Cooking couple is right at home in Corpus Christi-Epiphany

Pictured above: Pat and Verdell Heisser of Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish in New Orleans say there is nothing better than when they watch others enjoy their cooking. The couple shared three meatless recipes (listed at the bottom of this story) with the readers of Holy Smoke. (Photos by Beth Donze and courtesy of the Heisser family)

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

Verdell Heisser’s first real cooking experience was as New Orleans as you can get.

After years of the kitchen being the exclusive domain of his family’s matriarchs, the then 58-year-old Heisser was asked for a favor by his mom as she was making the traditional Fat Tuesday feast of barbecued chicken, jambalaya and red beans.

“That Mardi Gras, my mother said, ‘Before you go out to the parades, come to the house and put the water in the pot of beans, because I can’t lift that pot anymore,’” Heisser recalled. “So, the next Mardi Gras I said, ‘Look, rather than me coming over there and adding the water, let me cook the beans.’ That’s how I started cooking, and people started eating my food!”

Today, Verdell, 78, and Pat, 77, his wife of 55 years, enjoy cooking and sitting down together for nearly every meal inside their beautifully restored 1860-built home on North Galvez Street. The house still bustles every Mardi Gras, when at least 50 friends and family arrive at the Heissers’ home for a veritable food fest after having their fill of the nearby Zulu parade.

When it’s just the two of them, the empty-nesting parents of one adult daughter enjoy preparing simple dishes such as fish, chicken and pork chops in their trusty cast-iron skillet.

“It gives you a thrill when people like your food,” said Verdell, musing on the perfect “trinity” of seasonings behind so many local dishes.
“The type of onion makes a difference – you’ve got to use a sweet onion like a Vidalia,” he said.

“Usually, we go kind of light on the celery,” added Pat. “I use lots of onions and garlic – I use more garlic the older I get!”

High school sweethearts 

Pat and Verdell grew up in neighboring church parishes, yet apart from one another, in the days in which geographical lines largely dictated where New Orleans Catholics went to Mass and school. Pat, who lived on Annette Street, attended Epiphany Elementary and Xavier Prep, while Verdell grew up on North Dorgenois Street and attended Corpus Christi Elementary and the all-boys’ St. Augustine High.

“I had just lost my boyfriend and he had just lost his girlfriend,” Pat said, recalling their first meeting as teenagers in the summer of 1963, after a mutual friend brought Pat along with her to Verdell’s house.

When it came to choosing a church for their wedding, Pat had the deciding vote.

“What made Epiphany so special for me is my family. My family on both sides – my mother’s side and my father’s side – got married there, and I was married there,” Pat said. “There’s sort of that emotional tie. It’s in my blood.”

Drawn back home

Armed with a degree in math education from Xavier University, Pat went on to teach math at Archbishop Blenk, work at Shell Oil and assist in her family’s printing business. The career of Loyola University graduate Verdell included two years of Army service and decades of employment at Western Electric and Xerox.

Although the couple spent 25 years in New Orleans East – moving from St. Maria Goretti to St. Simon Peter parishes – they kept their ties to their old neighborhood, with Verdell often taking his mother to Mass at Corpus Christi, and Pat taking her mother to Epiphany.
In 1996, Verdell spotted a spacious fixer-upper with great bones, close to his beloved boyhood church.

“When he told me he wanted to buy this house I thought he was joking,” Pat said. “We had a beautiful home in New Orleans East, and I said, ‘We’re not doing anything until we pray.’ We held hands and I said, ‘God, if this is not of you, we don’t want any part of it,’ and in two weeks we had the house!”

The decision proved to be fortuitous. When Katrina hit in 2005, having a raised house perched on the relatively high ground of Esplanade Ridge was worth its weight in gold.

“We had 18 inches of water in the yard but none in the house,” Verdell said, noting that he and Pat were able to accommodate two FEMA trailers in their yard for displaced family members.

Lenten nourishment

During Lent, Pat finds herself pining away for a Friday-night staple from her childhood: patties of lightly fried canned codfish and potatoes.

“You can’t find the cans of codfish anymore,” she lamented.
Lenten favorites include egg and potato omelets, fish and shrimp.

