“We are eager to return the World Food Championships to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip,” said Mike McCloud, President and CEO of Trybe Targeting, the firm that launched the World Food Championships in 2012. “Our planning and discussions with our casino host are almost complete, and we have some new announcements in the pipeline that will be very exciting as well.”

Several categories for the 2013 WFC have been modified, as well as a few additions made to create an exciting final table showdown. All categories, updated rules and dates of competition will be announced by March 31. Online registration for all qualified competitors will be available on April 15.

To keep up with the latest World Food Championships chatter, check outwww.worldfoodchampionships.com, Facebook.com/WorldFoodChampionships or Twitter (@WorldFoodChamp).

The March Towards The World Food Championships

Another month down and another month closer to the 2013 World Food Championships!

The competition battalions for barbecue and chili came to attention in February, giving way to a steady cadence in March with weekends full of opportunities to win an invitation to the 2013 World Food Championships.

Congratulations to the champions of the following February and early March events!

BBQ

Humble Rodeo & BBQ Cookoff (TGCBA)
Humble, TX – February 1, 2013

Citrus Center Boys & Girls Clubs “Smoke on the Water” BBQ (FBQA)
Winter Haven, FL – February 2, 2013

Old Florida Outdoor Festival (FBQA)
Apopka, FL – February 8, 2013

World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest (Independent)
Houston, TX – February 22, 2013

Smokin’ on the Rio (IBCA)
Mercedes, TX – February 22, 2013

BBQ Championship & Hog Wild Festival (KCBS)
Mobile, AL – March 8, 2013

LaGarto Community BBQ (IBCA)
LaGarto, TX – March 8, 2013

Battle of the Boroque (MBN/GBA)
Statesboro, GA – March 8, 2013

Texas Independence Day Celebration and Cook Off (IBCA)
San Benito, TX – March 9, 2013

MBN Invitational (MBN)
Columbus, MS – March 9, 2013

Chili

Horned Toad Regional Chili Cookoff (CASI)
Rankin, TX – February 2, 2013

Texas Open Chili Cookoff (CASI)
San Antonio, TX – February 23, 2013

US National Open Chili Championship (CASI)
Apopka, FL – February 9, 2013

Gulf Coast Regional (ICS)
St George Island, FL – March 2, 2013

Tolbert’s Men’s State Chili Championship (Tolbert)
Maxdale, TX – March 2, 2013

Arizona State Open (CASI)
Casa Grande, AZ – March 2, 2013

You will be hearing more from the World Food Championships team soon! Remember: registration for all qualified competitors will begin on April 15. Categories, rules and specific competition dates will be announced on March 31.

If you’re looking for your way in, there are a great many of opportunities to snag that Golden Ticket. Contact each event individually for specific competition information.

Follow these links for a full list of 2013 WFC Automatic Qualifiers in Barbecue and Chili.

Arguably, there isn’t a single dish more iconic to Louisiana’s traditional cuisine than gumbo. At least that’s my belief.

“Food & Blues,” on page 46, is a feature that I penned following a jam-packed week of experiencing the French Quarter. My intent was to indulge in all that the area has to offer. I spent the week dining, slowly strolling Bourbon Street late at night, sipping oversized drinks, frolicking with others while attempting to catch more beads to add to my oversized collection at home, and surrounding my senses with the continuous sounds of blues, jazz and zydeco music.

However, I had a single mission in mind when entering each restaurant and food establishment: to taste their version of gumbo. All purveyors boasted of theirs being the best and most authentic to its base origin, and many even argued that I would never be the same following my consumption of their gumbo magic.

Even though this might seem a bit of overkill to some, I decided to begin my every meal with a minimum of one cup of the restaurant’s signature gumbo. My count during the week: 18 different tastings. My favorite, hands down, was the unforgettable bowl that I devoured at Tujague’s. Get the recipe on page 50.

However, many of the others I tasted were incredible, and the unique ingredients added to the iconic Cajun roux were numerous and—though it may sound silly to say—entertaining.

Here, I decided to share my five favorite gumbos. I made every attempt to mix up the ingredients to delight your palate in more ways than one.

