Fru-ga-LEE-sta. noun. “A person who lives a frugal lifestyle but stays fashionable and
healthy by swapping clothes, buying secondhand, growing own produce,
etc.”
Macque Choux? Say what?
It's pronounced Mock SHOE, and presumably has American Indian origins. I never heard of this Cajun dish until Fabio made it on Top Chef (Season 5) for the New Orleans semi-final episode. It's a fancy name for cajun smothered corn and it's a classic frugalista side dish made the "holy trinity" of New Orleans cooking -- onions, peppers and celery. Macque Choux also works as a main course if you add some protein. Fabio dolled his dish up with sausage and rabbit and served it over grits. They say it must be made with fresh corn.
Here's a recipe:
"Maque Choux"
Ingredients:
- 8 ears of fresh corn
- 1 chopped onion
- 1/2 chopped green bell pepper
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 chopped green onion
- 1 cup of cubed salt meat (you could use smoked turkey or turkey bacon)
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1 tomato chopped
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions:
- Scrape the corn to remove the kernels
- In a pot over medium heat, cook the onions and meat with the oil until they are lightly brown.
- Add the celery and bell peppers to saute them.
- Add the tomatoes and corn. Cover and let them simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.
- Add the green onions and the seasoning and let simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes.
- Add some Cajun seasoning to taste.
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