Get cooking with Mam Papaul’s owner Nancy Wilson
Local chef Nancy Wilson, owner of Mam Papaul’s, has been cooking her entire life. She learned her best recipes from her mother and grandmother, the namesake for her business. In the 1970s, she published a cookbook called “Mam Papaul’s Country Creole Basket” that has now sold hundreds of copies.
“It’s just food from the river…it came before the Cajun craze,” she said about her iconic cookbook.
Wilson decided to write the book because she briefly lived away from the River Parishes and her family missed the food.
Not only is Wilson a cook with her own line of eight Cajun/Creole dinner mixes, but she has also been a childhood development teacher at Nicholls State University, a home economics teacher at Hahnville High School, a kindergarten teacher and a Head Start teacher.
“I loved every minute it of it – children and school always came first,” Wilson said.
This December, she will be selling her well-known business to Blend Mark in Harvey, but she will still be doing research, development and marketing for the boxed meals that have become a household name.
But Wilson still has some tips for parishioners who may be stressed about cooking a big family dinner this Thanksgiving.
“Don’t be afraid to compromise. Buy a few things ready-made or make things ahead,” she suggested. She said that casseroles can be made ahead of time and put in the freezer – just not in a glass dish because it could crack when put into the stove from the ice box. She recommends freezing pre-made foods in aluminum pans.
Although she is selling her business, she has a passion for sharing recipes from the bayou. Enjoy the recipes below for a twist on traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
“First-time cooks get flustered because they want everything served on time and hot…it’s just a matter of planning,” she added. “I think we tend to overdo our holiday dinners. When we eat at restaurants, they serve smaller portions and we leave feeling happy, not really full.
“I think we should take that concept to our holiday meals at home.”
Another tip Wilson offered was to make sure stuffing is cold when putting it in the turkey and the turkey needs to be thawed at the time. She said that using a thermometer is a better, safer practice than just looking to see if a turkey seems well-cooked. She said the key temperature is 170 degrees in the “meaty” part.
She also said that adding 2-3 tablespoons of rice-less gumbo adds a nice flavor and color to traditional gravy.
Baked turkey
Ingredients:
1-12 to 14 pound turkey, deboned
1 cup vermouth
salt and cayanne or black pepper
1 cup butter
1 apple
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
Directions:
Season turkey with salt and pepper. Marinate in vermouth overnight.
Stuff with cooled dressing.
Plug each end with 1/2 apple. Sew closed.
Douse with melted butter.
Place breast side down in roasting pan.
Cover and bake at 325 degrees for approximately five hours or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Uncover, turn turkey breast side up and continue roasting until temperature reaches 170 degrees and until nicely browned.
Gravy:
Drain liquid from pan.
Pour off fat.
Add 1 cup of water and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to dripping.
Stir and heat on top of the stove until thickened.
Tip: Add rice-less gumbo to gravy for added color and flavor.
Green bean casserole
Wilson says that this green bean casserole is “the best you’ll ever have.” The recipe is included in her “Mam Papaul’s Country Creole Basket” cook book.
Ingredients:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans French style green beans
30 Ritz-type crackers, crushed
1/2 pound andouille sliced (optional)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Directions:
Saute onions in butter. Add mushroom soup. Drain green beans. Mix cheese with crackers. Layer beans, mushroom soup mixture and cracker-cheese mixture in a 2-quart casserole dish, ending with crumbs. Top with sliced andouille. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes six generous servings. Sausage may be omitted and beans served as a side dish.
Oyster dressing
“When my mother made this dressing, she made it from scratch. She bought a sack of oysters and she and my brother shucked them in the backyard. She always enjoyed a few raw ones in the process.”
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 pint oysters, drained and chopped
1 turkey liver and one turkey gizzard, ground (optional)
1 pound bulk sausage, like Jimmie Dean’s
1 box Mam Papaul’s Dirty Rice mix
1/4 cup grated sweet potato
2 cups water or oyster liquid
Directions:
Sautee chopped oysters and liver and gizzard (if using) in butter. Set aside. Brown sausage in a three-quart sauce pan. Drain fat. Add oysters, liver and gizzard mixture, rice mix, sweet potato and water to sausage. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Fluff and serve or use to stuff a turkey.
Cranberry relish
Ingredients:
1 bag fresh cranberries, chopped in food processor
1 large orange, cut in pieces and chopped in food processor
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Directions:
Place all ingredients in 2-quart pot. Heat to a simmer. Continue cooking on low heat for 15 minutes. Pour in bowl lined with Saran wrap to cool. When ready to serve, lift from bowl using Sarah and place on serving dish.
Bourbon pie
“This is a nice twist on pecan pie,” Wilson said.
The recipe is courtesy of ‘Madame Sauce Piquante’s Cookbook II” by Karleen Guilbeau Barry, a friend of Wilson.
Ingredients:
2 unbaked pie shells
1/4 cup butter or oleo (1/2 stick)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Karo, white or red
4 eggs, whole
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 cups pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Bourbon
Directions:
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, salt, Karo and vanilla and beat with mixer.
Stir in chocolate chips, pecans and Bourbon. Place in pie crusts. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes.
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