Mardi Gras Gumbolicious
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Oh, yes! It’s my favorite time of the year!
Mardi Gras has come around once again, the last hurrah before Lent.
Not that there’s anything wrong with Lent — it just makes you appreciate non-Lent all the more!
It’s one big yard party out in the Garden District of New Orleans, with families picnicking along the parade route for an all-day festival of visiting in between parades and chasing trinkets during parades.
I love the colorful costumes, shiny beads and baubles, beer and food that comes along with Mardi Gras celebrations. I haven’t been back since Hurricane Katrina, but it won’t be long — I can feel it!
Food at the mouth of the Mississippi river is complex — a melange of centuries of French cooking with peppers, spices and seasonings from the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America, and the native meats, vegetables and fruits of the Deep South. Try this lovely soup any time of the year.
CAJUN CORN SOUP
2 lb. ground beef or pork
1 onion, chopped
2 cans tomatoes, drained
1 can cream style corn
2 cans kernel corn, undrained
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red and/or orange pepper, chopped
1 cup stock (chicken, vegetable)
2 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown beef and onion until no longer pink and pour off liquid. Put the meat along with the rest of the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil for three to four minutes. Simmer on low 15 minutes. Add more stock, if necessary. Garnish with shredded cheese if you like, and serve with hot bread or corn muffins.
VVV
This recipe calls for a special Cajun ham that can be hard to find. Substitute salt pork, pancetta or prosciutto and adjust other spices accordingly. If you just can’t stand the thought of eating sweet, creamy-white grits then try couscous or your favorite grain. I always buy American wild caught shrimp (never farmed shrimp). This can be hard to find, too, so cook with what you can get.
SHRIMP AND GRITS
2 servings cooked grits
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup tasso ham, diced
2 Tbsp. leeks, diced
2 Tbsp. onion, diced
2 Tbsp. green peppers, diced
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 to 2 Tbsp. white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Green onion tops, chopped
Cook grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm. (Instant grits are fastest, quick grits are easiest and still very fast.)
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tasso and saute until crisp. Add diced vegetables and saute until onions are translucent. Add shrimp and saute a minute or two, or until pink. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Deglaze the pan with a little white wine. Slowly add the cream and let reduce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide grits among two serving plates. Line plate edges with shrimp (10 each). Pour sauce over grits, and garnish with green onion tops.
VVV
I absolutely adore fried okra. Last year was a great okra growing season so I have high hopes for this year. This recipe is wonderful, and if you need to use frozen okra, thaw it out and pat dry before you begin.
FRIED OKRA
4 - 6 cups oil, for frying (peanut is traditional)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 pounds fresh okra, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup buttermilk
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees. The oil should fill the pan no more than halfway up the side.
Combine cornmeal, flour and spices in a medium bowl. Dip cut okra in buttermilk and then dredge in cornmeal-flour mixture to coat well.
Carefully add the okra in batches to the hot oil and cook until golden brown. A fry basket is great for this. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and then serve immediately.
VVV
While you’re on the parade route waiting for a float to get fixed, or the next parade to show up (they do run notoriously late), how about a hot snack mix to go with your cold beverage of choice? You need to keep your strength up to catch the best throws!
CAJUN TRAIL MIX
1/2 cup whole raw almonds
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsalted shelled pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 pinches cayenne pepper (or more)
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and toss well to coat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake, shaking them every few minutes, until toasted and fragrant (about 15 minutes). Let the nuts cool and store in an airtight container.
Gumbo is a wonderful thing. Don’t let the roux part scare you off! Make some rice on the side, slice up some French baguette and you will be in Creole heaven with this meal.
CHICKEN AND SMOKED SAUSAGE GUMBO
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 lb. smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
1 lb. boneless chicken meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 Tbsp. file powder
Combine the oil and flour in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes with a wooden spoon, make a dark brown roux, the color of milk chocolate. Don’t burn it! Just sit there on a stool, with the beverage of your choice, and enter the zen state of roux.
Add the onions, celery and bell peppers (the Trinity) and continue to stir for four to five minutes. Add the sausage, chicken, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for about four minutes.
Sir in the chicken broth until the roux is well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for one or two hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
When you are ready to eat, skim off any fat that is on the surface, stir in the parsley, green onions, and file powder, and remove the bay leaves. Ladle over a spoonful of hot rice and dig in!
Happy Mardi Gras, wherever you may be. Next week we’ll have some “fishy requisites.” Did you know that March 7 is National Cereal Day? Well, now you do. Do you have a recipe for cereal or a recipe that uses cereal? Send it to me at 517 Merchant St., or murphysmenu@yahoo.com. Let’s get cooking!