The Dooky Chase Kitchen: Leah's Legacy

-Funding for "The Dooky Chase Kitchen: Leah's Legacy" was provided by the... -The past meets the present at Dooky Chase's, where the next generations behind the New Orleans landmark carry on the Chase legacy.

Surrounded by reminders of the queen of Creole cuisine, the chefs create new dishes that respect the Creole food traditions that Chef Leah Chase brought to the table.

Representing this fusion, Chefs Dook and Zoe Chase each present a signature dish, accompanied by a custom cocktail from Eve Marie Haydel.

Chef Dook starts off with chicken cacciatore, his grandmother's version of the rustic Italian dish.

-At home with my pots, this is where generations of recipes have been passed down, and this is one of them that I cook at home with my kids -- chicken cacciatore.

We'll get started here by heating up some olive oil.

It's on a low to a medium heat.

While that's starting to heat up for us, I'm just going to lightly season our chicken.

I have a little salt here.

I have a little pepper.

And I have some flour here.

We just want to dust the chicken here, right?

We may use the flour again when we start to thicken up our gravy, but right now, we just want to coat that chicken.

Not like you're frying a chicken, but lightly coat it so it not only gives it a little crisp and texture, but when you add that liquid to it, that great flour is going to rub off and thicken up that gravy for us.

Now flip these over here.

So, this is a cut-up eight-piece chicken.

You know, you can do leg quarters.

You can do legs and wings.

Really whatever pieces you like.

Even if you like boneless chicken breasts -- right?

-- you can do that.

I always love the chicken on a bone because it just adds so much flavor to that gravy that you'll be making.

So, you can see here, that's just slightly dusted, right?

I'm not looking for anything more than that, not all the way coated.

And over here, I'm smelling my olive oil talking to me, so I know it's right where I want it to be.

And I like to put the chicken skin side down.

Brown that up pretty good.

We have room for one more in here.

So, at this point, what you're looking for -- you're not looking to cook the chicken fully, right?

We're just looking to add some color to this chicken.

I want to brown it, I want to season it, kind of seal those flavors in.

And this takes about 2, 2 1/2 minutes on each side.

So, how do you know when you're ready to flip, right?

As we cook any protein, you start to look at the sides and you can see.

You can see, on the outskirts, that you're starting to get that golden-brown color that we're looking for.

So you'll just start to pick him up, flip him over.

And that's what you're looking for -- this beautiful golden brown here.

Not all the way cooked, just enough to seal in those flavors and get some good color on this meat.

Flip it over, and the other side will go for another 2 1/2 minutes.

And not only are you looking to seal in, you're looking for those golden-brown specks.

They're sticking to the bottom of your pan, right?

That's that flavor that we're going to deglaze with and pick that right on up.

You know, I can recall just walking in this kitchen, and when I saw the bell peppers and the mushrooms and the tomatoes, I already knew what dish was coming on.

And I love, love to eat chicken cacciatore over pasta.

That was my favorite.

My grandmother would have that little thin angel-hair pasta just for me.

Because, you know, my kids now love to eat it with linguine, a different pasta, but, for some reason, it's linguine for them.

So, you know, growing up, you just get those memories of these classic dishes and how you really love to eat them.

This is where we want it to be, so I'm getting ready to pull this chicken out.

We'll set that on the side.

Deglaze that with a little water here.

Get my spoon here.

And now we'll start to add in our onions.

I like to add in our onions and I like to have it sliced.

When you're eating your chicken cacciatore, I want you to see everything in it, right?

I want you to see the onions.

I want you to see the bell peppers.

I want you to see the mushrooms.

And what we're doing here is just creating a bed that we're going to lay that chicken right back on.

I'll add a little more onions.

We have our diced tomatoes.

I have a little bit of garlic here.

I have our mushrooms.

Make sure I got all that great seasoning.

And you can see now my bottom of my pan is picking up all that great flavor.

And now we'll add the rest of the water.

And what I want you to do is add it just right to the top of those vegetables.

Those vegetables will release a little water, as well.

We'll add a pinch more salt.

A little pepper.

I have some dry thyme here.

If you have fresh thyme that works, as well.

And then I have some oregano.