Classic Southern Seafood-Okra Gumbo
There are so many gumbo recipes to choose from, but in my family, this old classic still reigns supreme. You can never go wrong with this classic Southern favorite.

Yield 12 servings
Zest Factor Mild
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours

3 pounds okra, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

¼ cup canola oil

1⁄3 cup peanut oil

1⁄3 cup flour

3 medium white onions, chopped

4 teaspoons tomato paste

6 cups water

2½ pounds shrimp

2 cups oysters

1 pound crabmeat

½ cup parsley, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 cup celery, roughly chopped

1 cup bell pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne

Salt to taste

1. Sauté the okra in the canola oil until it thickens, but make sure not to overcook. Set aside.

2. Make your roux using the peanut oil and flour. (For more details on roux making, see “The Perfect Roux” at left.) Once the chocolate color is achieved, add the onions and tomato paste, then finally the water, blending well.

3. Now, let’s make a little bit of heaven. Add the okra, shrimp, oysters and crabmeat, seasoning with the parsley, garlic, bay leaves, celery, bell pepper and the cayenne (this issue’s featured pepper).

4. Simmer, uncovered about 1 hour, stirring when the mood hits you (every 5 minutes or so). Remove bay leaves when done.

5. Serve with rice and bread of your choice. I prefer a freshly baked focaccia (see the recent Comfort Issue on page 73 for a delicious recipe).

“Cajun food with a serious kick.” That’s what I asked Christopher Myszka, a private chef to a high-profile family in the Houston area.

“Rick, I can’t wait to do this!” Chef Christopher enthusiastically responded. “My normal cooking responsibilities do not typically allow me to go to the extremes that I personally enjoy, so I am going to love doing this for your chileheads.”

To begin, Chef nearly knocked me down and then woke up all of my heat senses with his crawfish cakes and cilantro-lime cream. Then onto a classic, Creole shrimp and grits. To send things over the top, he ended with peach-pecan bread pudding topped with tequila sauce. All three dishes were so amazingly delicious that I really wish I could claim them as mine!

Crawfish Cakes with Cilantro-Lime Cream

Yield 4–6 servings (12 patties)
Zest Factor Hot
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

For the cilantro-lime cream:
¼ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

½ teaspoon lime zest

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning

½ teaspoon cayenne powder

For the crawfish cakes:
1 pound cooked crawfish tails

3 cups soft breadcrumbs, divided

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon fresno pepper powder

1 teaspoon habanero powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1.Make the cilantro-lime cream: Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl and place in refrigerator to chill.
2.Make the crawfish cakes:Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, except for 1 cup of the breadcrumbs and the vegetable oil. Shape 12 patties and coat them in the reserved cup of breadcrumbs.
3.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the patties in batches for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Place on paper towels to drain and serve with the cilantro-lime cream.

For a Cajun novice, reading a recipe for the cuisine can be like reading another language entirely. Cajun French is a mash-up of various French dialects with a heavy focus on Acadian French, the dialect of French colonists who migrated from Acadia, which is now part of Canada and Maine. To make matters more confusing, over time, other languages and dialects, including Portuguese, Spanish and Creole, have added to the Cajun vocabulary. Fret not—we’ve whipped up the following dictionary to help translate some foreign terms and figure out how to say these bon mots (good words)!