“You try to keep the sacrifice, but we’re in New Orleans,” Pat said. “We start (meals) by saying the blessing, recognizing that our food comes from God. Everything we have comes from him. We enjoy eating together. That’s what’s missing in families today. Everybody is going their own way.”

The couple’s tomato-rich Shrimp Creole eats like a stew.

“It’s like a gumbo – you put all these flavors together and you come out with something special. You just have to make sure nothing is overpowering,” said Pat, who cuts the acidity with sugar. Fresh parsley from Verdell’s garden also helps, she said.

The Heissers’ Crawfish Boulettes, filled with Louisiana crawfish and stale French bread, come out slightly larger than a hush puppy. 
“With this recipe you can do crawfish, shrimp or crabmeat,” Verdell suggested.

At Corpus Christi-Epiphany, Pat is a Sodality member, an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, a lector and a leader of her church’s Monday-night rosary. Verdell helps count the Offertory money on Monday mornings and is part of the “Men in Christ” group that assists at parish dances, socials and other events.

In 2019, the Heissers received the St. Louis IX Medallion for their dedication to parish life.

“I thought it was nice that we got it as a couple, because most of the time we do things together,” Pat said.

In times of challenge, Verdell turns to the Lord’s Prayer for comfort and Pat prays the simple “Divine Mercy” prayer: “Jesus, I trust in thee.” At a low point in her life, Pat and a friend were in Epiphany’s gym when a bright beam of sunlight drew their eyes upward.

“It was shining directly on the picture of the Divine Mercy Jesus,” said Pat, whose travels have taken her to the Holy Land and to the Marian shrines of Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes and Guadalupe.

“I always say, if someone asks you to do something for the church, it could be God calling you to do it,” Pat said, “so, you shouldn’t say no!”

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Crawfish Boulettes

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package cooked, peeled Louisiana crawfish tails
½ cup sweet onion, chopped
¼ cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 ½ teaspoon celery, minced
5 slices stale white bread, torn in pieces
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
1 ½ cups Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, place the chopped crawfish, onion, bell pepper, celery, bread, 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper and egg. Pulse until it becomes a paste. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees. Whisk the bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon Cajun season in a bowl and set aside. Form the crawfish mixture into 1-tablespoon-size balls and roll in the bread crumbs. Cook in batches in the hot oil until the balls turn golden-brown and begin to float, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot. Note: These can be shaped a day ahead of time and refrigerated. Boulettes is French for “little balls.” They make a wonderfully flavorful appetizer or Lenten meal, served with a meatless side salad.

Pat and Verdell Heisser
Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish, New Orleans

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Shrimp Creole

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped 
4 tablespoons green onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped (red, green or half of each color)
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 ½ ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
3 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 ounces shrimp stock or water
⅛ teaspoon thyme
Salt, to taste (if needed)
Red or black pepper, to taste (if needed)
Pinch of sugar (to cut the acid
2 bay leaves

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large black skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, green onion and celery. Sauté until soft. Add parsley, garlic and flour. Stir until smooth. Add tomato sauce and chopped stewed tomatoes. Gradually add shrimp stock or water, stirring to blend. Lower heat. Add shrimp, thyme, a pinch of sugar, salt and red or black pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Pat and Verdell Heisser
Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish, New Orleans

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Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

3 eggplants
2 large sweet onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¾ cup Italian bread crumbs
6-inch piece of stale French bread, moistened with a little water
1 ½ pounds raw shrimp
⅛ teaspoon paprika
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions

Cut eggplants in half. Submerge in a pot of salted water and cook until soft. Drain water and scoop out eggplant pulp with a spoon. Try to keep the cooked eggplant shells from falling apart. Place the shells in a baking dish and set aside. Place eggplant pulp in a bowl and mash. In a pot on medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are clear and soft. Add mashed eggplant, bread crumbs and moistened French bread. Add shrimp, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 20 minutes. Fill empty shells with eggplant filling. Sprinkle the tops with some extra bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees until the tops are lightly browned.

Pat and Verdell Heisser
Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish, New Orleans