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.

Burgers And Buns For Your Barbecue

We need barbecues right now. There's something about grilling burgers and then putting them and all the fixings on them that's soothing. Patties on buns are the ultimate comfort food. Now there's a new cookbook that's all about the marriage of bun and burger. It's the perfect book for these times.

The appropriately named Gregory Berger wrote Buns & Burgers : Handcrafted Burgers From Top To Bottom (Mango Press 2020). This book has everything in it, from how Mr. Berger got into bread baking, which won him prizes at state fairs to vegan choices.The book starts with the chapter titled Tools which basically explains ingredients and equipment. The last is mostly for bun baking. He also has a page of tips for baking which is a boon for beginner bread makers.What is interesting is the Buy Versus Make page. Should you buy or make fillers such as ketchup - no - or mayo - if you want.He does give an easy pickle recipe that could be served at any barbecue or beach picnic. He also gives a recipe for Dijon style mustard. Mr. Berger also recommends going to the local butcher for meat instead of the grocery store and local farm for fresh, organic veggies.He is also a big advocate of bread being made without preservatives which are what his recipes are. The book starts off with simple recipes to more advanced ones. However you can mix the buns with the different burgers.There's also a fun ice cream burger at the end for a sweet dessert served on homemade mini cinnamon buns.

I love this book. There are so many non-vegan and vegan recipes. Beginner bakers and novice chefs can  start off with simple sesame milk buns and the classic burger to Greek pita bread and English muffins encasing Greek burgers and breakfast for dinner patties. There are some unusual ones too, sure to be the highlight of any backyard get together. Try black charcoal buns made with activated charcoal that  you can buy online at Amazon. The burgers topping them are rather unusual too.Cod flavored with basil and pine nuts, with the patties being topped with avocado, sweet pickle remoulade - the recipe is also in the book and mango slices. There is a recipe for soft pretzel buns that will be topped with a homemade nacho cheese burger. Mr. Berger also includes pickle jalapenos and a nacho cheese sauce made with smoked paprika! There are vegan burgers too. One is made from plantains, forbidden or black rice and sweet potatoes. It give it a Latin American vibe  as it's served on honey corn bread buns.nThere are also white bean and pea shoot ones along quinoa  with bean and corn burgers. The last is served on a sweet topped Dutch crunch bun. For those who love waffle burgers Mr. Berger has those too for a really different take on this classic sandwich.

Buns I Burgers :Handcrafted Burgers From Top To Bottom is a great book for these unsettling times. Make the ultimate comfort food, a hamburger om a bun, whether for lunch, dinner or even dessert! They're tasty and different, fun and soothing!

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.