Food for the Mardi Gras party

Next week, one of the world's largest and most colorful festivals, Mardi Gras, is celebrated, and there's no better excuse to indulge in some tasty Creole specialties.

Get the ultimate Mardi Gras meal guide from here Kulinarisk Akademi and the ingredients can of course be found in Mathallen.

Gumbo:

4 chicken thighs, cut in half (The Stangeriet)
600 g smoked spicy sausage, cut into 1 cm thick slices (Annis Pølsemakeri)
3 tablespoons Creole seasoning blend, (recipe below)
A little neutral oil for frying
1 dl neutral oil, preferably rapeseed or sunflower oil
1 dl wheat flour

Vegetables: (Volcano fruit and vegetables)
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large onions, diced
2 green peppers, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
2 liters of chicken stock (The Stangeriet)
3 bay leaves
2 bunches spring onions, cut into thin rings
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley

Homemade Creole seasoning: (Volcano fruit and vegetables): 
3 tablespoons paprika powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1,5 tablespoon of oregano
1,5 tablespoons basil
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoons of salt
Mix everything well and store in a tight container with a lid.

This is what you do:
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with spices on both sides, then brown in a hot pan with a little oil. Then set the chicken aside. Then brown the sausages in the same pan with the oil from the chicken so that we get the spices from frying the chicken.

Now we are going to make a "roux", which is very typical of Creole cuisine. This is the same as what we in Norway call a flour mixture and is done as follows:

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 1 dl of oil and add the flour. Stir the mixture over medium heat until it has turned a golden nutty brown.

When the roux has reached the right color, add the vegetables and cook, stirring, for about 4-5 minutes. Then add the stock a little at a time and stir well, then add the chicken thighs and sausage. Cook everything over low heat for about an hour. Sprinkle with spring onions and parsley just before serving. Serve the Gumbo with cooked rice.

Creole Crab Cakes:

500 g crab meat, cleaned (Volcano fish)
4-6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
3 tsp dijon mustard (My girl)
1/2 tsp tabasco
1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped (Volcano fruit and vegetables)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 dl. Breadcrumbs, preferably Panko
3 tablespoon of butter

This is what you do:
Leave the crab meat in a sieve so that as much water as possible drains. Then mix together the mayonnaise, egg yolks, mustard and the rest of the spices. Then carefully stir in the crab meat and mix well. Form into small cakes and dip in breadcrumbs on both sides before frying until golden in butter.

Served with a green salad and herb mayonnaise.

Spiced mayonnaise:
2 dl mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chili sauce
3 tsp Creole seasoning blend, see above
2 tsp mustard
A little lemon juice

Mix everything together and season with lemon juice.

Happy Mardi Gras!

If you want more inspiring recipes from the Culinary Academy, buy their award-winning cookbook "Kok og stek" at KA in Mathallen.