Let The Good Times Roll!

Every time I start to write my blog I think about what we can celebrate and what would be the perfect meal to accompany that celebration. This week is the best week to be thinking about Fat Tuesday a.k.a. Mardi Gras. In New Orleans, it really is the celebration of the year.

Mardi Gras is really the name for Fat Tuesday but also refers to the entire Carnival celebration which starts two weeks before Lent. Fat Tuesday is the last day to feast because the next day which is Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. Everyone celebrates in every possible way because it will be 40 days until the Easter feast.

Ah, celebration! Masks, elegant colorful costumes, parades, “mystic society” balls, the traditional throwing of special beads and dubloons in the streets, and of course, foods and spirits. Bourbon Street is ususally so crowded that it takes a great effort just to cross the street between the lines of celebrants.

A typical meal at this time can consist of Crab Cakes (you can email me for my recipe), Fried Green Tomatoes, Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice, Corn Bread (see my blog from 2-15-11) and Caramel Banana Ice Cream.

QUICK and EASY SOUTHERN STYLE GUMBO

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Celery ribs with leaves, chopped

1 medium Bell Pepper, chopped

8 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 C flat leaf parsley, minced

olive oil

1 lb. Andouille sausage - 1/2” slices

1 (46oz) bottle spicy V8 juice

1 (14oz) can stewed tomatoes with juice

[1 (14oz) can chicken stock - optional - add as needed for liquid]

cayenne pepper to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Worcestershire sauce - 4 TB or to taste

2 cups frozen Okra, thawed, cut 1/2” slices

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 cans crab meat, flaked

Serve with long grain rice

Garnish with chopped scallions and chopped parsley

1. In a Dutch oven or heavy large pot, saute onion, celery, and green pepper in olive oil until tender. Add garlic, parsley and sausage - saute until sausage lightly browned being careful not to burn garlic.

2. Add V8 juice, tomatoes, cayenne, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire saving chicken stock for optional liquid. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in okra and shrimp and cook about 7 minutes until shrimp are pink but still tender. Stir in crab meat and heat until crab nicely mixed in with gumbo. Taste, reseason, add liquid as needed.

4. Serve with rice and garnish with chopped scallions and parsley.

“Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!”

Chili for Vegetarians and everyone else!

VEGETARIAN FOOTBALL CHILI

(You Won't Miss the Meat!)

One Medium Onion - chopped

8 Cloves Garlic - chopped

3 Carrots - chopped

3 Celery Stalks - chopped

One Yellow Bell Pepper - chopped

Olive oil to saute veggies

Mushrooms fresh or canned - one cup chopped (drained)

Cilantro - 1/4 cup chopped

One can whole peeled Tomatoes with liquid (28oz.) - scrunch tomatoes by hand in the liquid so they are broken up into 1-2” pieces

2 cans Kidney Beans with liquid

1-2 Tb. Chili Powder

Ground Cumin - 1 tsp. or to taste

Dry Oregano - 2 tsp. or to taste

Dry Basil - 2 tsp. or to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot and saute onions, garlic, carrots until tender, about 5 minutes. Then add the celery and bell pepper along with the chili powder and saute for about 5 more minutes or until all are tender.

2. If you are going to serve with rice, start it cooking now.

3. Add the mushrooms and cilantro, cook for a few minutes more and then stir in the tomatoes and beans.

4. Add seasonings - cumin, organo, basil - then bring to gentle boil and reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick.

5. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve with rice, salsa, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheese and/or croutons.

Accompany with cornbread, tortillas, and/or corn chips.

Tea Duck for any celebration

SMOKED TEA DUCK adapted from a recipe by Judythe Roberts

Start preparations 2 days in advance.

1 duck, whole, 5-6 pounds, dry marinated for 2 days with:

3 TB Kosher salt

1 TB Szechuan peppercorns, roasted and crushed (find this or substitution online)

2 tsp. Five Ingredient Spice

Flatten breastbone of bird (so that it looks like it got run-over!). Rub well with spices inside and out. Cover bird with plastic wrap on a baking sheet. Cover with another baking sheet and weight down so bird flattens out. Marinate in refer for 2 days.

6 slices fresh ginger, cut into 3 inch pieces

6 whole scallions, cut into 3 inch slices

Smoking Mixture:

1 Cup raw long-grain white rice

1 Cup dark Chinese tea leaves (Jasmine)

1/2 Cup hickory chips

1/4 Cup dried orange or tangerine peel

4 cinnamon sticks

1/4 Cup brown sugar (optional)

Stuff cavity of duck with ginger and scallions. Steam duck. To steam, put water in bottom of wok and place duck on steamer or wire rack about one inch above water level. Cover and bring water to low boil, reduce heat and steam for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Drain duck. In a kettle style barbeque lined with foil, make a bed of charcoal, light, and when coals are ready, set a metal pie plate with the smoking ingredients on the coals. Note: be sure vents on both top and bottom of bbq are open). Cover with a grate and set duck on the grate. Smoke duck, covered, 45-50 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. Cool. Put under broiler for 15 minutes to brown: watch it VERY closely! Let bird rest.

Cut up* and serve either chilled or at room temperature. *To cut: use poultry shears and cut 2” pieces across the bird.