Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is next Tuesday, March 5. Great Plains Communications wants to help you celebrate the flavors of the holiday with some of our favorite recipes from our cable channel, Food Network.
Cajun Shrimp Étouffée
Shrimp Étouffée is a classic Cajun dish, containing the “holy trinity” of onion, bell pepper and celery, along with seafood base and gulf shrimp. You might be wondering what the difference is between étouffée and other classic dishes such as gumbo. Étouffée is a thicker consistency and made with one type of shellfish, while gumbo is more of a soup base and includes a mix of vegetables, meat and shellfish.
Slow-Cooker Smoked Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo
This recipe is layered with flavor but skips the hassle of constant attention. You still have to make a deep roux to provide thickening and a crucial flavor to gumbo, but that is the only prep needed with the slow-cooker doing the work.
Viv’s Beignets-and-Crawfish Mardi Gras Party
With these recipes, your party will feel like a true Mardi Gras event from the savory twist on a classic crawfish dish, sweet and fluffy beignets and the crowd-pleasing Hurricane cocktail. As Viv mentions, if you can’t find crawfish or aren’t a fan of the flavor, feel free to substitute shrimp in its place.
NOLA-Inspired Muffuletta Pinwheels
Another classic dish in New Orleans is the muffuletta. This sandwich is full of pickled veggies pressed down with different meats and cheeses. The key to the muffuletta flavor is the pressing of the sandwich, that generally takes an hour or longer. If you aren’t looking to spend that time or just want something simpler for your Mardi Gras party, try these muffuletta pinwheel bites.
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