My good friend Carol gave me a delightful gift for my birthday— grow-your-own oyster mushrooms.
As it turned out, the gift triggered my long-suppressed American Gothic. You know…the farm, the pitchfork, the Willie Nelson concert.
There I was every day for a couple of weeks tending my crop of tiny mushroom spores. I misted them—being sure each tiny spore got a generous drink. I nudged them into the dappled sunlight several times each day as the sun arced over my home. I gave them words of encouragement; there were a lot of “good jobs!” on my farm watch. (Juliet, of course, thought I was nuts. The sweet little pup doesn’t have a farm dog bone in her fluffy little body.)
Then, after about two weeks and to my amazement, Woo-Hoo! I had a harvest!
I also had a conundrum: what to cook that was worthy of my crop?
Stir fry?
Ragu?
Nope– Oyster Mushroom Po’ Boys.
Po’Boy sandwiches are a New Orleans institution. Local lore has it that the sandwiches were introduced in the 1920s by brothers Bennie and Clovis Martin at their Martin Brothers Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Quarter. Former street car conductors, the brothers conjured up the large signature sandwiches to feed striking workers (the poor boys) during the bitter New Orleans street car strike in 1929. Here is a short video produced by the local historical society about the origin of the Po’Boy.
Vowing to support the strike “until h–l freezes,” the Martins published this fervent letter in solidarity with the strikers.
Toni Tipton Martin, however, in her recent best-selling cookbook, Jubilee: Recipes From Two centuries of African American Cooking, writes that the origins of the sandwiches reach back into the African American experience in the South. “Fried oysters piled high in a box made from a loaf of bread is referred to as a mediatrice–‘the Peace Maker’–in early twentieth century cookbooks. Back then, when a man came home late from a night of carousing in the French Quarter and told his anxiously waiting wife that he had been detained on business downtown, he brought her a mediatrice to curb her anger and make peace. The success of the plan depended upon an exquisitely prepared sandwich filled with delicate oysters.”
Whether you are making peace for your transgressions or standing strong with people who labor, unionize, and make things happen here in America, here is my oyster mushroom take on the Po’Boy.
As they say in New Orleans, laissez les bon temps rouler.
Oyster Mushroom Po'Boy
Ingredients
- For the Mushrooms
- 1 pound good-sized oyster mushrooms
- 1 C. cornmeal
- 1 t. Creole Seasoning or to taste (I used Zatarain's)
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- For The Remoulade
- 3/4 C. mayonnaise
- 2 T. Creole mustard or coarse-grain mustard
- 1/2 T. sweet paprika
- 3/4 t. Creole seasoning (or to your taste)
- 1/2 t. pickle juice (dill or sweet--your preference)
- 1/2 t. hot sauce or to your taste (I used Tabasco)
- 1 clove garlic (minced and crushed)
- For The Sandwich
- French bread buns
- Lettuce or Cole Slaw
- Sliced Tomato
- Remoulade Sauce
- Sliced Pickles
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet-type pan by greasing it or lining it with parchment paper and greasing the parchment paper. The mushrooms, once dipped in cornmeal and egg are sticky and you want to make them easy to handle.
- Step 2 To make the mushrooms, assemble your ingredients. Mix cornmeal and Creole seasoning in a wide bowl and set aside. Beat eggs in a wide bowl and set aside. Clean and dry the mushrooms.
- Step 3 Dip each oyster mushroom in the egg and roll in the seasoned cornmeal. Arrange the dipped mushrooms a couple inches apart on the prepared pan. Drizzle or spray a small amount of oil on each mushroom. Bake for about 15 minutes (turning once) at 450 degrees F. Watch the mushrooms carefully. They will brown and crisp relatively quickly. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and use them in your sandwich while they are still warm.
- Step 4 To prepare the remoulade sauce for your Po’Boys, mix all the ingredients together. Refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) before using to allow the flavors to meld.
- Step 5 To assemble your sandwich, hollow out the French bread rolls to make room for the mushrooms and any other fillings you use. Toast the rolls. Generously spread the remoulade sauce on the rolls. Fill the hollowed-out rolls with the mushrooms and other ingredients.
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