Belly Lore - Fat Tuesday

Jambalaya is a rice dish flavored with a combination of meats (especially ham since the word "jambalaya" comes from the French "jambon" meaning ham) and spices.

The word Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, is a last hurrah before the Lenten Season.

Lent is from the Anglo Saxon word meaning Spring.  It's a Christian observance lasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday and is a time of preparation for observing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ involving giving up luxuries as a form of the repentence of sins.

Fat Tuesday

So enjoy a little of this

I think it's interesting that all of the dedication to Mardi Gras, to fat, to indulgence, to desire, is married to the sacrifices of Lent.  I like Fat Tuesday because it's representative of how we humans always figure out a way to indulge our desires, to reward ourselves, to enjoy ourselves, to torture ourselves, to just have fun, whenever we can.  I'm a big proponent of that philosophy of enjoying life.  Whether it's time to "take care of your business" or time to... let go, enjoy your life!

             

Or this

                                                         

Or this

Or this

Fat Tuesday or Lent.  Everyday possible.

Jambalaya

Mix 2 bay leaves, 1/2 t salt, 1 t black pepper, 1 t cayenne pepper and 1/2 t cumin.  Set aside.  In 3 T oil, saute 6 ounces of chopped tasso or other ham, 6 ounces of andouille or kielbasa smoked sausage for 3 minutes.  Add 1 C each of diced onion, diced green pepper and diced celery and saute until onion is translucent.  Stir in 2 C rice and cook for 5 min.  Add 1 can diced tomatoes and 3 cloves of minced garlic and simmer 10 min.  Add 4 C chicken stock (or Swanson's chicken broth).  Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Add 6 ounces shrimp, cover and cook until shrimp is done, about 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Belly Lore - Trifecta

Trifecta - a type of bet in which the bettor must select the first three finishers in exact order.

Trifecta

I kind of love it when I hear people (men) talk about how overrated Valentine's Day is.  How it's a holiday created by the Greeting Card Assoc. (or Chaucer) to rip us off or, worse yet, to encourage us to think we can express love through the spending of money.  I love to hear this because though all of that may be true, I suspect the real reason these people (men) are Valentine's Day haters just might be because they don't like to express romantic love, in a way outside their own comfort zone, at all!   Just maybe this holiday survives (despite the loss of hand made card days) to coax, rouse, inspire, cajole, basically help, those afflicted with lack of ...expressiveness (ya, that's it, "expressiveness") by reminding them to think of what someone else might desire.  For one damn day.  And be willing to honor it.    That's what Valentine's Day should be about.

I do agree it's never best to show affection through commercial means (the traditional Valentine's Day  card, flowers, candy trifecta being a perfect example of that)  so how about getting seriously thoughtful and being willing to try to find out what your lover's trifecta might be.  Better yet, find out what your own trifecta might be then let somebody know!  And don't forget to enjoy your trifecta seeking journey.  That might just be the best part.

My food trifecta is.. well... I'm still looking. But I do like thoughtfully prepared food, sensuality, and some heat (wait a minute, that might not be in the exact order...) so a food trifecta for me (today) would be Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter, served on a bed of sauted fresh spinach and crushed red pepper (or some greens dressed with a spicy fresh lemon vinigrette, as a side), and a sparkling wine ( I lied when I said I didn't like sparkly things) like Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blancs NV.  And since a trifecta doesn't quite satisfy this belly, a Lemon Tart drizzled with Sage Infused Honey would complete this...superfecta!

I really like Lidia Bastianich's recipe for this Gnocchi but I will admit it's time consuming, and you do want to conserve your energy for... later, so you could try frozen gnocchi tossed with melted butter and fresh sage atop some mashed roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes.






 Here is my recipe for the Lemon Tart:

Lemon Tart with Sage Infused Honey

1 1/2 C flour plus 4 1/2 t          3/4 t baking powder
3/4 C butter                              1  1/4 C sugar
3 eggs                                       3/4 C powdered sugar         
1/3 C fresh lemon juice            2 t finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 C honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In bowl, stir together 1 1/2 C flour and powdered sugar.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Pat into an 11 inch tart pan and bake for 15 min.  Meanwhile whisk eggs, lemon juice, baking powder, sugar and 1 1/2 T remaining flour.  When crust is ready, pour egg mixture over the crust.  Bake until set and light brown, about 30 min.  Cool.  Meanwhile mix honey and sage and let sit.  When ready to serve, cut, and serve each piece with a drizzle of sage honey.

I love how the sweetness of the honey softens the acidity of the lemon and that soft herbal bite of fresh sage complements the rich sweetness.  Sweet!