Lorette C. Luzajic
Cajun Corner
By Lorette C. Luzajic
I’m not the only one who pines for Decatur Street’s Central Grocery, home of the muffaletta. No matter that we’re thousands of kilometres away from New Orleans and that it has been more than a decade since I walked the land of vampires and voodoo only to stumble on the world’s most perfect sandwich. I recall clearly every minute detail of that sandwich, how the salami and provolone melded seamlessly together under the weight of olive salad, how the oil drenched the bread, how the saxophonist under the dusky sky serenaded my dinner beside the Mississippi river. They say once you have the water in New Orleans, you will always be there. But I think it’s the consumption of the muffaletta that places the heart firmly in that place- perhaps voodoo is just kitchen science.
Bless Toronto’s multicultural cuisine scene- we’ve got our very own Cajun Corner, and the muffaletta is on the menu. It’s not nearly the same, but better than nothing. This shop and café is a sentimental garden of Louisiana hot sauce, spice mixtures, Mardi Gras beads, Cajun cookbooks, zydeco music, and a mouthwatering menu that will bring back the bliss of New Orleans before its sad decimation by hurricane. Order from the daily menu: there’s usually a pot of gumbo or jambalaya simmering in wait. If you’re lucky, it will be Crab and Corn Bisque day. The ‘soup Nazi’ can go to hell- I doubt Jerry and friends ever left New York for a bowl of real soup, the way only Southerners can make it. Like the gumbo pot, the specials change daily- schedule your entire life around the occasions when Pecan Roasted Pork is on the menu. But if you miss it, you can’t go wrong with any of the selections, if only for the memories. Dirty Rice and Blackened Chicken and Southern Fried Catfish are superb treats. You can order Po’Boys any day, as well as the Muffaletta. Ask for extra sauce for both- this is Canada, where they skimp on the good stuff, and the buns can be rather dry. Regardless, it’s a treat just to pretend you’re in the south, and where else do you get to say “gumbo ya ya?”
While the friendly, N’Awlins-lovin’ staff heaps memories into your takeout bucket, grab a few jars of olive salad from their pantry- you can’t make a muffaletta at home without it, and you’ll want to. If you haven’t yet discovered Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, now is the time. Chachere was a self-made millionaire of swamp roots, who retired young and started cooking. He whipped up a jug of his favourite spices so that when he went camping he wouldn’t have to carry a dozen jars, and so the world-famous green shaker of Original Creole Seasoning was born. At our house, we simply call it “Tony’s” and wonder how anyone cooked without it. Competing, similar spice blends from the south pale in comparison, and though they’re all available at Cajun Corner, they’re largely unnecessary. The package promises “good on everything” and we’ve put that to the test at home: yes, yes it is- even on pancakes. It was not good on ice cream, but astonishingly was fine on other desserts. It’s salty, and sprinkling moderately wherever salt is needed makes any food perfect. I’ve ditched a number of fancy meat preparations in favour of the glorious, unbeatable subtlety of “plain plus Tony’s”. You can get Tony’s in extra spicy as the original blend is not for hotheads but for everyone. It’s great, but you’ll still go back to the basic.
It’s worth forking out the few bucks for Tony Chachere’s Cajun Country Cookbook. Though dozens of southern cooking manuals come in and out of vogue, home chefs probably find them a bit challenging and they end up unused. Expect this one to end up grease-stained- you’ll be filling the margins with penned notes to yourself as well. Terrific. The book’s plethora of recipes are something anyone can cook, though I bet no one more than three miles from the swamp will be chopping the head off an armadillo or skinning a raccoon.
Weekends are a special treat at Cajun Corner- order the famous Café du Monde’s chicory blend of java and a plate of hot, powdery beignets- if you haven’t had New Orleans’ famous warm little donuts, this fair attempt will have to do. While sipping this out-of-this-world coffee and browsing, pick up a take-out schedule of the upcoming menu (also available online at www.cajuncorner.ca). I’m certain that at least one Torontonian has moved to New Orleans after visiting Cajun Corner. If that option isn’t feasible for you, at least we’ve got our little corner of heaven here at home, and you can take some of the paradise back to your own pantry.
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