A JUneteenth Feast

 JUneteenth is a relatively newly celebrated holiday so traditional foods  are yet to be established. The one thing they have to be is red to symbolize the joyous day that Texas slaves heard the announcement of freedom. Foods and taste can vary with the day but they should be delicious and mindful of the past.

Renown chef and new contributor Millie Pear tree wrote about the holiday as well as giving some excellent recipes in yesterday's New York Times Food section. JUneteenth foods vary . KIva Willliams has food with pops of red such as barbecued ribs and watermelon.Sometimes food from her past, like fried fish,coleslaw  and even spaghetti are served.The red foods symbolize the resilience and the ingenuity of the enslaved who found out about Emancipation Proclamation two years after it was passed.For others such as second generation Congloese French KarenTshimanaga it means more. The Parish raised American celebrated only after the tragic murder of George Floyd. She and her friends have a West African potluck where they eat dibi -Senegalese grilled lamb and attiekea  -a slightly sour cassava couscous. There is always a good meat strew served over rice too. Ms. Peartree;s recipes could easily be included i n any family cookbook,They are light and bright for the season along with being fresh and joyous.

She offers a roasted shrimp jambalaya, full of not only shrimp but also andouille sausage - you can use kielbasa too along with the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, celery ,peppers and onions There's also hot sauce and Creole seasoning to zing it up along with garlic and Worcester sauce. This would be perfect on its' own but there is also garlicky chicken sandwiches with red coleslaw.Chicken thighs are cooked with a variety of spices along with garlic to give it a rich flavor. Garlic is inserted into the chicken thighs along with more being smashed up into a paste with the chicken juices from the pan. The slaw is a simple one made with red cabbage and an apple cider based vinaigrette. Celery salt is added to it for more taste. The side is crispy okra with a spicy honey sauce.Okra is fried until its' crispy and served with a sauce made up of Scotch Bonnet Chile, garlic, ginger and honey. The okra is dipped in this and then dusted with mustard powder and a squeeze of lemon.Of course there is dessert and it is strawberry pretzel bars. This is a layered bar with pretzels graham crackers and butter being baked in a crust. A filling of cream cheese blended with heavy cream , vanilla and confectioner's sugar make up the Middle the topping is a mix of strawberry jam and fresh strawberries.Ms Peartree also includes a strawberry ginger limeade that is easy to make.

Juneteenth is about tradition. It's also about eating food that symbolizes resilience and ingenuity. It is a time of feasting but also about recollection

Mardi Gras Every Day

 Today is Mardi Gras ,a time of "Laissez le bonne temps roulez" in the city of Mardi Gras, New Orleans. There are also sorts of delicious savory and sweet dishes that are not only perfect for tonight's festivities but every day of the year. The good times and flavors can roll anytime you crave Creole or Cajun foods.

There are two key factors in New Orleans cooking. One is roux , a simple mix of butter and flour cooked over a low flame and whipped into a creamy sauce. It reflects Louisiana's deep French roots (if you're into French cooking you'll know that roux is used constantly to thicken sauces such as bechamel) and comes three ways, white, blonde and brown. White is the least cooked, while blonde takes a minute or two longer until it's a light golden color. The flavor is slightly nutty. There is the brown which is cooked anywhere from ten to thirty minutes. Gumbo usually requires a dark brown roux for both flavor and color. The other key factor in the cooking is the holy trinity - onions, bell peppers  and celery. Cooked together these impart a deep flavor that make Cajun and Creole cooking pop. Keep in mind that you can add this to your chicken soup and soup stocks for a wonderful vegetal flavor. Again it's taken from the region's Gallic roots. In France it's known simply as mirepoix and used frequently to flavor coq au vin and lamb stew. You can also use it in any kind of stew from chicken to beef along with gravy for homemade pot pies. 

New Orleans is known for its' seafood , namely shrimp. Shrimp gumbo will undoubtedly be on many a party menu tonight but it also makes for a tasty week night dinner. It can be easily made in the crockpot so you don't have to worry about coming home from work and prepping like crazy. Of course you'll need the holy trinity  of onions celery and bell  peppers but these can be cut up the night before. It's then adding tomato , shrimp cornstarch and  chicken broth along with a variety of herbs and  hot sauce to the mix. There's no roux to be made, The cornstarch thickens it. Po' boys, those delicious sandwiches can be made any time of the year and they're perfect for barbecues. You can just grill shrimp or chicken and place it on French bread with lettuce , tomatoes and pickles. Slather a homemade remoulade sauce on this for an authentic NOLA flavor. A remoulade sauce is simply mayo mixed with pickle juice or chopped pickles, mustard, horse radish, and garlic along with paprika for color. It's also good topping burgers and crab cakes. Add a touch of olive oil and vinegar for a spicy salad dressing. Mardi Gras ends with the sweet King Cake . Without the traditional green purple and gold icing , it's just a cinnamon roll bread that can be made for any brunch. 

You don't have to wait until Mardi Gras to enjoy its' fun and flavorful foods. They can be made throughout the year, giving zing and zest to any meal. Let the good times roll whenever you want.