Fat Tuesday is Mardi Gras, the festival New Orleans, Louisiana, is famous for. "Gras" is French for fat and "Mardi" is French for Tuesday and Mardi Gras means fat Tuesday, the culmination of the season between Christmas and Lent. Fat Tuesday falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
Crawfish Etouffee
1 pound fresh or frozen, peeled, cooked crawfish tails (or shrimp)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cooking oil, butter, or margarine
2 medium onions, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped green sweet pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Hot cooked rice
Fresh parsley (optional)
Thaw crawfish tails, if frozen. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan stir together flour and 1/4 cup oil, butter, or margarine until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for 5 to 8 minutes more or until a reddish brown roux is formed. Add onion, celery, sweet pepper, and garlic to saucepan. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; stir until melted. Stir in water, green onion, parsley, salt, ground red pepper, and black pepper. Bring to boiling. Add crawfish. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with hot cooked rice. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings.
1 pound fresh or frozen, peeled, cooked crawfish tails (or shrimp)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cooking oil, butter, or margarine
2 medium onions, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped green sweet pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Hot cooked rice
Fresh parsley (optional)
Thaw crawfish tails, if frozen. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan stir together flour and 1/4 cup oil, butter, or margarine until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for 5 to 8 minutes more or until a reddish brown roux is formed. Add onion, celery, sweet pepper, and garlic to saucepan. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon butter or margarine; stir until melted. Stir in water, green onion, parsley, salt, ground red pepper, and black pepper. Bring to boiling. Add crawfish. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with hot cooked rice. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings.
Crocialles (Beignets)
1 bottle (48 ounces) oil
2 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/4 cups milk
Confectioners' sugar, as desired
Heat oil in a deep pot to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, blend flour and granulated sugar. In another bowl, blend egg and milk. Add to dry mixture. Beat to a thick batter. Drop by tablespoon into oil. Deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
Yield: 4 to 5 dozen
1 bottle (48 ounces) oil
2 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/4 cups milk
Confectioners' sugar, as desired
Heat oil in a deep pot to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, blend flour and granulated sugar. In another bowl, blend egg and milk. Add to dry mixture. Beat to a thick batter. Drop by tablespoon into oil. Deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
Yield: 4 to 5 dozen
Potluck Gumbo
1 large slice (1/4 pound) precooked ham, diced
1 pound raw shrimp, shelled to tail and deveined
1-1/2 cups chicken giblets, parboiled and diced
1 pound fresh okra, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup scallion tops, sliced thin
Pepper to taste
5 cups water
4 ounces frozen crab meat
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon gumbo file
In large pot or Dutch oven, saute ham in its own border of fat, adding oil if ham fat is scant. Trim off any unrendered fat and set ham aside. Saute shrimp in same pan until pink. Remove and set aside. Then saute chicken giblets.
Add okra, onion, green pepper, garlic, parsley, scallion tops, and pepper. Add the water. Simmer for 1 hour. Add ham cubes, shrimp, and crab meat. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add salt to taste, then gumbo file. Serve over hot rice.
Yield: 6 servings
1 large slice (1/4 pound) precooked ham, diced
1 pound raw shrimp, shelled to tail and deveined
1-1/2 cups chicken giblets, parboiled and diced
1 pound fresh okra, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup scallion tops, sliced thin
Pepper to taste
5 cups water
4 ounces frozen crab meat
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon gumbo file
In large pot or Dutch oven, saute ham in its own border of fat, adding oil if ham fat is scant. Trim off any unrendered fat and set ham aside. Saute shrimp in same pan until pink. Remove and set aside. Then saute chicken giblets.
Add okra, onion, green pepper, garlic, parsley, scallion tops, and pepper. Add the water. Simmer for 1 hour. Add ham cubes, shrimp, and crab meat. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add salt to taste, then gumbo file. Serve over hot rice.
Yield: 6 servings
Cajun Casserole
1 lb. fresh (hot) sausage*, skinned and cut
2 cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 peeled eggplant, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
3 or 4 medium zucchini, sliced in rings.
Brown sausage in large frying pan. Add the following: eggplant, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini. Smother down, then transfer to a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle a lot of Parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
*You could also use shrimp or crawfish. It is great either way.
1 lb. fresh (hot) sausage*, skinned and cut
2 cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 peeled eggplant, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
3 or 4 medium zucchini, sliced in rings.
Brown sausage in large frying pan. Add the following: eggplant, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini. Smother down, then transfer to a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle a lot of Parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
*You could also use shrimp or crawfish. It is great either way.