When you can’t get to to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival! , bring the fest to you! Crank the tunes, cook up some of the goodies you would eat there, and dance & second line ’till ya drop.
Here we have recipes for the famous Crawfish Monica (our best imitation, anyway), Red Beans & Rice, Pralines and Sazerac, and a playlist favorite New Orleans musicians to get you groovin’.
story
The Fest
Have you been to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage fest (known by many simply “jazz fest,” or by the regulars as simply “the fest”)?
For two weekends (last in April, first in May), the New Orleans parade grounds come to life all day, with multiple stages of music and presentations, all sorts of local food, drink and art vendors. Attendees bounce around multiple stages according to the “cubes” (staggered set times around the grounds) of their choice.
And as usual, the party continues each night in all the usual spots around the city. So go ahead and start this for brunch, and keep it going on into the night.
I’ve only been twice, but for a few years now, we’ve grown fond of replicating it here at home.
Instead of wallowing in the not being able to make it to the fest, we head over to the Sunny Side of the Street, blast some New Orleans tunes, cook some great Jazz Fest fare, reminisce over past visits to the fest, and watch videos and live streams of the fest (yay for technology!).
If you haven’t gone it’s so worth the trip! But if you can’t, the below recreation is the next best thing.
music
New Orleans Favorites
Just as New Orleans funerals start with a dirge and then turn into a celebration of life (second lines!), we turned our sadness into a party to celebrate the New Orleans Jazz Fest awesomeness we could still enjoy from afar.
The playlist follows this cue, starting with a dirge, moving onto a classic second line song, and then just all-out New Orleans fun. We tried to include at least one song from all of our New Orleans favs that we would have seen at the fest, and/or around the city (even if just in spirit, like Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet).
And finally, we end with what else but “When the Saints go Marching in” and “Lagniappe – Part 1” by Trombone Shorty. Can’t exactly say why except that Lagniappe felt like the perfect ending, almost like a bonus track. Now that I’ve looked up the word “Lagniappe” I know why: it means “bonus or gift.” So there ya go!
If you’re reading this during a future fest, listen or watch live! The vehicle seem to keep changing but check out WWOZ or the Jazz Fest site and you should find your way to some live streams.
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Sazerac & A Plan
Once the playlist is going, step two of getting into that New Orleans state of mind is to make yourself a Sazerac from this classic recipe. That link provides not only the but the history of the recipe, including some evolution of the official version. For example, the New Orleans version uses Herbsaint rather than Absinthe.
Or head over here for some other New Orleans classic cocktails to whet your whistle.
As for food, get the red beans and rice going first because they only get better as they sit. Next up is pralines so they have time to cool and harden. Last, but not least the Crawfish Meghna/Monica which is very quick, and you want to eat it immediately..
recipe
Red Beans and Rice
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper, finely chopped or carrots if that's what you have
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 12 oz Andouille sausage
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 cups kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp Creole Spice*
- 1 -1.5 cups chicken stock we like better than bullion
Serve With
- 3 cups long-grain rice
- fried eggs see note below
Instructions
- Set the rice to cook, and a kettle or pot of water to boil (for stock)
- Chop the vegetables and keep aside. Smoked chicken sausage, 2 links, skin removed and chopped into 1/3 inch-thick half moons*
- In a large pot, over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp of butter and brown the sausage.
- Remove the sausage and keep aside, covered. Do not clean the pan or discard the remaining fat.
- In the same pan, adding the rest of the butter, cook the celery, onions and peppers. Depending on how much oil rendered from the sausages used, you may want to use less butter but less butter is not something I believe in, personally.
- Cook the veggies until they are soft and begin to brown, stirring often. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add beans, Creole seasoning, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil;reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes (and let it sit longer if possible).
Notes
- I prefer to use Penzey’s Creole seasoning, but if I don’t have it, then I just approximate with paprika or chipotle + herbs de Provence and it works really well.
- In a pinch I’ve also used smoked chicken sausage and added extra black pepper, which turned out great.
- I doubt there will be leftovers, but if you do, then do yourself a favor and transform it into a brunch dish by topping it it with a fried egg. When your creamy yolk melds with the beans and rice is absolutely sublime. We did it on a whim for brunch guests around the time of our virtual jazz fest 2017 and now it’s a tradition. YUMBOS.
recipe
Pralines
Pralines
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup raw pecans, in small pieces ~260g ?
- 1 rounded cup packed, light brown sugar dark works, too.
- 2/3 cup heavy cream ~155ml
- 2 tbsp salted butter ~27g
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prep
- Break any whole pecan pieces into 3-4 pieces before measuring.
- Prepare about 12×24" of parchment paper on a heat-safe surface (I do it direct on my marble counter) and keep aside.
- Put all the ingredients EXCEPT vanilla into a large microwave-safe bowl (it tends to bubble up a bit!).
Cook
- (Note: be mindful of your microwave and it's strength! These times are for our current microwave which isn't the strongest.)
- Microwave on high, for 12-15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. It will bubble a lot!
- When the mixture starts to become thicker and darker, almost a bit cake-y, and you are afraid you have overcooked it, it's good. Add the vanilla and stir. Let stand 1 minute.
- Working quickly with 2 spoons, spoon a heaping tablespoon worth onto the parchment paper. Allow to cool fully before plating or storing.
- Stored in an air-tight container they probably last a while but I wouldn't know. We devour (and share!) them the very same day. 🙂
recipe
Crawfish Meghna
Crawfish Meghna
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 good-sized bunch green onions, chopped, plus more chopped for garnish, if desired (tops, too)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups grated Gouda (Gouda is our new fav here though we have used Parmesan in the past. Aged orange cheddar might also work.)
- 1/2 lb cooked fresh pasta (Rotelli is preferred, and whole wheat isn’t good with this)
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 1-2 tsp Penzey’s Cajun Seasoning (or jerk spice I think I used this time?)
- 2 tsp Penzey’s smoked paprika
- 1 lb cooked crawfish tails (or 1 bag frozen langoustine from Trader Joe’s works in a pinch)
- 1 can evaporated milk (12oz)
Instructions
- Chop green onions, dice garlic and grate the gouda.
- Cook pasta in PRESSURE cooker to retain the starch as a thickener. Use 2 cups water for every 1/2 lb of pasta. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and use the quick release.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté onions for a few minutes until they soften. Then add garlic and sauté 2 minutes more.
- Add spices and stir.
- Add the seafood and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the evaporated milk, and additional spice as desired
- When it starts to boil, lower heat and cook for a few minutes more, which allows crawfish to take on some of the flavor.
- Add seafood mixture into pasta and stir well. Heat over low heat to thicken a bit.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.
Notes
Bonus
Second Line Umbrellas
Not enough NOLA for ya? Make yourself some second line umbrellas to really help you get in the spirit and take your dancing up a notch.
Second Line Umbrellas
Equipment
- glue gun & cartridges
Materials
craft supplies
- paper parasol per person (at least!)
- craft feathers (colorful & black both great)
- "mardi gras beads"
- pipe cleaners
- beads & string (optional)
- other glue-able items you may have around: felt pieces, googlie eyes, buttons, … get creative!)
tools
- glue (glue gun is best, but use what you have)
- scissors
- permanent markers work best for vivid color but crayola works
Instructions
- Prep: Clear a spot on a table or floor, and consider covering the area with newspaper or cut up trash bags, especially if you are using permanent markers.
- Decorate: First step is coloring the parasol w/ permanent markers to make a base, then glue lots of bits on as you see fit!
- Embelish: stringing beads to hang off the edges because the more they sway when you dance, the more fun your second line umbrella will be.
