Cookin with Miss Ann Mae

In May we volunteers worked on Miss Ann Mae's house in the Mid City. Miss Ann is a retired chef from the French Quarter. Like many New Orleanians her contractor had done more damage than repair to the home that she has lived in for the last forty years. In gratitude for the help that the non-profit organization, Hands On was providing, Miss Ann offered to make us hungry volunteers a real home cooked, southern supper. She agreed to let me assist her in the kitchen.
We worked all day on pork chops in red-eye gravy, B-B-Q chicken legs, collard greens with fat back and andouille sausage, green beans and ham hocks, potato salad, red beans and rice, jambalaya, corn bread and pineapple upside-down cake. Health food hell for some but, who cares, it's New Orleans and you only live once.

Miss Ann didn't quite trust my skills in the kitchen and would only let me peel potatoes, wash dishes and clean the floors. "Uhm uhm Darlin, don't you touch that", she kept telling me when I would attempt to step in. I never told her that in my former life I had been a professional chef for over thirty years, but I had a feeling that that information wouldn't have impressed her much. As we worked together I did get to learn some of her techniques and marvel at what she could accomplish with no sharp knives, no Cuisinart (OMG!), and not more than a modicum of work space. I was feeling very spoiled as I thought longingly of my german knives and my Cuisinart back in storage in Los Angeles.

While we worked the electricity blew, thanks to another shoddy electrical repair and the kitchen itself became an oven. She remarked casually that it was getting a little hot while I ran with sweat. Just another day of post Katrina life here. I marvel at her fortitude. Fortitude seems to be a common virtue in these parts. Again I get a whisper of feeling that I have much to learn.

In the end Miss Ann Mae decided that I was "a pretty good worker" and that I could come and help her anytime. Whew.

Dinner that night was fabulous.