Next Tuesday, Feb. 24, is Mardi Gras. “Fat Tuesday” is the culmination of the season between Christmas and Lent and always falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. During this 46-day period, many Christians forego eating meat and some traditionally give up favorite foods, drinks or habits. No wonder New Orleans, one of the most indulgent cities in the country, goes all out for Mardi Gras with parades and other celebrations: It’s the last excuse to party before six weeks of abstinence.
In addition to the partying, the annual event showcases traditional New Orleans fare like gumbo, crayfish etouffe, crab boil, jambalaya and King Cake. The dishes straddle the line between Cajun and Creole cooking – a very gray line, indeed. Author/chef Paul Prudhomme has ventured to distinguish the two by describing Cajun food as country cooking and Creole food as more sophisticated.
And, New Orleans being nicknamed the birthplace of the cocktail, imbibing is part of the tradition. The Hurricane is a classic believed to have originated there –probably because during World War II, the drink was served in hurricane lamps.
Other rum-based concoctions such as the Rum Runner have been part of Big Easy lore since the days pirates roamed the shores of the Gulf Coast. Mai Tais or Bahama Mamas are acceptable substitutes.
Those of us who will not be in New Orleans during the next week can certainly celebrate at home with special foods and beverages. Masks, streamers, plastic beads and glittery confetti are optional, but fun is not.
If there’s one recipe for gumbo, there are 10,000. The only constants are the “holy trinity” of celery, onion and green bell pepper. After that, you can fool around with chicken, sausage, oysters and either okra or gumbo filé as a thickening. Gumbo filé, made from ground sassafras, was introduced to Cajun settlers by the Choctaw Indians who helped the settlers survive in the wilderness. And wouldn’t you know it? The Choctaw word for sassafras is Kombo.
The following recipe comes courtesy of Kelly Sherman of BarBersQ, Napa’s hugely popular paean to southern cooking, especially Memphis-style barbecue.
BarBersQ’s Chicken and
andouille sausage gumbo
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour plus ¼ cup
2 cups canola oil
3 quarts chicken stock
3 stalks celery
1 large yellow onion
1 each – red, yellow and green bell pepper
5 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
¼ cup molasses
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ pound cut okra
1 ½ pounds andouille sausage
1 ½ pounds chicken meat
rice optional
Instructions
Chop the onions, peppers and celery to a medium dice.
Poach the chicken in a separate stock pot, remove the meat and reserve the liquid, keeping it warm.
Dice the chicken and the sausage.
In a large stock pot make a dark roux combining 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of oil. Cook over medium low heat, watching continuously and stirring frequently until the color approaches that of an old copper penny. This process may take up to 2 hours and must not be compromised.
When the roux has reached the proper color, add the onions, celery and peppers and stir well. Add the remaining ¼ cup of flour and stir well.
Add the warm chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce (optional) to taste.
Serve with rice and top with chopped scallions.
BarBersQ’s Web site is barbersq.com.
A toast to New Orleans
Bacardi has shared two of its most popular cocktail recipes for this special occasion. (Of course, another brand of rum may be substituted.)
Bacardi Hurricane
1 part Bacardi Superior or Gold Rum
1 part Bacardi Select Rum
3/4 part orange juice
3/4 part grenadine or cranberry juice
3/4 part sour mix
Shake with ice. Serve in a hurricane glass. Garnish with orange wedge.
Bacardi Select Rum Runner
3 parts Bacardi Select Rum
2 parts blackberry brandy
2 parts banana liqueur
1 part grenadine
1 part lime juice
Blend all ingredients with ice until frothy. Serve in a tall, stemmed glass.
