Gumbo and Oysters and Po' Boys oh my!

Ron was working in New Orleans last week and I decided to take advantage and go down to meet him.  After I booked my flight I realized that it was Mardi Gras time!  Oh what was I getting myself into?  I figured I'd have to have a hurricane and I'd have to collect some beads.  I mean I've never been to New Orleans before and it was Mardi Gras - I couldn't NOT.  But, what I was most excited about was, naturally, the food! 

Like these crawfish: 

 

Although I'll admit that it wasn't the food that led to this:

Did I mention that hurricane?  What about the hand grenade?  Let me tell you, getting these beads would have been far easier without the knee length jacket and scarf!

Ron also had a gig a few months ago in New Orleans and I swear after he came home we ate nothing but po' boys , red beans and rice and gumbo for about a week.  Obviously, the food had quite an effect on him.  I've been meaning to blog about our first gumbo attempt for weeks now.  But the problem is that we're missing the money shot - that's right, no final product.  I know, I know, but look how cute the pictures are?  

This was Ron's process:  Open wine, prep ingredients (he likes to put things in separate little containers, quite opposite of the mess that I make!), stir roux until you're too afraid that it's going to burn to last another second, all the while sipping wine:

   
   

Add the trinity (you know what it is, you've seen Emeril), then the other ingredients (we did sausage, crab and shrimp but next time we'll go with the more budget friendly sausage and chicken), then seafood stock and let it simmer.  By the time you've waited for the roux to get dark and for all the ingredients to cook you'll have finished your wine and you'll be too hungry to take any more pictures.  So...sorry about that.  

Anyway, this was good, but the gumbo we had in New Orleans - that was GREAT.  But, hey, we're new to this roux/gumbo thing and next time it'll be better.  I'll keep you updated on our gumbo making progress!