ANNA MONICA / L’Observateur / May 27, 2000

When Anna Ocmand married Stephen 23 years ago, she learned a whole new way of cooking as she began incorporating Cajun style with classic Creole.

She didn’t stop there, though, as her friendship with good cooks like Ruby Oommen of Lutcher led to her learning Indian cooking, and another friend from Thailand taught her to cook Oriental style. They also shared theirknowledge of different spice blends to acquire certain flavors.

Anna claims to have utilized her friends to get information and techniques. Evidently that worked because today she is an excellent cook,especially of ethnic dishes. She enjoys cooking the ethnic foods best.Stephen loves everything she cooks, son Kirk likes it, too, but daughter Sarah, a hamburger and pizza girl, often turns her nose up at her mom’s cooking, declaring “it is so exotic.” “She goes hungry a lot,” kids Anna, which would be hard to believe with all that good food in the house.

And there is always food in the house since Anna cooks every day. As ayoung girl she watched her mother, May Nesossis, now of Reserve, do the cooking. Every single day May cooked a four- course meal with everythingbeing fresh as she would never use any frozen or canned food. Dinner wasthe meal May cooked, and her love for cooking is what inspired her daughter. “She was a meticulous cook,” says Anna. “Everything had to bechopped the same; everything was peeled; the cooking was basically French Creole.” Different sauces were made, but Anna’s mom never used aroux in her life.

Although during her marriage she has had very few cooking failures, Anna does recall being 14 and wanting to help her mom do the red beans. Notunderstanding how it was done, she added flour to them.

“I guarantee you it turns lumpy,” she confesses. She did, though, learn tocook the beans; slow and for a long time.

“My mother would let me know how bad something was if she didn’t like it.

That is a good thing. Sometimes honesty hurts, but you have to go ahead,”says Anna. She is convinced that her type of cooking is very different fromher mom’s, and she likes to taste as she cooks so she will know what to adjust.

A New Orleans native who loves her home in Garyville, Anna recognizes that she cooks different from a lot of people. Her family eats somethingdifferent every night. To her cooking can be a mundane task, but “by thetime you finish you have created something.” Red beans, white beans andspaghetti are some of the “normal” dishes she cooks, starting sometimes at 8 in the morning. These dishes go into the freezer so when she isworking they don’t have to worry about having something to eat.

Mostly, though, it’s those ethnic dishes her family will find on the table.

For Chinese cooking Anna has a certain supermarket, and the Mexican ingredients are purchased in Texas. She grows her own herbs for cooking,and her herb garden includes fresh basil, pesto, cilantro, thyme, parsley, tarragon, Indian curry, cardium, rosemary, English bay, mint and two varieties of hot peppers used for home-made vinegar.

Following are recipes from Anna for complete dinners:

CHINESE DINNER

Hot and Sour Soup

6 cups of pork stock, made from left over pork roast 3 dried black mushrooms 1/4 pound lean pork slivered 1 firm block bean curd, chopped 1 scallion, minced 1 egg eaten 2 tbsps. cornstarch1 tbsp. dry sherry2 tbsps. white vinegarI tsp. soy sauce1/4 tsp. pepper

Soak dried mushrooms in 1/2 cup water until tender. Thinly slice mushroomsand save liquid. Sliver pork. Chop bean curd. Mince scallion. Beat egg in bowl.Start to boil stock and mushroom liquid. Add meat and mushrooms cook for 15minutes. Add bean curd. Mix together with cornstarch – sherry and vinegar, soysauce and pepper to form a liquid paste. Add to stock mixture. Slowly add egg toboiling liquid stirring so that thin ribbons appear. Add green onions.

Stir Fried Chicken and Hot Peppers 4 chicken breast, skinned and diced 3 chili peppers jalapenos 1 large bell pepper 1/2 cup bamboo shoots 1 tbsp. sherry1 clove garlic 1 tbsp. soy sauce1/2 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. sugar5 tbsps. oil2 tbsps. oil1/2 cup chicken stock 1 tbsp. cornstarch1 egg white

Seed chilies and mince. Chop bell pepper. Mince garlic and combine with soysauce, salt and sugar. Combine cornstarch, sherry and egg white add dicedchicken and coat. Heat oil and stir-fry chicken until brown then remove from panHeat remaining oil, add peppers and stir fry until they just turn bright green.

