by Remy Powell
Throw me something, Mister!
Nothing compares to the excitement of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The official start of the season is January 6th, and it runs until Fat Tuesday—Mardi Gras day itself. The balls, parties, parades and celebrations can last from one month to three months, depending on the calendar year.
Many people think that Mardi Gras is just about Fat Tuesday, but I’ll tell you a little secret. The best times to catch the parades are during the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras. There are fewer crowds, less traffic and more fun. Another tip is to check out the parades in the surrounding parishes.
Metairie, Slidell, and St. Bernard all have parades that are just as gorgeous and exciting as the ones in New Orleans. In those parishes. you can not only avoid the large crowds, but parking and catching beads and throws may be easier as well.
And let’s be honest. While we love the gorgeous costumes, cool floats, and talented marching bands, the best part is nabbing the goodies people throw from the floats. Besides beads and doubloons, you can catch everything from stuffed animals to Moon Pies to coconuts.
It takes work to get the best stuff. Here’s where baby sisters come in handy. The people who ride on the floats love little kids. Use them to your advantage. Hold them high in the air and enlist the people around you to grab the goodies for you when they fly by. Be careful, because strangers’ hands will shoot up and get your loot if you’re not vigilant.
Mardi Gras is a marathon, not a sprint. To make the most of it, be ready to leave the house early in the morning and know that you won’t be home until late. To run a marathon, you need energy. Energy comes from food, the second-best thing about Mardi Gras.
Popeyes fried chicken is traditional for parade grub. It’s portable, and you can eat it with one hand while catching beads with the other. The only problem with that are the long lines you’ll encounter. My family likes to avoid standing in line whenever possible.
One thing I learned during my time in the Master Chef Junior kitchen is that a little planning goes a long way. Plan your work and work your plan, as I did during the finale of Season 9. Your tummy will thank you. Your friends and family will thank you. You’ll be able to put 100% of your attention on the parades. Laissez le bon temp roulez!
Here is my plan for this year’s parade season.
Prep your parade/picnic food the day before and you’ll only have to pack it up in the morning.
Because I know it’s going to be a long day, I want dinner to be ready as soon as we get home. Roast beef po-boys and a big green salad are on the menu.
Po-boys are one of the most popular sandwiches in New Orleans. You can make them with any filling, but the bread is really important. Try to get French bread that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with big pockets of air.
Leidenheimer’s is a popular brand of French bread in New Orleans. For a fun twist, try to get your hands on some pistollettes. They are individual-sized French breads and are so tasty.
Because it wouldn’t be a parade without fried chicken, I’m going to make my Sesame Ginger Chicken Tenders. These tenders are marinated in soy sauce and honey for depth of flavor, and then fried in panko and sesame seeds for crunch. The ginger in them adds just the right kick. Make more of these than you think you’ll need. They disappear fast.
My great-grandma’s Blue Ribbon Potato Salad will be our side dish. My bubbe literally won a blue ribbon with this recipe when she was a teenager. It’s easy to make and super yummy. Pack it in individual containers for ease of serving at the parades. Don’t forget the forks.
Because we will want a snack, I’m also going to make a double batch of Bacon Candied Pecans. Pecan pralines are a delicious NOLA treat made with sugar, cream, and pecans. This is a wee bit healthier than pralines in that much less sugar is used and pecans are the main ingredient. And then there’s bacon. Need I say more?
Y’all know it wouldn’t be a menu from Remy without a special drink, right? I’m going to share my recipe for Boba Tea. It is surprisingly easy to make and costs less than tea at a boba shop. It also tastes great and looks really cool.
Check out my forthcoming book, The Big Easy Cookbook for Kids, for more fun recipes to create during family holidays and celebrations.
Sesame Ginger Chicken Tenders
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Oil for frying
1 pound chicken tenders
¾ cup unseasoned panko breadcrumbs
2 ounces sesame seeds
½ tablespoon dried ginger
Combine honey and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Mix well. Add chicken tenders. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Place about half an inch of oil in a large frying pan on medium. As oil heats, combine panko, sesame seeds, and ginger in a small bowl. Dip chicken tenders into the panko mixture, gently patting all sides to ensure that they are coated well. Fry in oil until golden brown on all sides.
Do not crowd the pan. It is best to fry in small batches because when you put too many things into the pan the temperature of the oil decreases and can result in greasy chicken fingers.
Remove from oil and place on a wire baking rack to cool. Traditionally people used a paper towel-lined plate. This can result in greasy chicken fingers as well. It’s better to cool your chicken on a baking rack.
To serve at home, place on a platter and garnish with orange slices. These are excellent hot or cold. To enjoy while waiting for your parade, pack in a container once the chicken has cooled and keep chilled in the cooler.
Serves 4
Grandma’s Blue Ribbon Potato Salad
This potato salad was created by my great-great grandma, Laura. Everyone called her G.G. She is the person who first taught my Bubbe how to cook.