As you can see and notice, I hadn't added my bell peppers yet.

I'll add those right after the chicken, because I want those to kind of maintain their shape, right?

I want them just soften up just a little, but I want them to maintain the shape that I have them there in.

I'm gonna give this a taste before I add that chicken back, make sure we're there.

Oh, you can taste the onions, you can taste that garlic, that oregano, that thyme.

This dish is just fantastic.

So, now we're coming to our simmer, it's time for us to add back our chicken.

And this time, I go skin side up.

And we have our bell peppers.

I love to use green and red bell peppers a lot for color and some -- you know, that red bell pepper is just a tad bit sweeter for me that I love.

Now, the red bell pepper gives a little bit different flavor profile than the green.

To me, I find it has a little bit more sweetness to it.

So, once you're at this stage, we'll turn this to a low heat, and you want to let this simmer for 35 minutes, until that chicken is cooked and tender, and you almost want it falling off the bone.

We'll cover it.

And now we just let it cook.

So, we've been simmering for 35 minutes.

It's now the time to check our chicken.

Oh, wow.

Just look at that beautiful color there.

You know, and you can smell it.

As soon as you take that top off, you start to get hit with those wonderful flavors.

I mean, this is exactly right where we want it to be, consistency-wise.

You can see that reduced just a little bit.

I do want to taste it.

And you can look at -- Just look at that.

That's what you're looking for, that consistency right here.

Yeah.

Oh, all I need is just some angel-hair pasta and that beautiful gravy.

I mean, that is just wonderful.

You know, you can use chicken stock if you want, to deglaze with, but we've used water, and the reason why is because we've seasoned that chicken and we're creating that chicken stock right in this pot as it simmers, right?

So if you do use chicken stock, just be mindful of that salt content when you're seasoning that chicken and that vegetables.

This looks beautiful.

We're getting ready to plate.

And I'll show you how you can plate this up just to serve it.

Oh, man, and every way you move it, you're just getting hit with that flavor just coming out to you.

And I'm gonna put another wing on top of here.

And this is the part that you just want to coat it with that beautiful gravy that you created.

I mean, this dish over pasta, over rice.

We'll finish it just with a little parsley for color.

But you're talking about a dish that's easy to do at home.

This dish speaks to our New Orleans cuisine, as so many cultures are involved, and you can see so many on this plate.

But this is just something I grew up eating.

This is our chicken cacciatore.

-Chef Leah Chase, who passed in 2019 at the age of 96, insisted on being in the kitchen practically until the end.

From her command center, she received visitors and kept an eye on her beloved pots.

To those who would follow in her footsteps, she shared her vision for food, culture, art, and a respect for all people.

-I grew up in this kitchen and I would watch my grandmother cook stew chicken and whatever else and I would go home and try to re-create it and bring it back here for her to taste.

But that was the growth, right?

So, when you talk about growth, you talk about the future and evolution.

We have a lot -- Not just Zoe.

We have a lot of younger ones that's interested, and then they come in for Holy Thursday and fold boxes.

They come in and do all these different things, and you see that joy and that passion of what they have for this restaurant.

And hopefully we taught them the passion that they should have for this community and service.

So there's another chef in there.

There's another front-of-the-house manager in there.

There's another -- Hopefully a bundle of them that just keep this business going, keep this business continuity going.

And it's not just for us as a family.

It's for this community.

This place, this legacy of just generations means so much to us, but I think it means a lot to this community.

If we keep doing what we were taught, of that service first, you know, that just keeps that ball rolling.

We set the stage for this community to grow.

-Next, stuffed acorn squash with cherry-red-wine reduction, an ideal dish for vegan dinner guests.

-Today, we have a delicious vegan dish that I came up with -- stuffed acorn squash.

So, I have an acorn squash here that I sliced in half.

And what we're going to do is, we're going to scoop the seeds out so we can put this in the oven so it can bake while we make our stuffing.

So, you just scoop the seeds out and you just want to create a little pocket for the stuffing to sit in.

So, after you scoop your seeds out, we'll drizzle it with a little olive oil.

Season it with a little salt and pepper.

And we'll put this in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Alright, now let's get started on our stuffing.

