In celebration of Norfolk Festevents’ annual Bayou Bon Vivant (held May 14-15 in 2021), we’re cooking up some Cajun-inspired dishes.
Our Andouille Po Boy Slider is a delicious sandwich that is great for brunch or snacks. You can even make this a traditional po boy by splitting open a bâtard (French bread is is shorter, stouter, and torpedo shaped unlike it’s well-known cousin) or any submarine sandwich roll of your choice. Just increase the amount of sausage, mustard, and olive salad/giardiniera.
PO BOYS are traditional sandwiches from Louisiana that consist of meat or seafood and other ingredients including cheese, pickles, lettuce, and tomato. It’s usually dressed with mayonnaise or another condiment.
Although this type of sandwich has been around since the late 1800s (originally it was comprised of fried oysters on French loaves and called “oyster loaves”) the term Po Boy was coined, according to tradition, in 1929 to feed, free-of-charge, workers who were on a months-long strike against the streetcar company in New Orleans.
At a restaurant owned by Benny and Clovis Martin, two former streetcar conductors, the brothers say the name derived when a hungry striker came in looking for food, referring them as “another poor boy.”
ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE, a course-grained smoked flavored with garlic, onions, pepper, and other seasonings, is the star of our Po Boy. French in origins, the sausage can be found in many Cajun dishes, such as gumbo and jambalaya.
CREAMY CAJUN MUSTARD is our condiment of choice, adding a rich and slightly spicy element to the sandwich, and creating a delicious dichotomy in texture.
The mustard is kicked up a notch with our homemade Cajun spice blend. You can buy Cajun spice blend at most grocery and specialty food stores, but if you’d like to make ours, send an email to PatrickEvansHylton@gmail.com with “Cajun Spice Recipe” as the subject.
OLIVE SALAD is a traditional topping on the New Orleans classic sandwich, the muffuletta, found most famously at Central Grocery. While our Po Boy is not a muffuletta, we give nod to this topping with a similar pickle, giadiniera.
Giadiniera is Italian in origin, and is a relish of pickled vegetables in vinegar. The vegetables vary by recipe, but ours includes a mix similar to the olive salad from Central Grocery: diced carrot, cauliflower, celery and olives. The pickle is seasoned with garlic and other spices.
You can buy giadiniera at most grocery and specialty food stores, but if you’d like to make ours, send an email to PatrickEvansHylton@gmail.com with “Olive Salad Recipe” as the subject.
DINNER ROLLS are used as our bread of choice for our Po Boys, although you could use any slider roll or, as noted above, create a more traditional Po Boy with a submarine sandwich roll.
Here’s how to make our Andouille Po Boys
MUSTARD INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Cajun spice mix
OTHER INGREDIENTS
6 Andouille sausages
1 cup giadiniera, chopped fine
6 dinner rolls
METHOD
Make the mustard: in a medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard and Cajun spice mix and whisk to incorporate. Extra can be refrigerated in a sealed jar for 2-3 days.
Make the sausage: butterfly Andouille sausages by cutting almost completely in half lengthwise and open to reveal both cut sides. Brush both sides of the sausage lightly with olive oil.
Preheat a grill or a grill pan or a skillet to be used on the stovetop to medium-high heat. Grill sausage for 4-5 minutes on one side, then turn and grill the other side for 4-5 minutes. Remove sausages to a paper towel-lined plate to cool and drain for 2-3 minutes, then cut each sausage in half widthwise.
Assemble the sandwich: split rolls and toast cut-sides if desired. Place one piece of sausage on the bottom half of the roll, then another piece of sausage on top. Generously dollop the mustard, then spoon on giadiniera. Top with other roll half and serve.
Yields 6 sliders
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COMING UP ON MAY 14 AND 15 IS BAYOU BON VIVANT, from our friends at Norfolk Festevents.
Indulge in the flavors of New Orleans at the Bayou Bon Vivant, a two-day celebration of the tastes, tunes, and traditions of New Orleans.
ENJOY juicy handfuls of crawfish to the sounds of Blues, Jazz and Brass, More at Festevents.org
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