Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Favorite Mardi Gras Recipes
Who needs a trip to Louisiana to enjoy the food and flavors of Mardi Gras? Much like the Mardi Gras celebrations the foods are full of spirit and the bold flavors of Cajun and Creole.
Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is a festive Carnival event, celebrated annually especially in the city of New Orleans. The first New Orleans celebration took place in 1837. It is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, 47 days before Easter. Fat Tuesday, is the last night of eating rich foods just before the Lent season. Even though Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday are behind us, we can still enjoy some of the spicy flavors and favorite and recipes. Most of these are simple appetizers filled with flavor.
The 2 basic seasonings are Creole and Cajun, of course they can be purchased, but you can also make your own. Make sure your dried seasonings are not out of date. In general, dried spices last 1 to 2 years, do the smell test, there should still be a pretty recognizable scent.
Creole Seasoning
6 tablespoons paprika
½ - 1 tablespoon cayenne
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons basil
2 tablespoons thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 – 1 ½ tablespoons sea salt
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a dry spoon until everything is well combined. Store in an airtight spice jar and keep in the pantry.
Cajun Seasoning
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon onion powder
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a dry spoon until everything is well combined. Store in an airtight spice jar and keep in the pantry.
Mini Crab Cakes
6 ounces lump crab meat
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg lightly beaten
¾ cup sour cream, divided
2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
1 ½ Old Bay seasoning, divided
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, divided
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko bread crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
Combine crab meat, cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon Old Bay, ¼ cup sour cream, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, cayenne, and about 1 tablespoon chives in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir until evenly combined.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining Parmesan, panko bread crumbs and melted butter. Divide mixture between muffin pan cups and press around the edges of each cup to make crust. Spoon the crab mixture into each cup.
Bake until the edges begin to turn golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Combine ½ cup sour cream, remaining chives, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and remaining Old Bay. Stir to combine.
Serve crab cakes warm or at room temperature with tartar sauce, store bought or homemade.
Homemade Tartar Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup finely chopped bread and butter pickles
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
In a medium bowl, whisk mayonnaise, pickles, capers, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and salt until combined.
Pepperoni Muffuletta Dip
1, 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup pepperoni, coarsely chopped
½ cup sliced green pimento stuffed olives
½ cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
½ cup mild or hot giardiniera, drained and chopped
4 ounces provolone, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine ingredients except the parsley.
Spread mixture into a safe dish. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until dip is hot and bubbly.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with crusty bread or crackers.
Cajun Shrimp Bites
Puff pastry cups, follow package instructions
8 ounce Jambalaya Rice Mix, for this recipe we used Zatarains
1 ½ pounds of medium shrimp, cleaned, uncooked
2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning
1 tablespoon oil
Prepare puff pastry according to package directions.
Prepare the Jambalaya mix according to package directions.
In a large skillet on the stove, heat oil over medium high heat.
In a bowl, toss the shrimp and creole seasoning together and coat evenly.
Cook and stir shrimp in the hot oil in the skillet until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 4-6 minutes.
To serve, fill the pastry cup with prepared Jambalaya mix, followed by a shrimp. Serve on a large platter.
Boudin Dip
(Boudin pronounced Boo-Dan is a New Orleans tradition, it is a blend of pork cooked down with onions, peppers, seasonings and cooked rice, once completely cooked down it is stuffed into a casing like sausage)
1 pound boudin sausage, precooked or fully cooked, and yes you can find this locally
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sour cream
1 cup hand shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped green onion, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove and discard boudin casing, then crumble sausage into small pieces. Once crumbled, set sausage aside.
In a large bowl, use a mixer, mix cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until smooth, about 5-7 minutes. Add cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons green onion, and cooked sausage. Then use a spatula to thoroughly mix all ingredients together.
Pour dip mixture into a prepared baking dish, spreading out and pressing it into an even layer.
Bake dip for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish dip with the remaining 2 tablespoons of green onion. Serve with crackers or breads.
Oysters Rockefeller
48 fresh, unopened oysters
1 ½ cups beer
2 cloves garlic
7 black peppercorns
Seasoned salt to taste
½ cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
8 ounces mozzarella, shredded
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated. Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Clean oysters and place them in a large stockpot. Pour in beer and enough water to cover oysters, add 2 cloves of garlic, peppercorns, and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, drain, and cool.
Once the oysters are cooled, open and break off the top shell. Arrange oysters on a baking sheet.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter until soft. Reduce heat to low, stir in spinach, Monterey Jack, fontina, and mozzarella. Cook until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Cook until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Stir in milk, season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over each oyster, just filling in the shell. Sprinkle with bread grated Parmesan.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
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