So, to our pan on a medium heat, we'll add some vegan butter.

Vegan dishes are nondairy, so we couldn't use the real butter.

So, of course, they have alternatives which are great, such as vegan butter.

You know, you could just use olive oil.

But I love the taste of the vegan butter, and it gives it a great texture.

So, to this, we'll add our plant-based sausage, which is meat-free, nondairy, plant-based.

And if you don't want to use a plant-based sausage or you can't find it at your local grocery store, we could just use mushrooms.

This is an Italian plant-based sausage and it really tastes just like Italian sausage.

It has all those flavors, all those great seasonings.

It's just not meat.

But, you know, for vegans out there that you still want that taste of meat, this is a perfect alternative.

And we don't have to cook this too long.

We just want to get it hot and we want to crumble it up so it could be tiny pieces for our stuffing.

You know, there's always people who come to the restaurant looking for a vegan option.

Everybody, you know, doesn't eat meat and doesn't want the chicken.

So I decided to create a vegan dish for Thanksgiving, because, you know, there's not much vegan options here, so I was glad to create those options for them.

And, you know, it still tastes great, still tastes delicious.

Alright, now that our meat is cooked, we'll add some garlic.

We'll add some mushrooms.

We'll add some onion.

And we'll let this cook for about 3 minutes.

I think, you know, my grandmother would be happy, because, you know, she came in the restaurant and wanted to create new dishes and try new things.

And, you know, you have to keep up with the times.

You know, vegetarian, veganism -- that's a new thing.

And you don't want to leave anybody out.

And I know, of course, everybody comes to the restaurant just for the fried chicken and stuff, but you do have people who can eat the fried chicken and also want to try alternative Creole dishes.

And that's what I try to do, you know?

I'm so excited that I can be creative and try new things.

And I even tried to go vegan and vegetarian, even though it's hard, but it's good.

You can make delicious dishes, you know, especially with this sausage.

Oh, they have so many alternatives now.

Okay.

Now we'll add -- I have an herb vegan cheese, and this is nondairy, as well.

So we'll add a little bit of this.

And this gives it a great, like, cheesy flavor.

We'll mix that in.

And we'll add our rice.

If you don't want to use rice, you can use quinoa, brown rice.

It would all be delicious.

Alright.

Now we'll give it a season.

I'll go with some dry thyme... some nutmeg... and a little bit of cayenne for a little kick.

Alright, now that our stuffing's almost done, I'll also add some walnuts for crunch.

You don't have to use nuts if you're allergic.

You could use pecans, as well.

But I like that little crunch that it gives.

Let's give it a taste.

Mmm!

So good.

I'll add a little bit of salt.

And now we're ready to plate.

So, here's our baked acorn squash that I baked off earlier, and it's the perfect consistency.

You know, it's soft, and that's where we want it to be.

So, I used acorn because I actually wanted to use pumpkin, and my local grocery store didn't have any.

And I saw these beautiful acorn squashes, and it worked out so perfect.

And you could use pumpkin, as well.

They have, you know, numerous squashes that you could use.

But this one tastes really amazing with it.

So I'm glad they didn't have the pumpkin, because I got to try something new.

Alright, so, here, I have some cherries with some red wine.

And I've reduced it a little bit, so I want to reduce it some more.

And we'll pull our stuffing off and we'll start to stuff our acorn squash.

So, you just want to put a little bit in the middle.

And fill it up as much as you want.

We'll check on our reduction.

And we'll be ready to plate.

Alright, let's taste our reduction.

Mmm!

And I think our reduction is where we want it.

So I'll lay it on the plate.

And I like to put a few whole cherries, as well.

Alright.

Then we'll put our acorn right on top.

Add a little rosemary as garnish.

And put it right in the middle.

Here, we have our vegan acorn squash.

I'm excited to create new flavors and dishes that still have our authentic Creole taste.

And it's delicious.

-Recognizing that they have big shoes to fill, the younger Chase generations chart a course for the future of the restaurant while listening to the voices of those who came before them.

-We're standing on their shoulders, so it's important to have their presence in everything.

And if I don't, trust me, they will reel me back in.

I was trying to do something, and Cleo was like, "No.