Bubbe won a blue ribbon in a 4-H contest when she was my age using this recipe. I have to make two versions of this for family gatherings because some people I know don’t like onions in their potato salad. They don’t know what’s good for them.
4 medium potatoes (I like Yukon Gold but Aunt Sommer likes russet potatoes. You do you.)
4 hard-boiled eggs
¼ cup diced onion
½ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced olives with pimentos
5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Cut the potatoes into quarters. Place in a small pot and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
Peel then chop hard-boiled eggs into small pieces.
Peel the potatoes and chop into small pieces.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and sliced olives, if desired.
Serves 6
*Lemon juice or white vinegar may be substituted for the apple cider vinegar.
*If you are a fan of jarred giardiniera, you can substitute it for the olives. The giardiniera pickling juice can also replace the vinegar. Be careful, though. While I love the salad this way, my family found it way too briny.
Bacon Candied Pecans
1 cup pecans
2 slices bacon, chopped fine
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add all ingredients to a silicone-lined baking sheet and mix well with your hands. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until the bacon fat has rendered. Check and mix the nuts every five minutes or so to ensure even distribution.
Set aside and cool.
Serves 4
Parades are all about fun, and as such, deserve a special drink. Boba teas are one of my favorites, and with a little planning and preparation, will make a great addition to your to-go menu. You could, of course, stop at a boba tea place and buy one. But those teas are expensive, y’all. And inevitably when my parents buy me one, I have to share with my little sisters. Trust me, you don’t want that.
The best boba teas are when chewy tapioca pearls line the bottom of a tea or fruity drink. You get a big, fat straw so the boba pearls can be slurped up along with your drink.
Boba Tea
12 ounces black tea such as Lipton or your favorite flavor such as Earl Grey, brewed with two tea bags
¼ cup 5-minute tapioca pearls (available online or at your favorite Asian market)
Simple syrup to taste
Black teas such as Earl Grey are yummy for boba tea, as are fruit flavored teas such as peach or raspberry.
To brew: Boil water in a tea kettle. The Master Chef tea kettle works beautifully, by the way.
Having boiling water available in your kitchen at all times is a great tip that I learned when I was on the show.
Normally you would use 8 ounces of water for one tea bag. We want stronger tea here because it will get diluted when we pour it over ice. For boba, use two tea bags per 8 ounces of water. Once the water is poured over the tea bag, let it steep for 3 minutes then immediately remove the bags. Don’t oversteep or the tea will be bitter. Add simple syrup to taste and let cool.
Prepare tapioca pearls according to package directions.
Place ¼ cup tapioca pearls in a large glass or plastic cup.
Fill cup two thirds with ice.
Pour tea over ice and serve with a big boba straw.
Serves one
To prepare boba tea for your parade, let the boba pearls cool completely in order to prevent condensation. To keep the boba moist and ensure that the pearls don’t stick together, sprinkle some sugar over them.
Transfer them to an airtight bag or plastic container. Make sure it is tightly sealed.
Chill your brewed tea in a travel-safe container until you are ready to leave the house. Keep on ice in your cooler to ensure the tastiest drink.
Don’t forget to pack drinking cups and boba straws!
Lagniappe:
- To make simple syrup, boil one cup of sugar with one cup of water and stir until the sugar has dissolved. This only takes a few minutes. Cool and store in the refrigerator.
- My favorite sweetener for boba tea is to make a simple syrup out of equal parts brown sugar and water. Let it simmer until it thickens a little bit. Taste the tea after you sweeten it and add more syrup if you need to.
Roast for Po-Boys
Leftover pot roast is fantastic for a roast beef po-boy sandwich. Get some French bread, shredded lettuce (shreddice if you’re the famous NOLA chef, Mason Hereford), sliced tomato, and dill pickles. Slather the bread with Blue Plate mayonnaise. Heat the roast and gravy, and pile on the sliced bread. Top with the lettuce, tomato, and pickles, and then the other piece of bread. Serve with a Barq’s Root Beer, to be like a true New Orleanian.
This has to be the easiest pot roast recipe ever. It is also one of the best you will ever taste. Cooking it slowly at a low temperature makes it so tender that it falls apart.
If you can’t find Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, use a Cajun or Creole seasoning blend that you like.
1 2-pound chuck roast
1½ teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce—(We like Lea and Perrins best.)
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Find a small Dutch oven or oven-safe heavy pan or pot with a tight cover that is not much bigger than the roast. If the cooking vessel is too much bigger, then the juices will disperse and the meat could get dry. A ceramic oven-safe casserole dish will also work as long as you wrap it tightly with aluminum foil before you put it in the oven.
Place the roast in whatever you’re cooking it in and sprinkle the Tony Cachere’s all over it. Rub all over the meat.
Wash your hands, then sprinkle on the Worcestershire sauce.
Slice the butter into thin pieces and place all around the roast.
Cover with the lid or tight aluminum foil.
Bake at 200 degrees for 8 hours. Test with a fork. The roast should fall apart and there will be a lot of natural gravy to serve alongside it or on top of your po-boy.
Serves 6