Shrimp Creole (using fresh Creole Tomatoes)

New Orleans during the summer time is a truly awful thing. But with it, comes two positively amazing things: Seafood and Creole Tomatoes. I combined this in a complete from scratch "Creole Shrimp Creole." My recipe for a six person serving is as follows:

Ingredients:
3lbs Shrimp
10 large Fresh Creole Tomatoes
1 Large Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Large Yellow or White Onion, diced
1 rib Celery, diced
1 Stick of butter
1-2 tabs Flour
Thyme
Oregano
Tabasco
pinch of sugar
6-8 Oz. Mild Lager (i.e. Paradise Park)
Creole seasoning
a bay leaf or two

Instructions:

Begin by boiling a pot of water. Once at a rolling bowl, add tomatoes (not all at once). remove each tomato as it's skin forms a crack (1+ minutes). Once all tomatoes have been boiled and then removed, let them sit for 10 minutes. Separate them into a portion of 6 tomatoes and a portion of 4 tomatoes. Skin them, remove the seeds, and then chop them. Puree the portion of 6.

In a sauce pan, mix 1-2 TabS butter and an equal amount of flour to make a blond roux. Once a blond roux has been achieved, and the pureed tomatoes, some oregano, the pinch of sugar, the creole seasoning, and the lager. Stir and cook until tomato sauce consistency has been achieved. If you would like to reduce cooking time/effort, this may be omitted, and canned tomato sauce may be used (but it sure as hell won't be Creole Tomato Sauce).

In a LARGE skillet, over medium high heat, saute the onions and celery in 2 TabS of butter. Add in the the remaining portion of 4 chopped/peeled tomatoes and bell pepper (afterward you may want to add a pinch of flour to thicken things.) Cook on medium-high for 5 minutes. Throw with oregano, thyme, a bay leaf or two, the tomato sauce made in the previous step, and a dash of Tabasco, and maybe a bit more tony's. Let this simmer. stir.

While that is simmering, in a small skillet, begin sauteing the shrimp in the remaining half stick of butter. As the shrimp begin to turn pink, but before becoming fully cooked, toss them into the creole sauce in the other skillet.

Once it is all simmering in the large skillet, let it reduce until it reaches the proper consistency (5-10 minutes). serve over rice.