9 Easy Marti Gras and Super Bowl Eats

Photo of Bourbon Street at night in the French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana by Lyndi & Jason @ flickr

From Denny: New Orleans and all of Louisiana is heating up for this weekend's Super Bowl to watch the Saints play in Miami. People are so excited you would think it's already Marti Gras season a bit early! :)

Featured today are favorite Cajun recipes for easiest versions of gumbo and jambalaya and Creole potato salad - along with appetizers like chicken wings, a warm dip for your chips, puff pastry appetizers, little pizzas and grilled shrimp with three sauces.

Zatarain's company from New Orleans packages a lot of quick dry spice mixes to make your own Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, Seafood Gumbo and more Cajun dishes without the long wait. We all enjoy those food shortcuts and this century old New Orleans company is a well loved company here. Did I mention their products also taste good?

Zatarain's also put out a fun pdf file Party Guide to Marti Gras and a few simple craft projects that are kid friendly:

* Want to print out your own Marti Gras mask fun? Zatarain's has a fun one for kids, go here.

* Marti Gras fun trivia cards to print out, go here.

* Print out your own fun float for the parade, go here.

* Download Zatarain's free Party Guide to Marti Gras, go here.

Recipes:

Carnival Jambalaya
Creole Gumbo
Creole Mustard Potato Salad
Oysters Rockefeller Pizza
Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings
Shrimp Cocktail with Three Sauces
Baked Artichoke and Corn Dip
Nacho Cheese Bites
Pepperoni Bites


The Cajun version of cheering on the home team: GEAUX SAINTS!!!

Carnival Jambalaya

Throwing a party, but you're pressed for time, then this dish is for you. It's quick, easy and is sure to satisfy a variety of appetites.

From: Zatarain's

Makes: 12 (1-cup) servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

5 cups water
1/4 cup oil (optional)
2 packages ZATARAIN'S® Jambalaya Mix
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup sliced green onions (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring water and oil to boil in large saucepan. Stir in Rice Mixes, chicken and sausage; return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender.

2. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Nutritional Info per 1 serving

Calories: 305
Sodium: 965
Fat: 13
Carbohydrates: 30
Cholesterol: 41
Fiber: 1
Protein: 17



Creole Gumbo

From: Zatarain's

Like a traditional gumbo, this one is prepared without rice. Instead, prepare Zatarain's® Long Grain Parboiled Rice to serve with the gumbo.

Makes: 8 (1-cup) servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

6 cups water
1 package ZATARAIN'S® Gumbo Base
2 tablespoons oil
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch cubes
ZATARAIN'S® Gumbo Filé (optional)


Directions:

1. Bring water, Gumbo Base and oil to boil in large sauce pot on medium heat, stirring to dissolve any lumps. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in shrimp and sausage; cover. Simmer additional 30 minutes.

3. Serve over rice and sprinkle with Gumbo Filé, if desired.

Nutritional Info per 1 serving

Calories: 350
Sodium: 1627
Fat: 22
Carbohydrates: 12
Cholesterol: 193
Fiber: 1
Protein: 26



Zatarain's® Creole Mustard Potato Salad


Ingredients:

3 pounds red potatoes

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup ZATARAIN'S® Creole Mustard

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon ZATARAIN'S® Creole Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (optional)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion


Directions:

1. Cook potatoes in lightly salted water to cover in large sauce pot. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain, then quarter potatoes.

2. Mix mayonnaise, Creole Mustard, sour cream, Creole Seasoning and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add warm potatoes; toss to coat well. Add tomatoes, bacon and green onion; toss lightly. Cover.

3. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.


Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Refrigerate Time: 2 hours
Serves: Makes 12 (2/3-cup) servings.




Oysters Rockefeller Pizza

From: Food Focus Encore 1997 recipe booklet, “Louisiana Food Lover’s Holiday”

Makes: 12 small pizzas

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks), plus 2 tbls. butter for sautéing oysters

4 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped (use the packaged pre-washed leaves)

2 cups parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 pint Pernod

24 to 36 oysters, lightly sautéed in 2 tbls. melted butter (can be cooked covered in a microwave for 1 minute)

Pizza dough, use a readymade dough to form into 12 small pizzas)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Combine 2 sticks butter, spinach, parsley, celery, salt, peppers and Pernod in a bowl. Mix with a mixer on medium speed or by hand until well blended.

2. Transfer spinach mixture to a colander to drain off excess liquid. Let set for 30 minutes.

3. While spinach mixture is draining, partially cook pizza doughs, according the dough product’s directions. Cool for 15 minutes. Spread spinach mixture evenly over the 12 small pizzas. Top each pizza with 2 or 3 sautéed oysters.

