Festive Mardi Gras fare
It’s almost time for one of the most lively, fun and delicious parties of the year — Mardi Gras!
Plan to have a festive pre-parade brunch or a gathering of family and friends for a fun-filled evening trying these dishes. I’d like to give a huge “thank you” to my friends at Zatarain’s for providing me products and recipes to enjoy and to share with all of you.
Andouille sausage buttermilk biscuits
These breakfast treats aren’t your typical ground sausage patties. Thick slices of andouille sausage are browned in the skillet and are the perfect partner for these delicious buttermilk biscuits. For the finishing touch, add a touch of Creole mustard.
• 1 package Zatarain’s Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
• 1 cup milk
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• Andouille sausage
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet lightly with no-stick cooking spray. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the melted butter for brushing tops of cooked biscuits.
Stir together biscuit mix, milk and remaining 6 tablespoons of melted butter in a large bowl for 3 minutes or until mixture forms a soft dough. Drop dough by quarter cupfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush tops of biscuits with reserved melted butter.
While the biscuits are baking, slice sausage in half lengthwise, then into 3-inch-long pieces. Cook sausages on both sides in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, until well browned. Remove from the skillet onto a paper towel-lined plate.
When biscuits are ready, carefully slice open and fill with the sausage slices. Top sausage slices with Creole mustard if desired.
Pastalaya
Our family certainly enjoyed this recipe. The combination of the vegetables, smoked sausage and shrimp with funshaped pasta is a great one-pot meal.
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 package (14 ounces) smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch-thick
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 32 ounces chicken stock
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 8 ounces uncooked pasta, such as fusilli
• 2 teaspoons Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Heat oil in a large deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook and stir 5 minutes or until browned. Add onion, bell pepper and celery; cook and stir 5 minutes, or until softened.
Add stock and tomatoes; bring to boil, stirring to release browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in pasta. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
Stir in Creole seasoning and shrimp. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Sprinkle with parsley and additional Creole seasoning, if desired.
Laura Tolbert, also known as Fleur de Lolly, has been sharing recipes, table decor ideas and advice for fellow foodies and novices on her blog, fleurdelolly.blogspot.com, for more than eight years. She won the Duke’s Mayonnaise 100th Anniversary nationwide recipe contest for her Alabama White BBQ Sauce. You can contact her at facebook. com/fleurde.lolly.5, on Instagram, and at fleurdelolly@ yahoo.com.