From Our Kitchens: Dad did it his way

My father was a blue-collar, baby boomin’ family man. He was tough on me, but probably not as tough as his Pops was on him. 

The man taught me in many different ways. Some advice was straightforward and intentional. “Make sure to have a spare tire, a jack and lug wrench.”

While some advice was arbitrary – we’ll look past that – it’s the things he taught me as a byproduct of his actions that have had a lasting impact. 

That brings me to the culinary exploits of Andrew Stevens, the patriarch of our family.

I grew up in a fairly traditional American household. We lived in Jones County. For my family, it was work and school, participating in sports, scouts and various other extracurricular activities. Dinner was at 7 p.m., and you were not allowed to speak with your mouth full. 

Most dinners were my amazing mother’s responsibility. But, every now and then, Dad had something wild up his sleeve.

Two signature dad dishes from my childhood impacted me later in life when I became a professional chef.

The most outrageous creation of my Dad’s culinary adventures was hammerhead shark spaghetti. Yep, shark meat cooked like beef in a traditional Ragu style. 

My father died two years ago, and I have to assume he was forced to answer for this dish on Day One of the Afterlife.  My terrestrial apologies to whomever, on whatever it is they write it on up there.

Y’all, shark meat is tough … even if cooked perfectly. If you braise it for a couple of hours in an herbaceous, acidic tomato sauce, the meat then becomes the texture of a dog chew toy. 

Unfortunately,  my sister, Mandy, and I grew up in a “waste not, want not” household. Let’s say no one had dessert that night, for no meals were finished, not even Dad’s. 

This specific dinner was my informal introduction to food science, and I’ll forever be grateful. Thanks, Drew.

Shark spaghetti aside, the man was a good cook. He was very instinctive about ingredient ratios, cook times and flavor profiles. 

These are the pillars of sound home cooking. Dad’s signature dish was overnight crock pot red beans and rice. It’s important to note that he was born in Slidell, Louisiana, and lived briefly as a child in New Orleans.

The leftover Christmas or Easter ham bone was the foundation for this one-pot masterpiece. I fondly remember waking to the smell of pork, peppers, onions and spices. 

As an adult, I’ve realized that cooking was the easiest way for Dad to express his love for the family, a trait that his son has inherited, apparently.

It is my sincere hope that you have similar experiences to mine as we approach Father’s Day. 

Make good memories and let the great ones simmer with gratitude. I know that’s what I’ll be doing.

Andrew’s Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

• 1 pound kidney beans (soaked in tap water over night)
• 1 roasted ham bone (Dad used the leftover Christmas or Easter ham )
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 to 4 stalks of celery, diced
• Few cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A few dashes of your favorite Louisiana hot sauce
• 8 cups of water or chicken broth

Directions

Throw all of that in a crock pot and let it go overnight. (8 or so hours)

Shred the ham off the bone, toss it back in the beans, and serve over your favorite rice with even more of that Louisiana hot sauce.