Mardi Gras Recipes: Holiday Menus, #2

By Natalie Oliver

Mardi Gras is a great time to enjoy great food and drinks!

The recipes in this book are full of indulgence and spice

Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday and it's the period of time before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.  Lent lasts for 40 days and is a time of reflection and sacrifice and those who practice Lent usually give up some vice such as alcohol or rich food.

This book of recipes contains a wide variety of appetizers, drinks, and a bonus section on brunch.  Who doesn't love to get their friends together and have fun together eating, drinking, and being merry?  These recipes will help you create the perfect menu for your guests to do just that.

The most notable locations in the US for Mardi Gras celebrations are New Orleans, LA; Mobile, AL; and St. Louis, MO.  In other parts of the world, Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad & Tobago, Venice, and Cologne also have large and famous carnivals.

Seafood Appetizers - Obviously, based on all the most notable locations for Fat Tuesday celebrations seafood is a must because of local availability.  You simply can't celebrate Mardi Gras without seafood.  However - there are other recipes included that aren't seafood based - there is plenty of variety here!

Alcoholic Beverages - One of the staples at every Mardi Gras party is alcohol.  This book gives you quite a few options that are associated with the areas that are most known for celebrating this indulgent holiday.

Bonus Brunch - Many Mardi Gras parties start early in the day.  Why not serve brunch fare to get it all started?  This book has mix and match options to make your menu turn out to be a crowd-pleaser plus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natalie Oliver
• Release date: Aug 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516358977

Book preview

Appetizers

Seafood

Garlic Shrimp with Olives

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Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

¼ cup white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium.  Add the garlic.  Toss the shrimp to make sure it’s well coated with oil and garlic.  Saute for about one minute.

Add the white wine, lime juice, and cayenne pepper.  When shrimp is almost done, remove it from the skillet.  Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is reduced to a syrup.

Add the shrimp back to the skillet and cook briefly until shrimp is pink and done.  Remove from the heat.

Add olives and cilantro and toss well.

Spicy Crawfish Dip

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Ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream

1 8 oz package softened cream cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup Fontina Cheese

1 pound Crawfish tail meat

1/2 tsp. Chipotle powder

1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Snipped chives for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except the chives in a bowl thoroughly. Very lightly grease a 1.5-quart casserole dish and spread mixture evenly. Bake 30 - 40 minutes until slightly golden brown and garnish with snipped chives. Serve with toasted pita bread.

Fried Shrimp Cocktail

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Ingredients

3 pounds jumbo raw