This year, I'm going basic. Tuesday's menu consists of etouffee, toasted rice, lemon-garlic shrimp and grits, and good ol' gumbo. By halving the recipes, I will get enough to enjoy, but I get to taste them all. I am posting the complete recipe below, so you can make a large pot of the food, or half it like I'm doing.
Shrimp and Chicken Etouffee
Ingredients:
Directions:
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and Andouille and cook, stirring, until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Season the chicken with salt, then add to the pot in batches to brown, 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the plate with the Andouille.Make the roux: Remove the pot from the heat and cool slightly (there should be about 1/4 cup drippings; drain or add oil as needed). Return the pot to medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the pan with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture smells nutty and turns a deep brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cayenne, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Whisk in the broth. Return the chicken and Andouille to the pot and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let cool slightly while the stew simmers; remove the skin and shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot. Stir in the shrimp and sherry and cook until the shrimp turn pink, 2 to 3 more minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
Toasted Rice
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups converted long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 green onions, chopped
parsley, rough chopped, to taste
Directions:
Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the rice is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and water; bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat, 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in chopped green onions and parsley.
Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup instant grits
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.
Gumbo
Ingredients:
Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley.
These are all relatively easy to prepare and they taste great. To complete the night, I am planning to find a frozen bread pudding or cream pie for dessert. I would make a Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé, but that takes hours to make and has to be served immediately...after cooking the other stuff all day, that's something to save for another night. I might get a King Cake for the girls, too. I've never made one for them and I've seen them in the stores around this time of year. Every kid ought to look for a baby in a cake at least once in their life. The masks and beads are completely optional, too. For your reference, the traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple-which stands for justice, gold-which stands for power, and green-which stands for faith.
I hope you get a chance to try one or all of these, even if not for your Fat Tuesday. I know you will think C'est Ci Bon!
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