4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each pizza. Bake pizzas on a cookie sheet or pizza stone in preheated 400-degree oven until topping is bubbly, about 5 minutes.


Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings

From: Pace Kitchens

Makes: 24 pieces

Ingredients:

12 chicken wings or 24 chicken drumettes
1 cup picante sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Directions:

1. Cut off wing tips and discard. Cut wings in half at joint. and put in foil-lined pan.

2. Stir picante sauce, honey and ginger in large bowl. Pour 1/3 cup of sauce over wings in pan. Toss wings with sauce.

3. Bake in the oven at 500 degrees on lowest oven rack for 35 minutes or until crispy and cooked through, turning over once halfway through baking.

4. Remove from oven and toss chicken wings with the remaining picante sauce. Serve.



Zatarain's also partners with Martha Stewart Living:

Shrimp Cocktail with Three Sauces

From: Martha Stewart Living, August 2009

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

FOR THE SHRIMP

Coarse salt
1 pound (about 25) large shrimp, heads (optional) and shells on

FOR THE MANGO-BASIL SAUCE:

2 small mangoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 lemon, peeled and rind finely chopped (2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground white pepper
5 basil leaves, thinly sliced


FOR THE TOMATO-HORSERADISH SAUCE

1 cup chili sauce, such as Heinz
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE REMOULADE sauce:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon spicy stone-ground mustard, preferably Creole (zatarains.com)
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Make the shrimp: Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Boil shrimp until opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, and transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain, and refrigerate.

Make the mango-basil sauce: Pulse mangoes, lemon rind and juice, vinegar, salt, and white pepper in a food processor until smooth. Fold in basil. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

Make the tomato-horseradish sauce: Stir together chili sauce, horseradish, and lemon juice. Season with black pepper. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

Make the remoulade: Whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. Stir in celery, parsley, and scallion. Season with black pepper. Serve immediately (or refrigerate for up to 1 day).

Place shell-on shrimp in a large bowl, or peel shrimp and arrange in small serving dishes. Serve with the 3 sauces on the side.



Baked Artichoke and Corn Dip

From: “Big Taste of Little Rock” cookbook published by The Junior League of Little Rock. The cookbook, a finalist in the Tabasco Community Cookbook Awards, can be ordered from the League’s Web site at http://www.jllr.org/.

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (16-oz.) can corn kernels, drained

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 to 1 (4-oz.) can chopped jalapeño chilies, drained (See Testing Note.)

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Corn chips (Frito Scoops work well)

Directions:

1. Combine the artichoke hearts, corn, green onions, jalapeño chilies, Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise and garlic salt and mix well.

2. Spoon into a lightly greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

3. Serve with corn chips. You can substitute fresh garlic for the garlic salt and fresh jalapeño chilies for the canned chilies if preferred.



Nacho Cheese Bites

From: Pepperidge Farm

Makes: 20

Ingredients:

Half of a (17.3-oz.) pkg. of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

1 egg

1 tbl. water

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Pace Chunky Salsa

5 pitted ripe olives, cut into quarters, optional

Chili powder

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Stir together the cheese and salsa in a separate small bowl.

2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 15x12-inch rectangle. Cut into 20 (3-inch) squares.

3. Place about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture in the center of each pasty square. Top each with 1 olive piece, if desired. Brush the edges of the pastry squares with the egg mixture. Fold the pastry over the filling to form triangles.

4. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal.

5. Place the filled pastries onto baking sheets. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture and sprinkle with chili powder.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.



Pepperoni Bites

From: Hormel

Makes: 40 appetizers

Ingredients:

1 (3.5-oz.) pkg. sliced pepperoni, chopped

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (or a blend of Italian cheeses if you can’t find the Swiss)

1 tomato, chopped into little pieces

1 small onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

2 (10-oz.) pkgs. refrigerated flaky biscuits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl, combine pepperoni, cheese, tomato, onion, mayonnaise and basil.

2. Cut each biscuit in half. Place biscuit halves into greased miniature muffin cups, pressing gently to fit cups.

(Note: Miniature muffin tins come in several sizes. This recipe works with a muffin cup that is about 17/8 inches in diameter. You may have to adjust the size of the biscuit dough piece and amount of filling depending on the size of your muffin tin.)

3. Spoon 1 tablespoon (or the amount that fits in your muffin tin) of filling into each cup.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.


*** ALSO: Be sure to check out what's happening over at Romancing The Chocolate blog for more great easy party recipes, 4 Fun Marti Gras and Super Bowl Recipes


*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel free to leave comments, a big shout out to current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email!

