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Let The Good Times Roll – At Mardi Gras

One of the great things about cultural celebrations is that it gives all of us a chance to experience a taste of another region's history, traditions and cuisines.  This adds to the richness of our lives and broadens us culturally.  And when you add in a fun festival, you have a winning combination.  So let's take a look at Mardi Gras and Let The Good Times Roll!

History of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras has its roots in religion, with the practice of eating rich foods on Fat Tuesday, before fasting the next day on Ash Wednesday, which starts the Lenten season.  Mardi Gras has grown from a single day to a several week celebration.  In New Orleans, the Mardi Gras parades started this year on February 19 and will conclude on Fat Tuesday, March 8.  Mardi Gras is also known as Carnival and is celebrated around the world.  The best known is Rio de Janeiro's Carnival.  Other famous Carnivals include celebrations in Mexico's Mazatlan, Sydney Australia and Quebec City Canada.

When we think of the annual Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, we have striking images of ornate parade floats, colorful costumes, lively jazz music, spicy Cajun cuisine and strands of colorful beads tossed to raucous crowds.  It is without question one of the biggest parties in the U.S.  The traditional Mardi Gras colors are purple which symbolizes justice, green which represents faith and gold which stands for power.

Creole and Cajun Cuisine

Creole cooking has an aristocratic background, with French and Spanish influences that create upscale dishes.  Red Jambalaya is a traditional Creole dish.  Cajun cooking is simple, country style cooking, creating dishes from local ingredients.  The centerpieces of Cajun cooking are black cooking pots, used to cook the main dishes, rice and vegetables.  Cajun cooking centers around the "Holy Trinity", comprised of 50% chopped onions, 25% diced bell peppers and 25% diced celery, seasoned with parsley, bay leaf, green onions and cayenne pepper. 

Some of the popular Louisiana dishes include Jambalaya, Gumbo and Etouffee.  All include meat or seafood, vegetables and rice.  Creole or Red Jambalaya includes tomatoes and mixes rice directly into the dish.  Gumbo does not include tomatoes and the meat and vegetable mixture is spooned on top of a bed of rice.  Etouffee means "smothered" and is a creamy mixture with crawfish or shrimp also spooned over a bed of rice. 

Food and Wine Pairings

Beer is popular in Louisiana.  A general rule is to pair a heavier style beer with a heavy dish, like Jambalaya.  Spicy food can affect your palate, not allowing you to enjoy subtle flavor pairings between your beverage and food.  A couple of possible beer pairings to try include Dry Stouts and Porters with hearty stews, Pilsners with spicy shellfish dishes and IPAs with spicy beef/chicken/shellfish dishes.  If your recipe calls for beer as an ingredient, plan to use the same beer you plan to drink with the meal.

With Creole or Red Jambalaya's spicy tomato sauce base, a red Zinfandel or Syrah are good wine pairing choices.  Their jammy fruit character works well with spicy food and compliments tomato sauce.  With Gumbo and Etouffee, a Riesling can balance the creaminess and spice levels of these dishes.

My Chef Catering's Etouffee Sauce

This is a popular recipe on My Chef's Mardi Gras Menu and serves four people as an appetizer.  Either raw shrimp or cooked meatballs are added to this sauce.

Ingredients for sauce:

1/3       cup       butter

1/4       cup       all-purpose flour

1          ea         small green pepper diced

1          ea         medium Spanish onion diced

2          ea         stalks celery diced

2          ea         cloves fresh garlic minced

2          ea         medium plum tomatoes chopped

2          Tbsp    Louisiana Hot Sauce

1/4       tsp        cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2       Tbsp    seafood seasoning – like Old Bay's

1/2       tsp        ground black pepper

1          cup       fish stock or clam juice

1/2       lb         Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

or

16        ½ oz     Cocktail meatballs, cooked

 

Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet.  Add flour gradually and stir constantly until incorporated.  Cook until light brown.  Add onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper to the skillet.  Sauté vegetables until softened but not browned.  Stir in tomatoes and fish stock or clam juice.  Add seafood seasoning.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add hot sauce and cayenne pepper.  Add raw shrimp and cook just until shrimp turns pink.  If adding cooked meatballs, simmer for 5 minutes or until meatballs are hot.

Bill's Beverage Pick's – with suggested retail prices

Mardi Gras Beers:

Big Easy Imperial Maibock – drier style                                               

Dixie Blackened Voodo Lager – black color, light flavors                     

Rogue Dead Guy Ale – light color, hoppy, balanced                             

Hop Devil IPA – dark color, fruit notes, hop fragrance             

 

Mardi Gras Domestic Wines:

Columbia Crest Two Vines Riesling – 88 pts. Wine Spectator              

Hogue Riesling – 89 pts. Wine Spectator                                                         

Ch Ste. Michelle Riesling Cold Creek Vineyard – 88 pts. Wine Spec.  

Foxglove Zinfandel – 89 pts. R. Parker                                                          

Artezin Zinfandel – 87 pts. Wine Spectator                                                    

Bogle Phantom Syrah – Not Yet Rated (past vintages 88 – 89 pts.)     

 

Wine of the Month:

Milbrandt Riesling Columbia Valley, WA 

Rieslings are a nice pairing with creamy, spicy Cajun cuisine. The Wine Spectator rated the current 2008 vintage 90 pts. and said "This tangy, jazzy style delivers plenty of ripe apple, pear, peach and floral flavors on a mostly dry, open-weave frame. Drink now. 4088 cases made." This will compliment spicy gumbo and etoufee dishes. Enjoy!

About the Author

• My Chef CateringMay 1988 - Present Founder/President Naperville, Illinois With my wife, founded My Chef Catering in Naperville in 1989. Initially a gourmet deli and catering business, the business evolved into one of the largest full-service catering companies in the western suburbs.

  We are very community minded and donate up to 2% of annual sales to charity. Karen and I Chair several of the larger fundraisers in the area, to help people in need.

  We have been very blessed to receive community recognition for our involvement, including the Naperville's and Aurora's Overall SBYA and the 2007 U.S. Chamber's Small Business of the Year award.

• I have been a wine enthusiast for over 25 years and passed the Level 1 Master Sommelier course in 2004.  I pair food and wine for My Chef Catering's customers.
• I have been a very active member of The Rotary Club of Naperville for the past 18 years. My Chef Catering provided the food for Naperville's annual Oktoberfest and we currently Chair Soup's On!, a fundraiser to benefit 3 local food pantries and shelters. I was the Rotary club President in 2008-2009.

  I have just become a member of the Board of Directors for Lovaes & Fishes in Naperville. This will allow me to share my food knowledge and contacts with this essential organization.

           Prior to this, I was a Brand Manager for several Fortune 100 food companies,    including Borden Foods and Jacobs Suchard Swiss chocolate and coffee company.

College

• Boston University Arts and Sciences Philosophy Business

High School

• Boardman High School '70
• Pearl River High School '70

what does a lounge consist of?

i would like to own a resturant with a bar and a lounge and so far the lounge i want will consist of chairs, tvs, and pool tables? does anyone has anything to add? does anyone have anything to add about the place itself...like colors etc.? i plan on serving american, cajun, and soul food!

A lounge becomes a sports bar when you add TVs and pool tables. Your menu sounds like a south-western theme might be best...bright sunset colors of reds, oranges, greens and yellows. Keep it simple and a relaxing atmosphere for the lounge area, booths, etc.