'cest bon, indeed, brother:

John Williams’ Good-time Bar-B-Q Cajun Shrimp
Set to the tune of “Brother, Can You Spare a Bypass”

A simple but very tasty meal; there’s no Bar-B-Q sauce and it is not prepared on the grill, so I don’t know why it’s called that, but its my favorite Gulf Coast treat. Here in the Panhandle, the New Orleans influence is strong in our architecture, our music, and our food.

You’ll Need:
A loaf of good french bread, a big pot, a nice bottle of white wine, some candles and an attitude. Some Zydeco on the CD player will help, too.

The Ingredients:
1 ½ Sticks of butter
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of red pepper
1 teaspoon of black pepper
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of thyme
½ teaspoon of rosemary
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
½ teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of Worcester sauce
1 ½ pounds of really fresh, big, peeled shrimp
½ cup of clam juice
6-pack of beer

The Process of Making the Stuff:
Simple – open a beer and drink some. Then put everything except the 6-pack, the shrimp, the bread, the wine, and the candles into the big pot with your attitude while listening to the CD. Give it medium heat – you want this to simmer. Is there any beer left? No? Open another one and pour half of it in with everything else as it simmers – it’ll foam up, but that’s OK; that means it’s working. Keep drinking the beer. Let this simmer for at least a half an hour, stirring occasionally to mix the multiple phases that will form as it cooks. Pay attention to the color – it should turn a beautiful golden brown. Be careful not to inhale too deeply – this is a potent mix (I’m not kidding). Kick up the heat to a slow rolling boil and add the shrimp – I like to drop them in and score each one like a dive competition; no splash and straight in is at least an 8.5. You don’t have to cook this very long, just about 3 minutes – let the shrimp turn pink, but that’s it. Overcooking will make the shrimp tough and overconfident. It’s ready.

The Presentation:
Cover your eating area with a tablecloth or some butcher’s paper – you’re about to make a mess. Light the candles, turn the music down and open the wine. The Stuff goes into serving bowls or large Goulash-style mugs – get plenty of the liquid and make sure you stir it first to get all phases of the liquid into your bowl. Have a seat. Tear the bread (don’t worry about the crumbs – remember the tablecloth?) and dunk it into the liquid and take a bite. Spear a shrimp and take a bite of that, too. Sip some wine if your mouth starts to burn too much. Enjoy!

ps - I do all the cooking in our house. Leah, when we met, thought that "dinner" was toasted pita and hummus. She's never been the same... and she eats better, too. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />