The Creole Shrimp Story and recipe

It was more than a dozen years ago that Terry and I last visited New Orleans. We went for T's PT conference and I love to tag along. My parents came to OK to watch Allie and Steve, who were about 3 and 7 years old. They agreed to stay 6 days! It is the longest, to date that we had away!

Terry suggested I find a cooking class while there, since he would be in meetings. COOL idea, I thought! I attended a half day class at the New Orleans School of cooking, in the French Quarter. (I wonder if this is still there...on St. Louis St?)

The day began rather roughly, since we had visited the favorite tourist spots the night before. In other words, I drank a Hurricane or two, and I felt it! I went onto class, not relishing the smells of spicy foods, but eager to learn some Creole cooking! I love to cook, and this place did not disappoint. I entered to find a large group, at tables and ready to begin lessons. The first dish was shrimp creole. I was very happy about this. I love tomato based anything! Here's the recipe as taught by the school:

Ingredients:
3lbs. shrimp, peeled 1 cup parsley
8 tbsp butter 1 tbsp thyme
8 tbsp flour 1 tsp. basil
1 14-16 oz. can tomato sauce (or crushed)
Trinity of:
onions, celery, and green pepper, a cup of each
3 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp sugar
Joe's Stuff seasoning to taste
1 c. chopped green onion
cooked rice
lemon slices

Procedure:
Saute' shrimp in butter for 2-3 minutes, then remove. Add the flour to the butter left in pan, and stir to make a lightly browned rue.

Add trinity of veggies back to pan, add stock and tomatoes, and then all other spices. Simmer for about 15 min. Add green onions, parsley, and shrimp back in, during the last five minutes of cooking. Serve over rice.

It's a favorite with family and friends! Enjoy! We sure did! I'll post more recipes and stories next week.