This is how your grandmother made the Bloody Mary and this is how you got to mix it."

And I think I was off a couple ingredients and I was like, "Okay, okay."

But, you know, they'll tell you if you're not doing it like she wanted you to do.

But, of course, that is valuable when you have people like that to hold you accountable to stay the course.

-The restaurant is in great hands, because the next generation feels the same way we feel about maintaining the legacy of a family-owned black restaurant in Faubourg Trem.

And we're going to be here for the next 80-plus years at least.

-The blessing is the support of the family, because we have those who are here every day working, but we have the other, younger generation, who are doing other things in the restaurant to make sure that we continue.

My father, my mother, my grandparents are all resting in peace, and I feel like, today, this business will not only go on where it is now, but they will take it to another level.

-We finish with lavender lemonade, a relaxing and refreshing summertime drink created by Eve Marie Haydel.

-I created the lavender lemonade, one, because I love lavender, but lavender -- The lavender rose is my grandmother's favorite flower.

And, so, we were -- It was during COVID, and we were trying to figure out these Mother's Day packages.

And I wanted to add a cocktail into the package to help the mothers relax.

So that's how the lavender lemonade was born.

And people love it.

They come in looking for it, and I'm excited to greet them with this beautiful cocktail.

So, in this cocktail, we have fresh lemon juice, lavender syrup that we make in-house.

I have the lavender flower, so, basically, you would take these off of here and boil them down like you would steep a tea and then wait for them to steep and add your sugar to that pot and then just strain that lavender out.

And then you have this nice lavender -- fresh lavender syrup that you made in-house.

With elderflower liqueur.

And then, since it's elderflower and lavender, it goes well with gin or vodka.

Some people like it with tequila.

Again, it's your cocktail.

If you're making it at home, you can put whatever spirit you want.

We're going to start adding our ingredients.

So, we're going to do an ounce of lavender syrup.

And it's a really pretty deep purple color when it comes out.

And then our fresh lemon juice.

An ounce of that.

And, so, basically, we just made a lavender lemonade in here.

And now we'll add our elderflower liqueur.

3/4 ounce of that.

And then our main spirit, whatever that is -- I'm going to use vodka -- it's 2 ounces.

Alright.

Prep your glass with the ice.

We're going to put our ice in a glass and give this a hard shake.

[ Rattling ] Alright.

And I love pouring this drink out in front of customers, because I love the color that it comes out to -- a beautiful pinkish, lavenderish color.

And then we're going to garnish with our lavender sprig and a lemon wheel.

And this is our lavender lemonade.

It's great for just relaxing at home with your friends and family.

Like I said, we made it inspired by Mother's Day, inspired by my grandmothers.

It's a great drink to share.

-Chef Leah Chase spent a lifetime uplifting the community and building bridges through food.

For more meals that bring people together, join the Chase family next time on "The Dooky Chase Kitchen: Leah's Legacy."

-Leah Chase's iconic book, "The Dooky Chase Cookbook," has been updated and includes all-new recipes from the series you're watching.

The cookbook is available for $27.95, plus shipping and handling.

To order, please call 1-866-388-0834 or order online at wyes.org.

-You talk about my grandmother at a young age and her father telling her three things to remember as she was going off to high school away from her family, and that was work, pray, and do for others.

And you could imagine what those three things took and my grandmother listening and did what she did and accomplished throughout her life.

-They both loved to fish.

So we would -- We city children not used to getting up 5:00 in the morning would get up 5:00 in the morning to go fishing with my grandmother Hortensia.

-I'm no outdoors person, right?

So you throw in this -- Just a cane pole.

We're not talking rod and reel.

Cane pole.

And I remember feeling something on my toe.

I'm like, "What is that?"

She had us standing a little bit in the water, right?

And I lifted my toe, and hanging on the end of the -- I'd still had, like, a flip-flop on -- was a crab.

You know, and I'm, like, screaming, "There's a crab holding on."

And all my grandmother said was, "Oh, when you're looking for one of those, you never can find them."

-For more information about "The Dooky Chase Kitchen: Leah's Legacy," visit... Funding for "The Dooky Chase Kitchen: Leah's Legacy" was provided by the...