Cajun Comfort Food Chases Away Winter Cold, 3 Recipes

Photo of Jumbolia from McIlhenny Comapny Tobasco sauce

From Denny: At the first sign of chilly temperatures in January, Louisiana people turn to cooking up tummy satisfying comfort food like gumbo, jambalaya and seafood or chicken stews! Comfort food is the new trend in 2010 and it's no wonder as to why: it tastes good and it's easy to make.

With the heavy French influence, Louisiana has long been a place where we preserve our culture and market it as well. One of the oldest institutions in Louisiana is the company that makes the internationally famous Tabasco brand hot pepper sauce, the McIlhenny Company from Avery Island, Louisiana, where the salt mines abound. Recently, they updated some of their old family recipes for the company's history book, “Tabasco: An Illustrated History,” written by Shane Bernard.

Many of these recipes date all the way back to 1895, originally written by Mary Avery McIlhenny Bradford. Instead of the Jambalaya spelling we see Creole Jumbolia that is a New Orleans-styled version. Oddly enough, this older recipe does not include onions, bell pepper and celery - the Holy Trinity - like we are used to in current day recipes. Creole Jumbolia is a recipe originally handwritten in 1875 by Edmund McIlhenny.

For more mouth-watering recipes, the history of the McIlhenny Company and the 141-year-old tradition of making Tabasco sauce, visit Tabasco.


Creole Jumbolia

From: Tabasco

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

2 tbls. vegetable oil
1 lb. fresh, pure pork sausage, removed from the casing
1 fryer chicken (3-1/2 to 4 lbs.), cut into serving pieces
1 tsp. salt
1-1/4 cups long-grain rice
1-1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
2 tsps. original Tabasco brand pepper sauce
Garlic-Flavored Oil, if desired (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring to break the meat up, until all pink has disappeared, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

2. Season the chicken pieces with the salt. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the chicken and brown evenly on all sides. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully drain off any excess oil that has accumulated in the pot.

3. Add the sausage, rice, tomatoes, broth and Tabasco sauce. (If using the Garlic-Flavored Oil, add here.) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve warm from the pot.


Crawfish Bisque

From: Tabasco

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 gallons water
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup original Tabasco brand pepper sauce
10 lbs. live crawfish

Stuffing:

1-1/2 lbs. peeled crawfish tails
6 tbls. butter
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tsps. minced garlic
2 tbls. minced parsley
1 tsp. salt
2 tsps. original Tabasco brand pepper sauce, or to taste
1 cup plus 1/2 cup fine dried bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten

Crawfish Bisque:

6 tbls. vegetable oil
6 tbls. all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tsp. minced garlic
Reserved crawfish fat
6 cups reserved stock (from boiling the peelings, etc.)
2 tbls. tomato paste
1-1/4 tsps. salt
2 tsps. original Tabasco brand pepper sauce
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tbls. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Combine the water, salt and Tabasco sauce in a boiling pot large enough to accommodate the crawfish. When the water comes to a boil, carefully add the live crawfish. Return to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and strain. Cool the crawfish to room temperature.

2. Peel the tails (you should end up with 2-1/2 pounds peeled crawfish tails), remove the fat from the heads (put in a separate container), and reserve 50 to 60 of the largest heads. Set aside the peeled crawfish and the crawfish fat.

3. Clean heads by snipping off eyes and mouth section, then clean out the shells, rinsing well in cool water. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

For the stock:

Crush the remaining heads, peelings and claws, and put in a large pot with 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Strain through fine sieve and reserve 6 cups. Set aside.

For the stuffing:

1. Finely chop the crawfish tails or pulse them two to three times in a food processor and set aside.

2. Heat butter in large sauce-pan over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, green onions, garlic and parsley. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft and lightly golden, about 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Add the chopped crawfish tails and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the salt and Tabasco sauce. Add 1 cup of the bread crumbs and the egg, and stir to mix. The mixture will be thick. Set aside to cool.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. When crawfish mixture has cooled, stuff each head with a heaping teaspoon (more or less depending on the size of the head) and arrange them in a shallow baking pan. Generously dust the stuffed heads with the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs, patting crumbs gently into the stuffing.

5. Bake the heads until the bread crumbs are lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the bisque:

1. Combine oil and flour in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring constantly, make a roux the color of peanut butter. Add the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the crawfish fat, reserved stock, tomato paste, salt and Tabasco sauce and stir to blend. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the crawfish tails, the stuffed crawfish heads, green onions and parsley. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring very gently so as not to break up the stuffed heads.

