By Kara Kimbrough
Food Columnist
A sure sign that Mardi Gras season is near are the stacks of packaged King Cakes in
supermarkets. Decorated with a thick purple, green and gold sugary icing and filled with fruit or
cream fillings, they’re as close as many will come to actually celebrating Mardi Gras.
King Cakes were brought to New Orleans by French and Spanish settlers when they settled in the
area during the 12 th century. I enjoy a slice (or two) of a good King Cake, but it’s the main dishes
brought by the French, Acadian, Spanish and West African settlers to the region that are at the
top of my favorites list.
After all, most are composed of some of the best ingredients in the world: fresh seafood,
including shrimp prepared at least 100 ways; fresh tomatoes and other vegetables; smoked
sausage, roasted chicken and fragrant rice, to name a few. And a side of crusty, garlic and butter-
laden French bread is definitely the crowning touch to any meal.
Here are two of my favorite Cajun/Creole recipes; email me and I’ll send you a few more you’ll
enjoy during Mardi Gras season – and well beyond.
Easy Shrimp Etouffee
1 stick butter
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned
Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 cup water mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon tomato paste (for color)
Cooked rice
Melt butter in large skillet, then add next 4 ingredients until limp. Stir in tomato paste, then
shrimp; simmer, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Stir in water/cornstarch mixture; simmer, stirring for 8-

10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and mixture is thickened. Season to taste and serve over hot
rice.
One-Pan Jambalaya
6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped celery
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
½ pound cubed cooked ham
½ pound cubed cooked chicken
½ pound cubed smoked sausage
2 (14.5 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, with liquid
2 cups beef broth
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 cups uncooked white rice
½ pound small shrimp
Shrimp boil or seasoning
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon
pieces with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Add celery, bell pepper, and onion to the bacon
drippings, and cook until tender.
Add the ham, chicken and sausage to the pot, and pour in the tomatoes, beef broth and chicken
broth. Season with thyme and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, and add the rice. Bring to a boil,
then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender.
While mixture is cooking, boil shrimp separately in water and 1 teaspoon of shrimp boil or
Cajun seasoning until shrimp is pink; about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Stir in the shrimp and
bacon just before serving and heat through.
Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.