Add bamboo shoots. Add chicken. Stir in Soy sauce mixture and blendingredients.

Dim Sums

l package 45/50 count pork dim sums (found at oriental or international markets) Heat according to package directions by steaming or frying two heads of soft leaf lettuce leaves such as Boston or red leaf pulled from stalk and cleaned and dried.

1 bunch cilantro 3 large carrots, slivered very thinly I large bunch fresh mint 4 green onions, slivered thinly 1 cucumber, sliced thinly

Fish sauce: Mix 2 ozs. of fish sauce with 4 ozs. of water1 tbsp. sugar1 hot pepper minced 1 tsp. soy sauce3 garlic mashed

Blend all ingredients in a blender and use as a dipping sauce for dim sums honey, mushroom, soy sauce. Stem the mint and cilantro. Place all condiments on alarge tray and allow guests to wrap their dim sums with lettuce, carrot, green onions, cucumber mint and cilantro’s.

Serve the meal with amber beer.

Almond Cookies 35 almonds 10 almonds I cup Crisco 1 egg 1 tsp. almond extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsps. baking powder1/8 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Blanch almonds. Grind 10 almonds to a powder. CreamCrisco and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat egg and add to Crisco mixture. Addground almonds. Add almond extract and blend. Sift flour and baking powdertogether with salt. Slowly add to bowl of Crisco mixture. Knead into a dough.Roll dough out on floured surface till 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 1-1/2-inchrounds.

Place on greased cookie sheet add 1 almond to each cookie and press down. Bakeuntil pale brown – about 15 minutes.

MEXICAN DINNER

Tacos

1 can chicken stock (or enough liquid to cook the roast) 1 can old El Paso green chilies 1 can Old El Paso enchilada sauce 3 chopped onions 3 cloves garlic, pressed salt and pepper 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon1 tsp. ground corianderI tsp. ground cumin12 fresh corn or flour tortillas 1 block of sharp cheddar cheese 1 head of romaine lettuce 2 ripe tomatoes sour cream

Salt and pepper meat.

Brown roast in oil on all sides.

Add two chopped onions and garlic.

Cook for several hours until tender and shreds easily – basic pot roast with most of the liquid evaporated. Add one can Old El Paso enchilada sauce. Add onecan Old El Paso chilies. Add cinnamon, coriander and cumin. Cook for an hour. Fryfresh corn tortillas in oil until crisp – one at a time. Grate cheese. Thinly slicehead of lettuce. Add chopped onion, two chopped ripe tomatoes, sour cream andsalsa.

Black Bean Soup

3 cans of Kirby Black Bean soup 1 chopped onion 2 cloves garlic mashed 4 tbsp. olive oilsalt and pepper, to taste 1 can green chilies, chopped Cilantro’s, shredded finely Heat oil and add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add three cans blackbean soup. Add green chilies. Cook for 45 minutes. Ladle into bowls and addshredded cilantro’s to garnish.

Tostadas

4 cups creamy red beans or 4 cups canned refried beans 4 tbsps. bacon grease1 large onion, chopped 12 corn tortillas 8 ozs. shredded Parmesan cheese1 ripe avocado, sliced thinly 1 chopped tomato shredded lettuce 1 can chopped black olives

Heat oil in skillet until hot. Add onions and brown. Add beans and fry in greasefor about 30 minutes. Fry tortilla flat in oil until crisp. Serve beans on tortillaswith condiments – grated cheese, olives, avocado, lettuce and tomatoes.

Margaritas

8 ozs. triple sec16 oz. tequila8 ozs. Iemon juice8 ozs. of water

Mix all of ingredient in a large pitcher. Salt the glass rim, optional. Stir andpour over crushed ice.

Crawfish Asparagus Alfredo

2 lbs. crawfish meat, cleaned1 lb. fresh asparagus, peeled1 stick butter 8 ozs. cream cheese5 tsps. white flour1 can evaporated milk salt and pepper, to taste 2 packages of fresh pasta, boiled till al dente (about 2 minutes)

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add flour and make a smooth paste. Slowly addmilk on a low fire. Add cream cheese and stir until blended. Salt and pepper totaste. Cut peeled asparagus diagonally – two inches long. Add crawfish to sauce.Add asparagus to sauce. Cook for 10 minutes. Add pasta and toss. Serve withtossed green salad and white wine.

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