4. To serve, mound a cup of steamed or boiled white long-grain rice in a soup bowl, ladle some of the bisque over the rice, and include several heads per bowl.


Farci Crabs

From: Tabasco

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 slices day-old white bread, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cups (1 lb.) white crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 tbl. finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. original Tabasco brand pepper sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbl. butter
1 tbl. chopped onions
1 tbl. vegetable oil
1/4 cup fine dried breadcrumbs
6 lemon slices, for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the bread pieces, milk and egg in a large mixing bowl; stir to mix. Add the crabmeat, parsley, Tabasco sauce and salt, and gently stir to mix.

2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the crabmeat mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil 6 clean crab shells, 6 small ramekins or an 8-inch square casserole. Spoon the mixture into crab shells, ramekins or an 8-inch square casserole. Sprinkle the mixture with the bread crumbs and bake until the crabmeat is bubbly and the bread crumbs are golden, about 20 minutes. Garnish with the lemon slices and serve warm.


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Recipe: Eula Mae's Cajun Seafood Gumbo

Image by Southern Foodways Alliance via Flickr

From Denny: Just loading this recipe into the online editor is making my mouth water! This version of famous Cajun gumbo has shrimp and lump crabmeat in it. We love Honey-Baked Ham brand in our house as the smoky and sweet flavors go so well as a flavoring for seafood dishes. Cajun tasso is wonderful too - just use a lot less of that as it is salty like Virginia cured ham or country ham as some people know it.

Make sure you have some file powder on hand to sprinkle on your gumbo after you ladle it over the hot cooked rice in the bowl as you serve it. File powder is ground sassafras root which acts as a digestive. File came to us from the Choctaw Indians when the Cajuns settled south Louisiana. In fact, if it weren't for the Choctaw the early settlers would never have been able to navigate the natural winding and twisting bayous to discover Baton Rouge, the capital city! The Choctaw did a lot to help develop this area and food culture.

From: THE TABASCO® COOKBOOK 1993 by Paul McIlhenny with Barbara Hunter. The McIlhenny family are the original founders and creators of Tabasco sauce from Avery Island where there is the salt mine and bird sanctuary.

Serves: 12 to 16

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vegetable oil, divided

2 pounds fresh okra, or 2 (16-ounce) packages frozen okra, thawed
and thinly sliced (about 8 cups)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

4 quarts water

2 pounds cubed cooked ham (about 6 cups)

3 large onions, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 head garlic, cloves peeled but left whole

1 green pepper, diced

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 pounds lump crab meat, picked over

1 1/2 tablespoons Original TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce

6 cups cooked rice

Directions:

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a large skillet (not cast iron) over medium heat. Add okra and cook, stirring frequently, until no longer ropy, about 30 minutes. Add vinegar; cook and stir another 10 minutes, until okra takes on a brownish color and is reduced to about a quarter of its original volume. Spoon okra into a bowl and set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, add remaining 1/4 cup oil to skillet over medium-high heat; add ham and sauté 10 minutes or until lightly browned. With slotted spoon, remove ham to stockpot. In same skillet, combine onions, celery, garlic, and green pepper and cook, 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring constantly; add to stockpot along with okra and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to very low, add shrimp, and simmer 10 minutes. Add crab meat and TABASCO® Sauce; simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serve gumbo in soup bowls with mounds of rice.

Note: This recipe is HIGH in sodium so if you have a health issue take time to look at the recipe to cut the salt level. Remember, Louisiana in the summer time is a hot and humid climate where a high salt diet can be tolerated if there is no air conditioning.

Nutritional information per serving: 597 Calories (and worth every calorie!), 58g protein, 42g carbohydrate, 21g fat, 244mg cholesterol, 1799mg sodium


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Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

From Denny: Use a larger slow cooker for this recipe, a 5 to 6 quart size is better as anything smaller is filled to the brim and may bubble over! Before you know the cats may be jumping up on the counter to lick up all the gumbo goodness... :)

From: Delicious Tabasco Recipes for your Crock-Pot Slow Cooker

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup celery, coarsely chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts

1/2 pound andouille sausage or kielbasa sausage, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons Tabasco brand pepper sauce, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 quarts water

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Hot cooked rice


Directions:

Image via Wikipedia

1. Add onion, celery, green bell pepper and garlic to bottom of stoneware. In skillet, over medium-high heat, brown chicken pieces in 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil until almost golden. Add sausage to skillet and continue cooking meat until chicken is golden brown.

