Celebrating With Kevin Belton

New Orleans has always been known for their amazing dishes, cooked by amazing chefs. One is Kevin Belton, star of the PBS show. "Kevin Belton's New Orleans Kitchen". He is a bright star on the American culinary scene, creating recipes whose names make the mouth water. Good news for his fans and affectionados of NOLA cooking. He has a new  cookbook out and it is a home library must have.

 Kevin Belton's New Orleans Celebrations With Rhonda K .Findley (Gibbs Smith Publishing 2019) is a valentine to the city that raised him and celebrates his talent. He is a true child of New Orleans. Its' multicultural and centuries diverse population have influenced three generations of family and it comes through in all the book's recipes. For those who think this is just a cookbook revolving around Cajun and Creole recipes, think again. New Orleans has always been home to various immigrants and Chef Belton has their recipes incorporated between beignets and etouffee. I was surprised to see one of my Greek favorites, dolmades featured in it along with sauerkraut. Yet the Greeks and Germans have contributed to the wealth and culture of southern Louisiana for decades. Chef Belton also has many Sicilian recipes too, from calzone to calamari. The ethnic recipes are kind of sectioned together in  loose chapters but there are also sections celebrating tomatoes, , and cat fish, important ingredients in New Orleans' cooking. There are even fusion recipes like the classic boudin, a kind of sausage topping pizza.

I really like  this book because I really like watching Chef Belton on PBS. His is a fun show, full of humor and learning. The book is an absolute treat much like the show.. The cookbook starts off with his reminisces of his food experiences , from Mardi Gras to the famed NOLA Jazzfest. Another neat thing is Kevin's Take at the bottom of each introduction. They're nuggets of information that will help the home chef as well as enhance the cooking experience. The recipes are manageable and it's fun to see the international influence on the cuisine. The main influence , of course is the Cajun and Creole, and their recipes don't disappoint,The beignets with chocolate sauce is definitely on my must make list What I like is that Chef Belton has both sweet and savory recipes.There are lobster stuffed beignets as well as herbed ham and cheese ones, perfect hors d'ouevres.The gumbo z'herbes is a wonderful melange of different kinds of greens , from spinach to kale simmered with file powder, a New Orleans kitchen must have and cayenne.. Of course there are Po'Boys, from shrimp remoulade to cheesesteak, with a meatball one too, that's also on my to try list. Jambalaya is also here and there's even a breakfast one that has a sunnyside egg topping it. New Orleans is a port  so seafood abounds. Chef Belton has an assortment  of seafood recipes from garlic oysters and oyster chowder to shrimp and grits.

Kevin Belton's New Orleans Celebrations with Rhonda K. Findley is a phenomenal book , celebrating every aspect of NOLA. The recipes are diverse, like the city itself. They're also full of the love and exuberance that Kevin Belton has for his city.

Mardi Gras And Shrove Tuesday

Today is Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, the last day of celebration before Lent. It's a time of revelry and enjoying egg and butter rich foods before forty days of fasting. This is a time for pancakes too, thanks to the tradition of Shrove Tuesday. It's a celebration whatever is made today.

For some Mardi Gras means gumbo. This is an easy cook, a fun stew made with shrimp and andouille sausage along with the holy trinity of Cajun cooking - celery, onions and bell peppers.Okra which gives the dish its' African name is added along with tomatoes and tomato paste. It's a great meal for a dinner party too because of its' ease of serving. The dish is ladled over rice and served. Etouffee is a Cajun dish eaten throughout New Orleans at this time. It has another Cajun and Creole staple - seafood. Crawfish is usually used but shrimp can subbed in along with crab. It's called a smothered dish because it's ladled over rice which helps balance  the dish's fieriness. Again it's an easy make, using the usual ingredients found in the cuisine along with cayenne and hot sauce. A sweeter Mardi Gras treat is King Cake, a brioche type ring cake decorated with Mardi Gras colors and containing a trinket. They can be bought on line, if you're far from Lousiana or you can make it at home. It's basically a cinnamon coffee bread rich with butter and eggs., then topped with a confectioner's sugar icing. Purple, green and gold, Mardi Gras colors are sprinkled on top

Another name for the day is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake day. Big in Britain and in Slavic countries like Poland housewives are supposed to use up all the butter and fat along with milk and eggs before Lent starts. Pancakes also symbolize the pillars of Christianity, eggs for creation, flour for the mainstay of human life,  salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.There are races in Britian , with
the tradition starting in 1445.A housewife cooking pancakes heard her local church calling all to
church and ran to Mass, still flipping pancakes to prevent them from burning. All of the UK participate in this annual event, including William and Kate. Pancakes are one of the easiest dishes to make This simple dish can be jazzed up for the holiday with the addition of walnuts and pecans along with a fat pat of bourbon butter, Bourbon can also be added to maple syrup too. For a more sophisticated take,try crepes for Shrove Tuesday or even for meatless Lenten Fridays.The recipe is sort of like the pancake but the butter is melted first.It also helps to chill the batter for an hour before cooking for a crisper crepes It only takes two minutes to cook it on both sides.


Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday  is a day of fun eating before the fasting of Lent. Enjoy it with either a bowl of gumbo ,a slice of King Cale or a stack of pancakes or crepes.. Celebrate with good food.