda, Liberia, Brazil and beyond can be traced to the food people think of as being “American” – or in this case, “Southern.” “We were inspired to write the book because of the diversity we see in the South, but looking back to everyone we talked to, we realize that essentially everybody's the same no matter where you go,” says the husband-and-wife team. Let's take a dip into America's melting pot without stepping north of the Mason-Dixon line . Five Old World Ingredients You Should Know and Use from the South: Paul and Angela Knipple 1. Thank ya, thank ya very much “Elvis Presley, good old southern boy and tragic 'King of Rock and Roll,' was known for kindnesses like buying cars for strangers and quirks like shooting TVs. In culinary terms, he was known for his quirky love of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches – preferably cooked in bacon grease. While those sandwiches are admittedly not one of the cornerstones of Southern food, the combination of peanuts and bananas is a familiar flavor to most of us. But what most of us don't realize is that flavor combination comes from a culture a lot further away than Tupelo, Mississippi, or Memphis, Tennessee. Elizabeth Kizito, a cookie maker in Louisville, Kentucky, tells us that in her native Uganda, people eat peanuts and bananas every day, although the bananas she's referring to are starchier plantains instead of the sweet bananas we're used to eating here. The dish, mato ke nabinyebwa , is a staple food eaten almost daily by every family as a tasty way to get necessary nutrients. So, the Ugandans call them bananas? What's the difference between bananas and plantains? Bananas are edible raw and come to us from Central America, while their cousin plantains, even the ripe ones, originated in Africa and need to be cooked.” 2. Okra “Whether you like it slippery and slimy , battered and fried crisp, or lurking deep in a bowl of gumbo , there's probably no vegetable that you think of being more Southern than okra. But really, it's not. Even the word gumbo comes from ngombo, the Wolof word for okra. The exact origin of the plant is uncertain, and it may have first been cultivated in either South Asia or West Africa. Historical documents show that it was eaten in Egypt as early as 1200. It arrived in the New World with the slave trade as early as 1658, the first time its presence was recorded in Brazil. Thomas Jefferson noted that it was well established in Virginia in his writing in 1781. But are southerners the only people who eat okra anymore? Not even close. Check your local Indian buffet for okra dishes like stir-fries, bhindi gosht or in sambar. You'll find okra in Malaysian food, Caribbean food, Brazilian food, African food, South American food, even modern Japanese food.” 3. Paprika: The Boomerang Spice “Countless plates of deviled eggs and bowls of potato salad – Southern staples both – are dusted with paprika every year, a subtle beautification like the blush of a Southern belle's cheek. Paprika followed a particularly interesting route to the South. Like tomatoes and potatoes, peppers are native to the New World. Paprika, however, is a product of Europe. Columbus returned to Spain with peppers, which then made their way west and north to Hungary. In the milder European climate, the paprika pepper evolved to be milder in flavor and became a national treasure that allowed for the creation of what we think of today as Hungarian and Slavic cuisine. Although much of our paprika is grown in California now, the styles we use hearken back to the Old World: Hungarian hot, Hungarian sweet and Spanish smoked. Now, is that dusting all you should do with paprika? Absolutely not, unless you don't mind missing out on a world of subtle pepper flavors.” 4. World Wide Greens “Fine. So maybe some things we think of as Southern aren't really just Southern. Or maybe they are but they left here to get famous before they came back. You can't say that about greens though. Greens are Southern . We know that they were an African tradition, but we adopted them. We put them on our tables; we sopped up their potlikker ; we made them our own. It's true. We did. And so did everyone else in the world. In Brazil, a traditional side to Elena Pereira of Richmond, Virginia's incredibly filling meat-and-bean feijoada is couve refogada , collard greens cut into long thin ribbons and sautéed with garlic. Father Vien Thé Nguyen of New Orleans, Louisiana, recalled using the juice from pickled mustard greens as a child in Vietnam to make a starvation meal of plain rice taste like something special. Saag or palak paneer in India? That's greens. Bok choy in China? Greens. And in Africa? Whole cookbooks could be written just on the variety of greens eaten and their different preparations. You may not see Europeans diving into a mess of greens with a hunk of cornbread, but they've got greens, too. Swiss chard, anyone?” 5. The Mother Dishes “Cooking is a tradition of people and time and territory. Sometimes, you can follow migration patterns by following food, by seeing dishes appear that have the same backbones as a dish from the motherland but that have been changed by the ingredients available in a new home or the taste preferences there for spices. Keep following it, and it may change again, still visibly connected to a mother dish, but something uniquely its own as well. Jollof rice is one of those mother dishes. You'll find it served throughout West Africa, and, even as a mother dish, no two pots served are ever the same. Chef MaMusu, a restaurant owner in Richmond, Virginia, gave us a Liberian version of the recipe that has more traditionally Southern flavors because of the history of Liberia. To give a basic description, the dish is rice, meat, and vegetables, all seasoned with peppers, garlic, and onion. The vegetables you use can vary based on what you like or what's available based on the season. This is a recipe that left Africa with enslaved men and women. When they landed in the Caribbean, they had it with them. In Cuba, it evolved into the arroz con pollo (recipe below) shared with use by Elizardo Sanz in Marietta, Georgia, taking advantage of sour orange juice to marinate the chicken and add a new flavor to the dish and annatto seeds to add vivid yellow color. When they landed in Louisiana, it evolved into jambalaya, using the spicy sausages of the Cajuns who were already living there.” Arroz con Pollo (Cuban-Style Chicken and Rice) Ingredients 1 chicken, quartered 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup lime juice 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/4 cup annatto oil or olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup) 1 large Ají pepper, Cubanelle pepper, or green bell pepper, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) 1 small tomato, seeded and diced (about 2/3 cup) 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 cups beer 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 teaspoon saffron strands, crushed 1/2 teaspoon annatto seeds 1 pound Valencia or Arborio rice, rinsed 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas Cooking Directions Place the chicken in a large container with a lid. Pour over the orange and lime juices with the oregano, cumin, and crushed garlic. You can replace both the orange and lime juices with the juice of sour oranges if it is available. Seal the container and allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully add the chicken and fry for about 5 minutes per side or until brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and reserve, draining all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add the onion, Ají, Cubanelle, or green bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, salt, and black pepper and continue cooking for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the skillet and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Carefully add the bay leaf, beer, chicken broth, and saffron to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid from the chicken mixture. In a small saucepan, pour the 1/4 cup cooking liquid over the annatto seeds. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes before straining the liquid back into the chicken mixture. Discard the annatto seeds. Return the chicken mixture to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the green peas. Allow the arroz con pollo to cook for another 5 minutes. Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.
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5@5 – Old world ingredients you should know and use from the South
GOLDEN MEADOW, La.— Here on the side of Louisiana’s Highway 1, next to Raymond’s Bait Shop, a spindly pole with Global Positioning System equipment and a cellphone stuck on top charts the water’s gradual encroachment on dry land. Read full article > >
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As climate changes, Louisiana seeks to lift a highway
So far this year, I’ve sampled at least 10 different king cakes , attended a king cake party and gulped down a large cup of “ king cake coffee .” Now, that may seem to border on excessive, but I’d argue that in my native Louisiana, my behavior would be considered completely normal. So what’s all the fuss about? Read full article > >
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King Cakes: What all the fuss is about
Drinking with Don Draper – where to find Mad Men’s classic cocktails
Friday, March 23rd, 20125@5 – Old world ingredients you should know and use from the South
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
