It's time for Mardi Gras and what better way to celebrate by cooking up some Shrimp Creole.  If you're a Top Chef fan, you know that the chefs were in New Orleans on last week's show cooking up lots of gumbo for Emeril Lagasse (bam!).  There  was a LOT of talk and debate about roux, which is the starting base for pretty much any Cajun/Creole stews, soups, and sauces.  If you're not familiar with it, a roux is a simple thickener made by mixing equal amounts of flour and fat.  You combine the two and cook in a pan, stirring constantly.  The longer you cook it, the darker and nuttier-tasting it gets.  In French cooking, a light or white roux, usually made with butter as the fat, is the base for many soups and sauces.  In Cajun and Creole cuisine, the roux is made with vegetable oil and is brown (Creole preference) or nearly black (Cajun preference), giving a deep flavor to the dish.  The vegetable oil has a higher smoke point than butter, allowing the roux to be cooked longer and darker without scorching.
The other element to this dish is the very Southern, very New Orleans combination of onion, celery, and green bell pepper which is called the "Cajun Trinity." (This is not to be confused with mirepoix, the French Trinity, which is onion, celery, and carrots.)  My brother-in-law, who is a chef and from New Orleans and pictured here in the photo at Mardi Gras (I wasn't  kidding when I said he was from New Orleans!) says that it's also called the "Cajun mirepoix" or simply "trinity."  No matter what you call it, this combination is the heart of so many dishes in New Orleans.  
This recipe for Shrimp Creole is from scratch but it's relatively simple and I really encourage you to give it a shot.  It's easy to make but it does require a good amount of stirring and hovering.  All that stirring gives a good opportunity to share a glass of wine with someone.  It freezes well, so you can make an extra big batch of the sauce (when freezing, don't add the shrimp) and freeze it for later.  When you're ready to eat, heat the sauce and add the shrimp.   For a variation, you can leave out the tomato, decrease the tomato paste, and you basically have Shrimp Etouffee.

Shrimp Creole

1 lb peeled and cleaned jumbo shrimp (fresh or frozen, such as Trader Joe's frozen Uncooked Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and cleaned)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white (all purpose) flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 clove garlic, crushed (or 1 cube Frozen Crushed Garlic)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp cayenne (or chili powder)
2 cups fresh tomato, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
3 Tbsp tomato paste

1.) First you'll make the roux.  Pour the vegetable oil into a large skillet or other flat bottomed pan over medium-low heat and slowly add the flour, stirring it in with a whisk or spoon.  Stir the roux constantly until it reaches at least a peanut butter color or a milk chocolate brown (about 15 minutes).  Make it at least as dark as in the photo.
2.) Add the onion, pepper, and celery to the roux and cook for an additional 5 minutes till the vegetables are soft.  The roux will have continued to darken a bit.
3.) Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, broth, wine, cayenne, tomato, and tomato paste.  Stir until the tomato paste has dissolved and the sauce is smooth.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add a little broth or wine if neccessary to maintain fluidity.
4.) Meanwhile, cook some rice.  If using frozen shrimp, thaw the shrimp by running under cold water.  Pull the tails off by pinching the tail between your thumb and index finger giving a squeeze.
5.) Add the shrimp and cook for an extra 10 minutes or just until the shrimp are pink and curled.  Remove the bay leaf.  Serve immediately over rice.

Wishing you good times and lots of beads!  If your maw-maw makes shrimp the only way it should be made, let's hear about it below.