ANNA MONICA / L’Observateur / December 18, 1999

On a regular work day, Sammy Accardo Jr., practices law in his LaPlaceoffice. On a regular weekend, Accardo can be found either fishing orhunting, and that is how he first developed a talent and a willingness for cooking.

His cooking experiences began out of necessity at about age 12 because his mom, Cookie, would not cook the wild game he killed. Actually, hisfirst attempt with pot and stove was a disaster when he boiled doves with rice. “It didn’t work very well,” he admitted. But it did force him to learnthe right way.

Accardo learned the right way by watching his grandmother, Vita Monica, whose late husband Frank, was also very much a wild game hunter and fisherman and always brought home wild game. He also picked up hints bywatching his grandmother Accardo. Wife Jennifer laughingly revealed that”he has improved since the doves.”In college, this attorney cooked to feed himself, learned to bar-b-que and was soon into a more advanced menu like jambalaya, crayfish etouffee and gumbo. He also learned that from his grandmothers but has a habit now ofimprovising a little on his own.

“He uses whatever we have,” Jennifer said.

Jambalaya, gumbo, deer roast, spaghetti and meatballs and various sauce piquants are Accardo’s favorites to cook.

When not hunting or fishing on the weekend, Accardo cooks. He is proud ofhis latest acquisition, a vacuum sealer good for sealing food for freezing.

When he cooks, he cooks more than they need so they can have it when it is needed. Jennifer is proud of her husband’s culinary talents and doesn’tmind admitting she isn’t much for cooking, although her husband said “she can really fry that chicken!” Almost every weekend, and sometimes in between, family and friends like his brothers, Todd and Casey and Uncle Carl and George Lowe, show up and always get fed. Jennifer enjoys it, too, and sometimes the Accardos eventake requests and Sammy cooks jambalaya and red fish court bouillon for them.

At first, Accardo didn’t know if he could write a recipe for some of his favorite dishes, but he tried and following are some very unique recipes.

SMOKED VENISON ROAST

One 2-4 lb. venison roast1 tbsp. salt1 tsp. black pepperOnion powder Garlic (1 peeled clove) 1 cup vinegar 1 cup Worcestershire Sauce 1 cup Italian salad dressing 1/2 cup soy sauce 3 tsp. Tabasco Sauce1/2 tsp. thyme1/2 to 1 lb. bacon (strips)

Thoroughly wash and drain roast and rub down with salt and pepper mixture. Next, stuff garlic into roast by cutting small holes into roastwith knife. Combine onion powder, vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, Italiandressing, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce and thyme to make a marinade in a 1 gallon plastic zip lock bag and mix thoroughly.

Next, add roast to bag and place bag in refrigerator for a least 48 hours, turning bag every 12 hours. Remove roast from bag, wrap roast in baconstrips and place it on the top of grill of bar-b-que on very low fire.

Cook for approximately 6-8 hours, depending on size.

FRESH FLOUNDER ROLL UPS

1-3 lbs. flounder fillets (cut into 3/4-inch wide strips by 6-8 inches long)Salt and black pepper 2 tbsp. onion powder1 tbsp. Season All or other combined spice seasoning2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce1 tsp. Tabasco sauce2 cups melted butter 1-2 lbs. crabmeat (diced or ground)Toothpicks

Wash and pat dry flounder fillets with paper towel. Lightly dust one sideof fillets and crabmeat with salt and pepper. Next, place approximately 1tbsp. crabmeat onto each fillet and roll from one end. Place toothpickthrough roll-up to keep together. Combine melted butter, Worcestershire,Tabasco, onion powder and seasonings in mixing bowl.

Place roll-ups on non-stick baking pan and into 325 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until done, basting every five minutes with butter/seasoning mixture. Be careful not to overcook roll-ups. For a special smoked flavor, place roll-ups on aluminum foil and then onto grill and cook on low fire for about 30 minutes or until fish becomes flaky.

REDFISH POTATO BALLS

4-5 lbs. redfish fillets4-5 lbs. boiled and peeled red potatoes2 yellow onions (finely chopped) 2 bunches shallots (green onions) finely chopped 2 tbsp. salt4 tsp. black pepper2 tbsp. garlic powder 2 tbsp. onion powder2 tbsp. All Spice or other combined spice seasoning2-3 cups white flour

First, boil fish fillets in one gallon water and 3 tbsp. crab boil for three tofive minutes. Next, blend fillets and all of the above ingredients, exceptthe flour, in a food processor, or finely chop all ingredients and mix by hand in large bowl.

Form the mixture into hand-size patties approximately 1-inch thick. Flourpatties by dredging them through white flour in pan or dish. Next, placepatties in frying skillet with vegetable oil and fry patties, turning frequently to prevent burning. Fry until outside of patty is golden brown.

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