Mardi Gras: Fat Tuesday Cajun Shrimp

Good afternoon and welcome to a spiffy, Mardi Gras themed edition of Everyday Meals! As a lot of people know, today is Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, which refers to the last night of eating fatty foods before Lent. In other cities and states, today is referred to as Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is derived from the word shrive, meaning "confess". Well, today, I must confess that the dish we are making is chocked full of Louisiana flavor. It's the perfect meal to kick this Mardi Gras season into high gear! Let's grab those aprons and we'll meet in the kitchen.

Cajun Shrimp Orecchiette

You will need:

• 2 cups uncooked orecchiette pasta
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 1.5 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup baby spinach

Ready?

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. 
2. Add the orecchiette pasta, cook for 9 to 11 minutes, until almost al dente, then drain.
3. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. 
4. Stir in the shallots, garlic, and green onion. 
5. Season with the Cajun seasoning and pepper, and cook about 2 minutes. 
6. Mix in the wine, tomatoes, and shrimp. 
7. Continue to cook and stir until the shrimp are opaque. 
8. Mix in the pasta and spinach, cover, then simmer 3 to 5 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
9. Plate and enjoy!

Thank you for joining me for the beginning of Mardi Gras season. I'll be back with more Mardi Gras recipes soon. Have a great day and happy blogging to all! <3