BARBECUED SHRIMP

Serves 4

• 6 pounds large shrimp, heads on (don’t peel them)
• 2 sticks butter
• 3/4 cups olive oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco® (or more, according to taste)
• 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano leaves

Rinse the shrimp in cool water and drain. Spread the shrimp in a large shallow baking pan. In a saucepan, melt butter, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Pour sauce over shrimp and marinate for one hour. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times with a spatula. Do not overcook. Serve in a soup bowl with lots of hot French bread to sop up the sauce. Be sure to have some trays around on which to put shells and such. Be forewarned – this can only be eaten with your hands.

To end your meal, I highly recommend our Gateau Na-Na—a pecan praline delight!

Another idea for dessert—if you can get your hands on Louisiana strawberries, slice, macerate (a big word for “soaking”) them in brandy, add some fresh mint leaves and let all sit in the ‘fridge for an hour or more, then plop them over vanilla ice cream and serve with our alligator cookies!

Here’s to spring!

When gloomy, gray, damp days hover around too long, I crave for buttery, rich dishes. Try as I may to stay away from such things, sometimes I just gotta have them! Such was the case last week when all I saw out the window was leafless trees, patches of grass burned by the recent freezes, and dead banana trees hanging limp in the stillness of the morning. A few crows flew ominously overhead as I went to fetch my morning newspaper. That did it! I needed something to lift my spirits. For dinner I had planned grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts, brown rice and steamed broccoli, but that seemed too dismal. What about something a bit more exciting and satisfying? I gave some thought to a big pot of spaghetti sauce. Or, what about a creamy Alfredo sauce and pasta?  And then a thought congealed in the gray matter of my brain—buttery, lemony, garlicky barbecued shrimp! I called the seafood shop and ordered a few pounds of fresh shrimp. And I happened to have a pound of butter—real butter—in the fridge. I felt instantly better.  To get me in the mood, I put on a CD—Beau Joque is a favorite Zydeco artist and we have other CDS right here on this site that might suit your fancy. BARBECUED SHRIMP, MY WAY Makes about 4 servings

• 6 pounds large shrimp, unpeeled with heads on
• 2 sticks butter
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse the shrimp in cool water and drain. Spread the shrimp evenly in a large baking pan. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Remove from the heat and cool a bit. Pour the mixture over the shrimp and let stand for about 20 minutes. Bake, stirring once or twice with a spatula, until the shrimp just separates from the shells, about 15 minutes. (It may take a bit longer depending on the size of the shrimp.) Serve in soup bowls with lots of the butter sauce and pass French bread. For dessert after such a rich meal, check out our No Pudge! Mint Fudge Fat Free Brownie Mix—Wow! If you don’t have to count calories and want to splurge, by all means order a box of Creole Delicacies Rum Pralines.