Armandine [ar-man-deen]: a seafood dish served with lemon butter sauce and slivered almonds
Andouille [ahn-doo-wee]: a smoky, spicy, lean
pork sausage
Beignet [ben-yay]: a puffy, French doughnut sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar
Bisque [bisk]: a creamy, shellfish-based soup
Boudin [boo-dan]: a spicy, pork sausage that includes onions, herbs and cooked rice
Chicory [chick-or-ree]: a flavoring for coffee made from dried, roasted herbs
Couche-Couche [koosh-koosh]: a breakfast dish of fried cornmeal topped with cane syrup
Courtbouillon [coo-boo-yon]: a rich, red, spicy, seafood stew served over rice
Étouffée [ay-too-fay]: a seafood dish smothered in vegetables and a stew-based sauce
File [fee-lay]: ground-up sassafras leaves used to season and thicken gumbos
Grattons [grah-tawns]: Cajun word for cracklins (pork rinds)
Grillades [gree-yads]: beef or veal medallions cooked like steak, usually with a brown sauce, to be served over rice or grits
Gumbo [gum-boh]: a traditional hearty and thick soup made with seafood, sausages or other meats
Jambalaya [jumbo-lie-yah]: traditionally, a chef’s stew comprised of leftover meats, seafood and vegetables; highly seasoned
Lagniappe [lan-yap]: akin to a “baker’s dozen”; a “lagniappe of beignets”
Mirliton [merl-uh-tahn]: a gourd vegetable of Louisiana, commonly stuffed with meat or shrimp
Praline [praw-leen]: traditional New Orleans candy made from pecans, sugar and cream
Rémoulade [reh-moo-lad]: a spicy, mayonnaise-based dressing used with seafood and sandwiches (check out our Cayenne Rémoulade recipe on page 23)
Roux [roo]: a mixture of butter or animal fat, slow-cooked with flour until browned (can be cooked until a light-brown to a dark-brown color, depending on taste preference); used as a base for gumbos and stews
Tasso [tah-so]: spicy Cajun pork or beef jerky used in a variety of dishes
Trinity [trin-it-tee]: culinary slang referring to the combination of celery, bell peppers and onions used in recipes native to Louisiana

Just when you think NYC couldn’t get any better. Now the city just got hotter with the first New York City Hot Sauce Expo. This will be a celebration of the city’s culturally diverse love of all things spicy and hot. The festivities start the weekend of April 20^th and 21^st from 10 AM to 6 PM EST at one of Brooklyn’s most renowned areas overlooking the Island of Manhattan.

East River State Park
Factory on Kent
110 Kent Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.NYCHotSauceExpo.com

The NYC Hot Sauce Expo welcomes the biggest and best hot sauce companies in North America. These artisan companies are the top of the chile pepper industry. Numerous award winning chefs will present New Yorkers with the best fiery foods and hot sauces that will make anyone who loves all things spicy crave more.

Saturday, April 20^th the Expo will present the highly anticipated Screaming Mi Mi Awards. Trophies in 10 categories  will be handed to the winners in front of a live audience on the Expo’s Center Stage. The Screaming Mi Mi will be judged by the brightest names in the NYC food industry. A selected panel of esteem judges will consist of celebrity chefs, food critics, bloggers, restaurateurs, professional musicians and the best mixologist the city has to offer.

As Americans rapidly become more adventuresome eaters, we are now setting a place at the table for higher caliber hot sauce. The palate is savoring spices that has given a boost in hot sauce growth and production so great that hot sauce business has been rated one of the top 10 fastest-growing industries in the U.S. The trend shows no sign of cooling off.

Come to Brooklyn for this 2 day Hot Sauce Expo to get the ultimate endorphin rush. The weekend promises to be packed with fellow chile lovers who love live music, fire breathers, spicy food vendors, awards show, eating challenges & contests, adult beverages and the BEST Hot Sauce Companies from North America. There isn’t a better place in NYC to get your food cranked up.

The New York City Hot Sauce Expo Incentive: A jolt of capsaicin that will excite the nervous system into producing endorphins, which promotes a pleasant sense of well-being. Enjoy & Be Happy!!

For more information about the Hot Sauce Expo please contact Steve Seabury: seabury32@optonline.net

Official website: www.NYCHotSauceExpo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewYorkCityHotSauceExpo

Our show is coming up in September, but it is not too late to become a vendor!

Fill out the form by downloading the Chile Pepper Extravaganza Reservation form and e-mail it back to Heather Chancellor at heather@chilepepper.com to reserve your spot today.

Contest Information:

CPE Award Categories

CPE The Chile Pepper Award Entry form

CPE The Chile Pepper Award Rules

Keep up with all the latest Extravaganza buzz through our Facebook page, too.

Over the holidays, we’ve switched phone services and are experiencing difficulty in receiving calls. We apologize for this inconvenience and hope that you can bare with us while we sort the issue out.

To reach our temporary customer service line, please call us at 832-886-1120.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Chile Pepper sponsored and attended the World Food Championships last week in fabulous Las Vegas. In a word, we had a HOT time! Thanks for all of the fun, food and new friends!

Check out the champions and finalists here and here.