The Southern Po' Boy Cookbook by Todd-Michael St. Pierre

INTRODUCTION

    “Imagination is the golden-eyed monster that never sleeps.
    It must be fed; it cannot be ignored.”
    —Patricia A. McKillip
    Fantasy author Patricia A. McKillip wasn’t referring to the po’ boy when she wrote these words, but she very well could have been. Yes, you are limited only by your imagination when it comes to po’ boy creation, whether you are a purist who travels the traditional route or an adventurer who is open to the ongoing evolution of this classic Southern marvel of a sandwich. Few things in life have truly earned legend status as much as the humble and mighty New Orleans po’ boy.
    Hail to the chief of all sandwiches! In a class of its own, it’s royal yet down-to-earth and inspires love and devotion. Ask any native of New Orleans where to get the best po’ boy, and almost every single person will name a different establishment. Po’ boy eateries are as much a part of personal identity as the neighborhood a New Orleanian grew up in. Like a family heirloom, po’ boy preference is handed down from generation to generation.
    To those of us who love our po’ boys, there simply is no substitute for the bona fide best damn sammich on da planet! So if I sing its praises a bit too loudly or go on too long about how mouthwatering it is, and if I dwell on the importance of The Bread and how it has to be crispy and flaky on the outside, unbelievably soft on the inside, to be the real deal, I hope you understand. This is a book for all of us who cherish the po’ boy’s simple yet sophisticated perfection — although it’s just as much a book for po’ boy newcomers, who, I know, will love this most magnificent of sandwiches.
    This book contains my favorite recipes, including both standards and new twists, for you to make in your own kitchen. Of course, it’s always best to enjoy a po’ boy in New Orleans, at one of the hundreds of places that cook, serve, and sell the sandwiches. But the taste-tested offerings on these pages will get you started on your journey and show you what to do and how to do it, so you can share po’ boys with your friends and family wherever you happen to reside. Explore and get to know your own inner po’ boy with a little help from a lifelong po’ boy fanatic and native New Orleanian. Bon appetit, y’all!
    A SANDWICH WITH A RICH HISTORY
    From the very beginning, size was an integral part of the po’ boy sandwich. A small po’ boy is large by other regions’ standards, and in New Orleans large is gigantic. This huge sandwich is history you can eat. The po’ boy dates back to 1929, when sandwich-stand owners and brothers Bennie and Clovis Martin offered free overstuffed sandwiches to striking streetcar conductors, whom they referred to as the “poor boys.” A letter of support from the Martin brothers promised, “Our meal is free to any members of Division 194.” The letter ended, “We are with you till hell freezes, and when it does, we will furnish blankets to keep you warm.” (Martin brothers letter courtesy of Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University Libraries.)
    At first, the Martin brothers used regular French bread, but then they asked the folks at John Gendusa Bakery to make the first poor boy loaf, so they would have a better size sandwich bread without narrowed ends to accommodate more filling. Keeping their promise, the Martins provided the striking workers with big, hearty, belly-filling sandwiches. Bennie Martin said, “We fed those men free of charge until the strike ended. Whenever we saw one of the striking men coming, one of us would say, ‘Here comes another poor boy.’”
    THE PO’ BOY TODAY
    In the many decades since the Martins fed those striking workers, the po’ boy has become New Orleans’ signature sandwich. In recent years, it has risen to cult status, with a fanatical following. The po’ boy brilliantly sandwiches many of the area’s culinary treasures — oysters, shrimp, soft-shell crab, crawfish,