It’s Mardi Gras time and what better way to celebrate than with Cajun foods. These recipes should make you feel as if you were in the French Quarter celebrating and yelling “Hey Mister! Throw me some beads!”
Best-Ever Shrimp Étouffée
By LENA ABRAHAM
Yields: 4 servings Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish 2 tsp. freshly chopped thyme 1 tbsp. cajun seasoning 1 tsp. sweet paprika Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 4 c. shrimp or seafood stock 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined White rice, for serving
FOOD
Directions
In a medium or large Dutch oven over medium heat, combine butter and oil. When butter is melted and foaming, add flour and whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring frequently, until roux is golden in color, 5 to 6 minutes. Add onion, pepper, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, green onions, and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Stir in Cajun seasoning and paprika and season with salt and pepper. Add stock 1 cup at a time, whisking well after each addition. Bring to a low simmer and add bay leaf. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reduced by 1/3 and vegetables are soft, 10 to 12 minutes Stir in shrimp and simmer until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Season with salt and pepper if needed, and spoon over rice. Garnish with green onions before serving. (Delish)
Easy Beignets
By LINDSAY FUNSTON
You probably know about beignets because of the long lines that they draw in New Orleans. The pillow-like fried treats covered in powdered sugar are worth the trip to New Orleans alone. But if you are not in the mood to just hop on a plane, this easy recipe lets you skip the lines and have them at home.
A traditional beignet is made from a yeasted dough, but to make things even simpler we made a dough that doesn’t use any and skips the rise times that yeast would require. This dough comes together in minutes and fries up easily.
Beignets are the cousin of fritters and funnel cake. They are usually yeasted and raised doughs, but we skipped the yeast to create a super-simple and quick version. They are less sweet than a doughnut and dusted with powdered sugar instead of glazed. Yields: 15 Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/8 tsp. kosher salt 2 large eggs, separated 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1 tbsp. melted butter 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Vegetable oil, for frying Powdered sugar, for dusting
DIRECTIONS
baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, ¼ cup water, melted butter, and vanilla and stir to combine. Fold into dry ingredients until just combined. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, then fold into batter. In a large pot, heat oil to 375º. Drop small spoonfuls of batter into hot oil and fry until golden, about 5 minutes. (You want to keep the oil at 375º to make sure they cook all the way through.) Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
