Nothing says Mardi Gras like a steaming bowl of gumbo or a hot plate of etouffee.

If you’ve ever tried Peter Zinn’s killer gumbo at Po’ Boys & Pickles in Portland (try saying that three times real fast), chances are you’ve fantasized about being able to make it at home.

Well, here’s your chance. Zinn graciously agreed to share the recipe, and threw in the recipe for his decadent biscuits as well.

The etouffee recipe comes from Jared Radding, whose culinary creations can be found at Bayside Bowl in Portland.

Radding won the 17th annual Fat Tuesday Cajun Cooking Challenge at the University of Southern Maine last week with this shrimp and chicken etouffee. If you don’t feel like making it yourself, the etouffee will be available at Bayside Bowl, 58 Alder St., through February.

PO’ BOYS & PICKLES GUMBO

Makes just under 1 gallon of gumbo, or enough to feed eight to 10 people.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil or butter

21/2 quarts chicken stock

4 whole plum tomatoes or one small can peeled tomatoes

2 large white onions, diced small

3 green peppers, diced small

4 celery stalks, diced small

4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 pounds chicken (a mix of white and dark meat works best)

1 pound andouille sausage

1 pound fresh shrimp meat

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, saute the peppers, onion, celery and garlic in either butter or oil. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as this can happen very easily. After a minute or two on low heat, add your flour and gently increase the heat, stirring constantly to toast the flour but not burn it.

Once the flour is browned and giving off a nice nutty aroma, slowly add your chicken stock a cup at a time while whisking to incorporate. Add tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and cayenne pepper. Dice raw chicken into 1-inch cubes and roast in a 350-degree oven with a generous seasoning of salt, pepper and olive oil.

When chicken is cooked (about 20 to 30 minutes), add it along with any roasting juices to your soup. Add diced andouille sausage, and let simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

Add shrimp meat and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with hot biscuits.

PO’ BOYS & PICKLES BISCUITS

Makes 10 to 12 biscuits.

2 cups cake flour

1/3 pound butter (11/3 sticks)

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup whole milk

Cut cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix with a pastry cutter until butter is well incorporated and no piece is larger than the size of a pea. Stir in milk and add more flour as needed, being careful not to overwork the dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in fridge for 20 minutes. Roll out the dough to 1-inch thickness and cut it using a ring cutter, being careful not to crimp the sides of your biscuits, as this will stop them from rising.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with cream and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake cold biscuits in a 360-degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

ETOUFFEE

Flour

2 pounds butter

3 white onions, diced

Shrimp stock

1 small roasted chicken, pulled

2 green peppers

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2 capfuls Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce

Cayenne

Paprika

Salt

White pepper

2 pounds shrimp

Make a roux with flour, butter, and half your diced onions. Heat until flour starts to brown. Add shrimp stock to thin out to gravy-like consistency.

Add pulled chicken, peppers, celery, the remainder of onions and the thyme. Add more stock as needed.

Season with cayenne, paprika, salt, white pepper, bay leaf, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of hot sauce.

Let simmer on medium to medium-low heat for 45 minutes. Does it need more butter? Probably!

Add shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are cooked. Serve over rice.