Mardi Gras, 2026

 Today is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday in English.  It is the day that we celebrate that it is not yet Lent. and thus can feast and do all the things we won't be doing during Lent.  While I haven't sworn off anything yet,  I will follow the religious traditions, so there will be fasting and meatless days over the next several weeks.  But not today.

Here at Studio Arrabbiata we celebrate Mardi Gras with a nice spicy hot batch of Jambalaya, so I made that the other day.  I even found some frozen uncooked shrimp on sale, so put some of those in.  (stores around here just don't stock crayfish, so shrimp is the standard substitute)  For vegetables, I had onion, bell peppers, celery, and tomatoes, and for meat, chicken, andouille sausage, and the shrimp. All that, plus the other ingredients, and I made a big pot of the stuff on Sunday.

My recipe (made up, but it seems as authentic as any I have found) makes enough for three meals, so I usually make it on Sunday, and eat it as well on Monday and today, finishing it off before Lent rolls around tomorrow.  Below is a typical bowl of the stuff.

The Jambalaya, a cold beer, and my favorite cajun and zydeco music, and it's as much a party as one can find in the little house I live in.