Laissez Le Bon Temps Roule!

Today is Fat Tuesday, better known to my liver as Mardi Gras and to quote my alcohol and tobacco brined spirit guide Mr. Tom Waits : "I wish I was in New Orleans, I can see it in my dreams, arm and arm down Burgundy, a bottle and my friends and me."

Right now I should be watching the Zulu parade and trying to catch a gold coconut. I should be strolling from bar to glorious, always open, 24 hours a day, bar with my sexy counterpart Doodles LaRue.

We've been to Mardi Gras twice and the city of New Orleans a half dozen other times. It's a magical town and there are enough stories of Food, Booze and Music to come out of those visits to fill a whole other blog. I had big plans to write a profound post that summed up all of the celebration,. tradition, debauchery and culinary mojo of the big easy.

Sadly, I drink.

While I didn't have time to compose the “Great American Blog Post”, I also didn't want Mardi Gras to parade on by without a mention. So I'll talk a little about shrimp.

Doodles is the real master of the southern staples (I am in negotiations to have her do a guest blog on how to make a roux, an etouffee and how to apply fake eyelashes), I have managed to pick up a few tricks. One of her specialties is New Orleans style BBQ shrimp, with they heads on, served family style with red potatoes and french bread. She's perfected her recipe over the years, and my admiration for this dish is part of the reason I love her enough to let me live in her house while she pays all the bills. I'm a giver I know...

Anyway, every time we make it at home, family seems to appear out of nowhere to join in the feast. So, instead of trying to cross crustacean cutlasses with that masterpiece, for y version I've eschewed the traditional cajun spice mix , and went for more of a Mediterranean vibe by adding turmeric to the sauce.

Instead of red boiled potatoes, I give it a middle-eastern flavor and serve the shrimp peeled over a light minted couscous. (I still put a gnarly head on top because it's cool lookin'). RECIPE BELOW.

Parings:

Booze: This may seem odd from a beer snob such as myself, but when in a land where the bars don't close, a frugal drinker cannot be too picky. If you're slurping down four dollar micro-brews, your bank account will be drained by morning. Consequently, when In New Orleans you must surrender your hipster mustache at the door and embrace the champagne of beers. That's right. Miller High Life. For somereason almost everybar has a High Life special so you can get a cold one for two bucks or less, day or night...I'm not proud of it, but a 21st century drunkard ust be adaptable to survive.

NOTE: You must never, under any circumstances let the beer get warm. Anything less than liquid nitrogen levels of cold is the equivalent of sipping the sweat of a republican.

Music: You gotta go with the classic Mardi Gras rallying cry by the one and only Professor Longhair. During Carnival season WWOZ will play this song at least once an hour because there's no groove that will get the party started faster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wAMr3V5lN4

Here's the boring recipe part!

For the Shrimp:

-Heat skillet and melt 1 cube of butter. Add 1 tablespoon each of black pepper, paprika, chili powder, turmeric, thyme. Add 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped and the juice from 3 lemons.

-Bring mixture to simmer till blended.

-Peel and remove vein for 4-6 shrimp, leaving the heads and tails intact.

-Add shrimp to skillet and transfer to oven at 400 degrees.

For the Couscous:

-Measure one cup of dry couscous into bowl and stir in ¾ cup bowling water and ¼ cup olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap.

-Skin and seed 1 English cucumber and 1 Roma tomato and dice them.

-Chop one garlic clove and blanch in a tablespoon of olive oil on the stove.

-Chiffonade fresh mint to make two tablespoons.

-Add cucumber, tomato, garlic and mint to a bowl with ¼ cup of olive oil, capers and salt and pepper to make dressing for couscous. Set aside.

-By now the couscous should be steamed. Add the dressing to the couscous and mix together.

For the Lemon and Crostini:

-Cut a lemon into quarters and cut the baguette on a sharp bias to make a crostini. Brush bread slice with olive oil and sprinkle with herbes de provence.

-Put bread and 1 quarter of the lemon on hot grill to toast.

To Serve:

-Lay a layer of baby arugula on the serving plate and mound the minted couscous on top.

-Take the shrimp from the oven and remove heads. Place 4 shrimp evenly spaced on the couscous. Garnish with a sexy shrimp head in the middle.

-Drizzle sauce from the skillet onto each shrimp, add grilled lemon and crostini to the plate -Serve and have someone pinch you to make sure you're not dreaming.

-Drink cheap beer

-Listen to the trombone.