2. Add all browned meat and poultry to stoneware on top of the vegetables. Add parsley, bay leaves, thyme, Tabasco pepper sauce, salt and pepper to stoneware. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on Low 5 to 7 hours or on High 2 to 4 hours.

3. In skillet, over medium heat, mex flour with the remaining 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil and cook, stirring constantly until the roux is dark brown. Add 1 cup of hot liquid from the slow-cooker mixture to the roux, a little at a time, stirring until smooth.

4. Stir roux mixture into stoneware, cover and finish cooking, 1 1/2 hours on Low or 1 hour on High. Add green onions at end of cooking time and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Remove chicken bones and skin before serving, if desired.

5. Remove from heat and stir in green onion and parsley; adjust seasoning if needed. Let gumbo stand 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, mound about 1/3 cup rice in each soup bowl, then ladle about 1 cup gumbo around rice.

Note: Leave yourself a little time for deboning and removing the skin from the chicken meat, adding to the overall time to prepare this slow cooking dish.



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Recipe: A Gumbo You Will Only Find in Louisiana

First you make a roux! Image by scottpartee via Flickr

From Denny: What a GREAT name for a recipe! It sure made me laugh today! We all love this local magazine, Country Roads, because they do such a wonderful job of covering the French culture, history, restaurant reviews, recipes and much more for Louisiana. There was a time when they had humble beginnings and now they are a publishing force in their own right! Congrats go to the folks over at Country Roads!

Louisiana chefs are known for their innovation, finding ways to interpret traditional local foods, using local ingredients. Hunting is still a big part of Louisiana culture as this state is known as The Sportsman's Paradise. Bass fishing tournaments have been popular here for a long time. From generation to generation children have learned the traditional French and Native American values of how to live off the land. This recipe reflects those values.

From: Chef Forrest Dillemuth, published in Country Roads Magazine

Ingredients:

1 lb Louisiana crawfish tails

1 rabbit (store-bought will work)

1 duck breast (trim any fat and again, store-bought will work)

1 lb Andouille sausage

1/2 lb boneless buffalo stew meat

1 lb shrimp

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp oregano

1 chopped purple onion

2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 yellow)

2 gallons water

2 Tbsp of roux mix

1 tsp filé powder

2 cups white rice

1 Tbsp olive oil


Directions:

Bring two gallons of water to boil. Add 1 clove of chopped garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano and salt to water. Once boiling place whole rabbit and boil slowly (until meat is soft and tender). Once rabbit is boiled pull from pot, let cool, remove all meat from bone and set aside. Also pull out 4 cups of water from the stock and set aside.

In new pot add olive oil and heat. Once heated add remaining garlic, onion and bell pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender. Now add sausage, duck, buffalo, shrimp and crawfish and sauté until cooked. Then add 2 tablespoons of roux mix and 1 teaspoon of filé into pot and sauté at high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add remaining stock from rabbit and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

To cook the rice take the 4 cups of stock you set aside and place into small pot. Bring to boil and add 2 cups of rice. Stir and then reduce to low heat. Cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

Video: Fat Tuesday Gumbo At Home

From Denny: Southern Living Magazine demos Louisiana sausage and chicken gumbo and crawfish etoufee. The key to a good gumbo is a good roux: equal parts oil and flour. Cook it until it is really dark like the color of milk chocolate, about 25 minutes over medium heat.

For the article: You Thought You Knew Mardi Gras Foods? where they list all the recipes in the video, go here.


Watch CBS Videos Online

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Recipe: Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

When folks in Louisiana can’t afford the seafood version, seafood is out of season or they really want their favorite sausage this is their go-to recipe. If you can’t find andouille sausage in your area, try one of your favorites as a substitute!

I'll be posting many versions of this gumbo from a variety of sources so you can see just how versatile this stew really is!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

From: “Food Made Fast Slow Cooker” cookbook by Williams-Sonoma

Yield: Serves 4 to 6



Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-1/2-inch pieces

3/4 pound andouille or other spicy sausages, cut in 1-inch slices

1/2 pound fresh okra, cut into thick rounds

1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 (14-1/2-oz.) can diced plum Roma tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Steamed white rice for serving


Directions:

1. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.

2. Transfer chicken to slow cooker, then add the sausage. Scatter the okra, bell pepper, celery and onion on top.

3. Return frying pan to medium heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle the flour in the pan and cook, stirring constantly until golden brown, about 4 minutes.

4. Stir in broth and tomatoes with their juice and raise the heat to medium-high. When mixture boils, remove pan from the heat. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cayenne and then pour over the vegetables, chicken and sausages.

5. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. Ladle the gumbo over steamed rice and serve.

Enjoyed best when served to lots of friends!