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It's time for another edition of Poppins Book Nook, and this one has been a lot of fun. Folktales was our theme this month, and I thought it would be fun finding some Louisiana folktales. What I found instead was a lot of ghost stories. Our friendly librarians led us to a shelf that included four of the books we checked out. Petite Rouge: A Cajun Twist to an Old Tale
In this Little Red Riding Hood tale retold with a Louisiana twist, the big bad wolf is instead "dat big gator taille-taille" and the little girl with the garde-soleil (sunbonnet) and red cloak is named Clotilde. Cajun French words are used throughout the story, and they are defined at the bottom of each page.
I enjoyed the drawings like this one which featured things you might see in a Louisiana swamp, even the Spanish moss.
In the story, Clotilde's family and friends all eat alligator sauce piquant. Clotilde's Papa Clodis was a shrimp-trawler, so it was a fitting substitution to prepare shrimp sauce piquant instead of alligator which I have never cooked.
Shrimp Sauce Piquant
This is my short cut version, but it tastes just as authentic as the longer recipe you can find in the back of the book.
1 1/2 cups chopped frozen onion and peppers
4 cloves of garlic
olive oil
20 oz. can crushed tomatoes
20 oz. salsa (or 1 or 2 cans Rotel)
1 Tablespoon Louisiana Cajun Seasoning
10 shakes Tabasco Spicy Salt
(or more or less to taste)
Cooked rice
Sauté onion and pepper mixture and garlic in olive oil until onions are clear. Add tomatoes and salsa and simmer 20 minutes. Sauté shrimp in olive oil, seasoned with Cajun seasoning and spicy salt. Add shrimp to piquant sauce. Serve over rice.
This link is to a website where other Louisiana folktales are shared. Join in the fun with us in this virtual book club for kids with Poppin's Book Nook. Each month there is a new theme.
Visit the other blogs in Poppin's Book Nook for more folktales:
Wow it looks like i have an idea for todays dinner. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love when you can cook to expand the fun of reading a book.
ReplyDeleteSo do I. It adds to the experience in a memorable way.
Deletei tried that one. the shrimp was finger lickin'. really thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI am adding the book and the recipe to the must try list. Incorporating an activity like cooking with a story is always a hit with my kids.
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping to bring a spoonful of reading fun to the Poppins Book Nook this month!