A recent post in Slashfood reminded me I was overdue to visit one of my favorite food websites: The Skinny Chef. This being Lent and all, I’m always looking around for ways to assist those who want their traditional seafood on Friday. However, I’m not that traditional a fella. (I know, it’s a shock; you’ll [...] Read more »

Shrimp are popular for parties this time of year. You see them on all sorts of snack platters at various functions and celebrations! They make an appearance fried or boiled, peeled or not; with all sorts of sauces, many of them superposable. (That’s the word of the day, just had to get that in there.) [...] Read more »

Clams are seafood, right? They don’t often show up in the top five seafood items that a person might list, if asked what constitutes “seafood.” Diners who enjoy clams, though, are beyond passionate about them, it seems. (Don’t ask me why; anything in a shell gives me trouble. Not getting them open; surviving the experience [...] Read more »

If you watch Emeril Live (and who doesn’t?) you’ve probably seen him make this dish. As a naturalized Cajun, Emeril knows how to make this stuff well! And I learned how from him. After all, we’re bestest buds now that I stood in line for seven hours to get one of his books autographed at [...] Read more »

Some folks had the audacity to complain mentioned that the Jambalaya I shared way back on October 1 was a little bit difficult to make. Me, I don’t see what the problem is but I decided to share an even easier version. I dug around in the Way Back Stack of Dad’s Chile Cookbook (because [...] Read more »

Some fella once quipped that the catfish was the Cajun state bird. Me, I think that’s pretty mean. So mean, in fact, that I stopped laughing as soon as my ribs started to hurt. (No sense in taking things too far!) There is one thing, though, that the Cajun Nation has right: Catfish is really [...] Read more »

Some Creole dishes are just plain hot. Think about it: “mild” and “habañero” just don’t get used in the same sentence. And as a community service (that means No Charge to You, this time), the basement elves from the Underground’s Department of Soft-Hearted Litigation Avoidance have asked me to warn you: This Stew Uses Habañero [...] Read more »

Break out the funny hats and the cheap champagne! Cook up some salsa and snacks!! It’s Party Time at the Underground!!!
Unbelievably, The last few months have been amazing here at the Chile Underground. Readership went up 37% in September alone, continuing a trend over the last four months that has seen visits increase by over [...] Read more »