Caribbean cookery bears striking N.O. Creole imagery.(Recipe)

Byline: Tom Fitzmorris

We don't get a lot of winter in New Orleans, but the cold weather we do get is still depressing enough to make us want to grab a piece of summer and let it sink into our skins. That motivated us to start taking cruises to the Caribbean a few years ago. For anyone who dines out avidly, the cost is only slightly greater than that of staying at home. And not only does the chill come out of your bones, but you get a taste of Creole cuisines other than the ones we eat here. The similarities and differences in the food fascinated me on my first visit to a Caribbean island and every time since. My first experience was in Jamaica in 1975 when I found people eating what amounted to red beans and rice on a daily basis. And there were other dishes that, while unique in many ways, were clearly cousins to New Orleans Creole. We share a common culinary…