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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
The French fur trapper René-Robert Cavelier colonized what we now call Louisiana almost 350 years ago and began to displace the Indigenous people in the name of King Louis XIV, hence the state’s name. France lost a war with Spain so they took over for a few years until the brand new United States of America made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
But despite the French connection, maque choux probably comes from the Native tribes that lived along the lower Mississippi, and—despite the treatment they received from the colonists—actually helped them live in the mostly inhospitable Gulf Coast swamps. Maque isn’t really a French word, and while choux means cabbage, my favorite vegetable is absent. No matter how it got its name, maque choux is delicious.
It’s also uncertain whether the dish is Cajun or Creole, but almost all of both subcultures’ many branches claim it, and a bowl of the succatash-like dish wouldn’t be out of place on any Louisiana table. Sometimes it’s a simple vegetable side of corn and tomatoes flavored with the ubiquitous trinity of aromatic onion, celery and green pepper. Bacon (or one of the region’s many smoky cured pork parts) are often included, and bigger chunks of various proteins might be added to bulk it up for a main course.
I like to include eggplant, another popular ingredient in Louisiana that’s in season at the same time as the other vegetables. It gets browned first, then sweated down with the trinity into a near sauce-like tenderness before whole cherry tomatoes are added to simmer until they burst. And while I once cut fresh corn from the cob and cooked it with the tomatoes, these days I follow Harold McGee’s advice. The food scientist and author of the seminal On Food and Cooking reminds us that fresh corn keeps most of its sweetness when it’s cooked below 170F, so I boil some water, turn it off, let it cool and drop in the ears for 10–15 minutes. An added bonus: slicing the gently cooked kernels from the ears isn’t nearly so messy as doing the same with raw corn.
Recipe
1 medium globe eggplant, cut into roughly ¼ inch cubes
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 jalapenño chile, chopped
1 andouille sausage or similar smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch thick half rounds*
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil*
1 Anaheim or other mild green chile, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, preferably the orange colored Sungold variety, halved
2 ears corn
Kosher-style sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne or other red pepper to taste
Chopped mint, parsley, or a combination (optional)
Sliced green onion (optional)
*A few strips of bacon cut into small pieces would be a good substitute, and you can use the bacon grease to replace some of the olive oil.
Get a heavy, preferably cast iron skillet hot, and add the oil and then the eggplant. Spread it into an even layer and let cook without stirring for about 5 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to flip and stir, continuing to cook over medium high heat until the pieces are well browned and lose their white, opaque look.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the sausage. Let brown for about 10 minutes, then add the onion, celery and chiles. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft, then add a good pinch of salt, plenty of black pepper, and as much red pepper as you want. Add the thyme, too, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, occasionally using the spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom, for 20–30 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of water or stock about halfway through.
Add the cherry tomatoes whole, spreading them out in a single layer and pushing them down into the now stew like eggplant. Simmer until they burst, which can take about 15 minutes (and it’s ok to give them some help by mooshing with the spatula).
While the other vegetables cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil, turn off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes. If you have a thermometer, wait until it gets below 170F. Add the corn and let it sit for 10–15 minutes, then remove and slice the kernels off. (Stand the ear on end and slice it down with a sharp chef’s knife.)
Remove the eggplant-tomato mix from the heat, stir in the corn and serve immediately garnished with the chopped herbs and sliced green onions. Eat with rice and pass the Crystal hot sauce.
