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your heart says go to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, but your
(choose one) boss, spouse, kids, dog, credit card, parole officer says no? Or
perhaps you love the music and food, but the thought of sharing it with
400,000 sunburned, beer-swilling revelers isn't as alluring as it used to
be? For a fraction of the cost, you can celebrate the Jazz Fest without leaving home. Pick up the latest albums from this year's headliners, such as Dr. John, Rita Marley, Buckwheat Zydeco, the Neville Brothers and George Clinton. Then shell dem shrimp, bake dat corn bread and laissez les bons temps rouler.
DRUNKEN SHRIMP CREOLE
(Serves 6)
This foolproof, one-pot recipe borrows its essential elements from the classic Cajun dish.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined (save shells for stock)
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 celery stalks -- top 1/3, including leafy section, cut off, diced and
reserved for stock -- the remainder diced
1 leek, thoroughly washed -- top 1/3 cut off, diced and reserved for stock
-- the remainder diced
1 medium-sized cooking onion, diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, stems removed before measuring
1/4 cup butter
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 medium tomatoes, coarsely diced
1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the reserved shrimp shells and stir for about 1 minute, or until they turn pink. Add the water, bay leaves, celery and leek tops, 1/4 of the onion and half of the thyme.
3. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. (Adjust heat as required to simmer.)
4. The liquid should reduce to 1 cup of rich stock. Strain through a strainer or sieve and discard the solids. Set stock aside. Rinse the pot.
5. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in the same pot. Add the remaining onion, leek and celery, as well as the garlic and bell pepper. Cook,
stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
6. Add the black pepper, celery salt, cayenne and the remaining thyme. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes, beer, shrimp stock, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. (Adjust heat as required to simmer.)
8. As your guests are heading for the table, add the shrimp and stir for about 3 minutes, or until pink throughout.
9. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.
Le Secret: Do not overcook the shrimp.
The Adventure Club: Find a beer store that carries a variety of specialty beers and buy some authentic Dixie beer (it's a brand).
Garnish: Lemon wedges
Suggested Accompaniment: Rice and greens
Alternatives: The tomatoes may be replaced with eight cups (40 ounces) canned peeled tomatoes.
Notes: Despite the fact that I usually advocate using store-bought broth, the homemade shrimp stock provides a flavorful base that is integral to this recipe.
Hints for Advance Prep: The stock may be made up to three days in advance, or frozen for up to six months. The rest of the dish may be made two days in advance.
Prep Time: Fifteen minutes
Cooking Time: One hour, 45 minutes
Music to Dine By: "The Best of Preservation Hall Jazz Band," CBS
Wine: Chenin blanc
bonus recipe!
While soaking up the tunes of jazz greats, soak up the juices of your shrimp creole with this sassy, spicy corn bread.
JALAPEÑO CORN BREAD
(Makes 1 loaf or 12 muffins)
Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal (coarsely ground, if available)
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup buttermilk or regular whole milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kernels cut from 2 ears fresh corn, or 1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
1 jalapeño or serrano chili, seeds and membranes removed, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup lightly packed, fresh cilantro leaves (stems removed before
measuring), coarsely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the honey, buttermilk, eggs and oil.
4. Slowly stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture, blending well.
5. Blend in the corn, chili, bell pepper and cilantro leaves.
6. Pour the mixture into a greased 8-by-4-inch loaf pan, or a tray of muffin cups. Bake the loaf for 25 to 30 minutes, the muffins for 15 to 20
minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Adventure Club: Before adding the corn kernels to the mixture, sauté them in 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until they begin to brown. This caramelizes the corn, giving it a sweeter, richer flavor.
April 23, 1997
A R C H I V E S
Previous 5 articles:
Earth Day Stir-fry (04/16/97)
The Classic Martini (04/09/97)
Glazed Italian chicken -- pronto (04/02/97)
"Faux" Food (03/26/97)
"Big Night" Walnut Pasta (03/19/97)
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