We live close to Coliseum Square Park here in New Orleans, and when the weather's nice, we get musical acts performing in the park. Wednesday night it was Piano on a Truck; André Bohren performed a full hour of classical piano pieces. What a nice way to end a weekday!

This weekend I'm heading over to Mississippi for a seafood boil; my nephew's getting married. Their ask for my contribution to the potluck was my chocolate chip cookies, so I'll be baking cookies all day.

For the recipes this week, the smothered okra and tomatoes was one that surprised me in development. Normally I don't care for dishes that combine tomatoes and shrimp, but this is a favorite. Next, a slow-braised leg of lamb that was absolutely delicious, plus leftovers made an awesome pasta sauce. And finally, I've been craving crawfish maque choux, and I'm going to make this one for my friend who's recently gotten over her allergy to seafood.

Enjoy the recipes, stay safe and healthy, and, as always, let me know what's on your mind. 

Best regards,

Susan Ford, Publisher and Editorial Director
Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

Last week's recipes:

• Jalapeno-Honey Steak
• Fetuccini with Seafood Cream Sauce
• Chicken Tortellini with Asparagus

Instant Pot Smothered Okra and Tomatoes with Shrimp and Andouille

I wasn't optimistic when I first started working on developing this recipe, because I generally don't like dishes that combine shrimp and tomatoes. Personal preference. But I kept tweaking on it and ended up loving it. The andouille's rich smokiness cuts through whatever it was about that combo that I didn't care for, and this is a favorite dish.

Braised Leg of Lamb

I developed this recipe a few years ago for a special Easter dish and it was delicious. There was a lot of leftover lamb, and I simmered it with some marinara sauce, made egg pasta from scratch, and had yet another delicious meal.

Crawfish Maque Choux

A good friend of mine has finally gotten over her allergy to all things shellfish and is slowly working her way through all the dishes she's never tried before. I'm going to make this for dinner one night soon and have her over; she loves crawfish and this is delicious.