Good eats and musical sweets! Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Mmmm... that's good eatin!
We need to give a shout out to all of the Louisiana fisherman hurting right now down on the Gulf Coast. There is such a tradition of N’awlins food and music that simply must be preserved.
When I want an authentic taste of Crescent City cooking, I like to whip up a mess of Shrimp Creole. Although the recipe I make is a bit different, the following will do the trick.
Ingredients:
4 Large Fresh Tomatoes, peeled and seeded
3 lbs. shrimp, peeled, raw
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
½ cup oil
¾ cup flour
2 cups of shrimp stock
1 tsp. Thyme
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
2 cloves garlic
Preparation:
Make shrimp stock by boiling shrimp peels and head (if you have them) and all vegetable pairings for 10 minutes. Strain and reserve. Make a dark roux with the flour and oil. Add onions and cook until caramelized. Add celery and bell pepper. Add diced tomatoes. Cook together for 5 minutes. Add herbs and shrimp stock. Add garlic and simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp and green onions. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook 5 to 8 minutes. Serve over rice.
Pair this with a nice Sauvignon Blanc and you’ll have the makings for a great slice of New Orleans cuisine.
Oh yeah… the most important part! THE APPROPRIATE LISTENING! One of NOLA’s favorite sons, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, made a great CD a few years ago called DEAR LOUIS. Payton offers a contemporary yet traditional approach to some of Satchmo’s classic tunes.
Bon Appetit!
The Stanton’s Sheet Music Jazz Guy