By SARAH KATHRYN WATKINS
Jessica Savell and her husband Patrick love trying new things in the kitchen when they cook for their four children.
The children are not picky eaters, which allows the family to try new recipes and new types of cooking.
“Patrick works with all the meat,” Jessica said.
While Patrick prepares the meat for the grill, Jessica can be found in the kitchen making all the side dishes and anything else needed to complete the meals.
Jessica’s mother, Robin Fortenberry, and grandmother, Jo Beth Tolbert, taught Savell how to cook classic Southern food. One of her favorite things to cook is her mother’s cornmeal pie recipe.
“I can remember being about 5 or 6, and my grandmother and I would go get fresh eggs from outside and come in the kitchen and make homemade biscuits and eggs,” Jessica said.
Cajun cuisine inspires all of her cooking, she said.
“My daddy is a captain of a riverboat, and every time he would come home when I was younger, he would cook Cajun food and have new recipes,” Jessica said.
Her father, Ken Fortenberry, introduced her to Cajun cooking, which is why she loves it so much.
One of her favorite ingredients is crawfish, and she incorporates her Cajun-style of cooking into all of her recipes.
As much as Jessica loves to cook, she gives credit to her husband for his contributions.
“He is more of a cook than me,” Jessica said.
They switch cooking days and if Jessica cooks Patrick will clean. If Patrick cooks, she will clean.
Patrick works at Brown Bottling Company, and Jessica works as a financial analyst for Raytheon Technologies.
The Savells attend New Zion Pentecostal Church on Fork Road and are enjoying a busy fall with band competitions and sports.
CRAWFISH/SHRIMP ETOUFEE
1 stick butter
1 tbsp flour
3 tbsp bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 can(s) cream of celery soup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ c green onion, chopped
1 tsp parsley
1 lb crawfish tails or cooked shrimp
Dash(es) paprika
Pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
Melt butter; Add flour. Stir in onions, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until tender. Add soup. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt, pepper, green onion and parsley. Add crawfish tails or cooked shrimp. Cook over low heat till seafood is heated through. Add paprika for some pink color to the dish and red pepper flakes to taste. Serve over cooked rice.
CORN MEAL PIE
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter
4 T. Cornmeal
1 T vanilla
Mix all ingredients together, put it in a pie shell, bake it on 375 until the top is golden brown.
CRAWFISH CORNBREAD
1 cup cornmeal
1 chopped onion
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup chopped jalapenos
¾ cooking oil
1 can cream corn
2 eggs
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 pound crawfish tails
Mix everything together then put in a 9×13 baking dish and bake on 350 for 40-50 minutes. To make it less spicy cut the amount of Jalapenos and to add more spice add more jalapenos.
https://neshobademocrat.com/stories/savell-family-inspired-by-cajun-cuisines,51881
