0 CommentsCelebrating February in Houston
Although it’s the shortest month of the year, February is one long celebration. From the all-American Valentine’s Day to Chinese New Year, there’s something happening all month. But in Houston, two events – Mardi Gras and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – dominate.
Emily and Andrew Webster, who retreated here from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, celebrate their beloved Mardi Gras in a big way.
Former New Orleanians Emily, Ellie and Andrew Webster (from left) host an annual Mardi Gras crawfish boil at their Houston home. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)
In New Orleans, they’d kick off the season on Twelfth Night (the 12th day after Christmas) by attending a big ball, thereafter attending many masked balls and eating lots of king cake (a ring-shaped, purple, green and gold cake with a tiny plastic baby tucked inside – whoever gets the baby brings the cake to the next party). There, their celebrations are formal, with men wearing white tie and ladies, long dresses with white gloves.
But in Houston, the party is casual.
Instead of riding in a parade the Saturday before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, the last day of debauchery before the start of Lent), the Websters and their 7-year-old daughter Ellie host a crawfish boil at home.
Andrew boils crawfish in two commercial-sized pots in their backyard – “a big production but lots of fun,” Emily says. To the crawfish, Andrew adds potatoes, corn, sausage, whole artichokes and Cajun seasoning. He sets up long tables outside, lines them with newspaper, and everyone stands around peeling crawfish. (Andrew insists on live crawfish from Airline Seafood. “Ask for ‘jumbo,’ or they’re too puny,” he says.)
Emily supplements with Abita beer, jambalaya, king cake shipped from New Orleans’ Gambino’s Bakery, and red beans made from a “recipe” she gleaned from her grandmother’s housekeeper, who, in her own words, “Never used a real recipe in my whole life.”
Add music – Buckwheat Zydeco, Rockin’ Doopsie and Cowboy Mouth – and the party becomes a “fun day that goes all night.”
(For much of Houston, Mardi Gras! Galveston, Feb. 10-21, is the place to go for parades, parties and concerts. See mardigrasgalveston.com.)
Like Mardi Gras, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a several-weeks-long celebration, with a Texas – and philanthropic – bent. This year’s is Feb. 28-Mar. 18. (See rodeohouston.com.)
Carolyn Faulk has participated in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo since 1978. Her father was on the steer auction committee, and she’d go with him to help.
The saddles that Carolyn Faulk rides on in the Rodeo's Grand Entry are displayed year-round in her dining room. (Photo: www.hartphoto.com)
“The best part is working with the kids at an auction,” Carolyn says. “When I see their smiles, I know I’ve done my job, bringing buyers together to give those kids opportunities to go to school. These kids are taking chances entering their animals. And that’s what life’s all about.”
Every year, Carolyn starts celebrating early, participating in the kickoff Trail Ride and the Rodeo Contestant Hospitality Committee, cooking dinner every night of the rodeo for the cowboys and their families. “We might make lasagna, fried chicken or beans and cornbread,” the lifetime vice-president says.
Carolyn is known for her fried shrimp, and her own recipes for “Secret Shrimp Dip” and “Shrimp Roumalade” are in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 75th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbook.
“So many people dedicate themselves to this,” she says. “We call it our February-March family.”
Ellie Francisco agrees with Carolyn, saying, “Rodeo is about the kids and changing their lives.” Three years ago, she organized an all-women buying group for the steer auction. “Before, the steer buying auction was all good old boys. Now 20 ladies are there raising money, bidding and making a difference.”
The group, dubbed the Champagne Cowgirls, has contributed more than $400,000 in the past three years. They get together socially through the year to plan bidding strategies, fundraise (they’ve had events at Tootsie’s and barbecues at homes), and, of course, drink champagne.
Up in the sky boxes, parties go on every night. Danielle and John Ellis start inviting people to fill their 18 box seats as early as Jan. 1. They donate their box to charities for auctions and also accommodate celebrities in town who require privacy.
“Experiencing rodeo is often the one request visitors to Houston make,” Danielle says. “Our favorite thing to serve, besides traditional barbecue, is the good old Dome Dog. This is the only time I indulge. When the hosts eat hot dogs, it seems to make it okay for everyone else.
“At least that’s my excuse.”
Recipes
Carolyn’s Secret Shrimp Dip
Carolyn Faulk
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 75th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbook
2 packages cream cheese
¼ onion, grated
1 tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
Juice from 1 lemon
1 lb. boiled shrimp, peeled and chopped
Whip together cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion, lemon juice and Tabasco sauce. Fold in chopped shrimp and mix well. Serve with your favorite chips.
Tip: This recipe is best when prepared in advance and refrigerated overnight.
Shrimp Roumalade
Carolyn Faulk
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 75th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbook
1 lb. shrimp, boiled and peeled
½ of the “Roumalade” sauce (see recipe below)
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup green onions, chopped
½ cup celery, minced
Mix all ingredients together. Serve over lettuce or with crackers.
“Roumalade” sauce:
2 cups Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 small jar Zatarain’s Creole Mustard (5.25 oz)
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of ½ lemon
Mix all ingredients together and keep refrigerated. Will last three weeks in an airtight container.
Note: This sauce is also perfect for seafood salads.
Norma’s Red Beans
(As told to Emily Webster)
*Salt pork (or pickled pork, if you can find it)
I cup celery, chopped
I cup green onion, chopped
I cup white onion, chopped
1 lb. red beans (preferably Camellia brand), covered in water and soaked for a day, then drained
Dice the salt pork. Sautee the salt pork, celery, green and white onions in a little olive oil. Add in the soaked beans and add water to cover. Simmer on low for 4 to 5 hours, adding water gradually as it is absorbed.
*Note: Look for salt pork in the meat section where bacon is typically sold, or ask your butcher for help.
Traditionally in New Orleans, Monday was known as Red Beans Day – the day when women stayed home to do laundry while watching over their red beans while they cooked.
Red Beans and Rice
Emily Webster
The Plantation Cookbook from the Junior League of New Orleans
1 ham bone
1½ cups water
2 teaspoons garlic salt
¼ teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. red beans, washed
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1½ cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons oil
½ lb. ham, cubed
¼ lb. hot sausage, sliced
½ lb. smoked sausage, sliced
2 bay leaves
Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 cups cooked rice
In a large pot or Dutch oven, place ham bone, water, garlic salt, Tabasco, Worcestershire and beans. Cook, uncovered, over low flame. Sauté the celery, onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of the oil until transparent. In another pan, sauté ham and sausage; drain. Add cooked meats and seasoning to the bean pot. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper and continue to cook over low flame until beans are soft and creamy (approximately 2 ½ hours). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and add chopped parsley just before serving. For additional thickness, cook longer. Serve over hot, fluffy rice.
