Cooking Class, Day 2: Mardi Gras

What better way to experience culture than through food? That is basically how I planned my trip across the country! In New Orleans, we ate at a great restaurant called Coop’s Place.

Of course, I had to order the sample platter, which consisted of fried chicken, gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp creole, and red beans and rice. YUM!

When I came across a recipe for gumbo in a school lunch cookbook developed by the Center for Ecoliteracy called Cooking with California Food, I knew that I had to make it with the kids. We also made Mardi Gras masks, and danced to some great jazz and funk music. (I couldn’t help but laugh when none of the kids really knew who Elvis was… one responded, “Oh, that King guy?”)

Anyway, check out the recipe below. Easy to make- let the kids help!

GUMBO

This flavorful soup has to have andouille sausage—nothing can serve as a substitute for the andouille spices that infuse the entire soup. Gumbo is cooked in as many different ways as there are families in Louisiana, its place of origin. Some gumbos are fished-based, others meat-based, though all contain okra, which helps thicken the base of the soup. If possible, make your own chicken broth, since the broth is very important to the depth of flavor. To allow the flavors to fully blend, prepare the gumbo a day ahead.

 
1 tablespoon canola or other light oil
1/2 pound chicken meat (white or dark)
1/4 pound Andouille sausage, sliced on the diagonal about 1/3 inch thick
1/4 pound ham, diced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried bay leaves
1 yellow onions, chopped coarsely
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 16-ounce can whole stewed tomatoes with juice, chopped
1/2 quart low-fat, low-sodium, chicken broth
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 pound fresh okra, chopped into1-inch pieces
Scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup long-grain rice

 
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the chicken, sausage, ham, parsley, and thyme and sauté, turning the chicken and sausage until they are lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and continue to sauté until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, celery, okra, cayenne, and rice. Stir, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.