I wish I could take a cab down to the creek, and hang a disco ball from an old oak creek

I have delightful creole shrimp rolls with a dilly potato salad today. Louisiana Creole cuisine is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana, which blends French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Native American, and African influences, as well as general Southern cuisine. It is similar to Cajun cuisine in ingredients (such as the holy trinity onions, bell peppers, celery), but the important distinction is that Cajun cuisine arose from the more rustic, provincial French cooking adapted by the Acadians to Louisiana ingredients, whereas the cooking of the Louisiana Creoles tended more toward classical European styles adapted to local foods. Broadly speaking, the French influence in Cajun cuisine is descended from various French Provincial cuisines of the peasantry, while Creole cuisine evolved in the homes of well-to-do aristocrats, or those who imitated their lifestyle. Although the Creole cuisine is closely identified with New Orleans culture today, much of it evolved in the country plantation estates so beloved of the Pre-Civil War Creoles.

I added grilled corn to these rolls, and the sweetness from the corn complimented the charred shrimp beautifully. The potato salad brings a tangy bite to this meal. With the warm rolls and warm potato salad this makes an ideal meal for the first cool fall evenings. These are both portable, and would make lovely additions to an autumn picnic.

Creole Shrimp Rolls

1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp creole seasoning

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced

2 ears fresh corn

1 Tbs. butter

6 new potatoes, diced

1 stalk celery

1/4 cup chopped dill pickles

1 Tbs. freshly minced dill

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Romaine lettuce

1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes

2 hoagie rolls, split, brushed with oil and grilled

In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, creole seasoning, minced jalapeno and pinch of salt. Toss with the shrimp and let sit for 10 minutes.

Brush the corn with the butter and salt; grill (indoors or outdoors) until nice and charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Slice the kernels from the ears.

Back on the grill, arrange the shrimp in a single layer. Grill until you see pretty grill marks on both sides and is cooked through.

Arrange the lettuce leaves in the grilled hoagies. Top with shrimp, corn and tomatoes.

Serve with potato salad! Just boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Then transfer to a bowl and add 2 Tbs. olive oil, vinegar, the pickles, dill, celery and salt and pepper. Toss, toss. Done!

Until tomorrow...Peace.