By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorgan@yahoo.ca
Shrimp Etouffee
New Orleans, Cajun food they immediately bring to mind Mardi Gras, jazz, wildly intoxicating hurricanes and of course great food. The cuisine of New Orleans itself is not as many think strictly Cajun food. The cuisine of New Orleans is more Creole than Cajun. The origin and still the home of Cajun food are delegated to the outlying parishes, bayous and rural areas of southern Louisiana. It is a rustic and peasant style of cooking with many of its dishes being prepared as ‘one pot meals’. Cajun cooking makes do with locally grown and harvested ingredients. It is also a large misconception that all Cajun cuisine is inherently spicy. This is not the case, full of flavour yes, but full of chillies not at all. The heat or spicy aspect of their food is added with the addition of various tasty hot sauces after the food has been prepared and served.
This week’s recipe is a great example of great Cajun flavours, just serve with some simply streamed white rice and drizzle some of that Louisiana heat before you eat it…..Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
4 slices bacon, finely chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 scallions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, minced
1/2 red pepper chopped
1 ½ tsp. finely chopped thyme
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup flour
2 ½ cups fish or chicken stock
2 lb. shrimp peeled
⅓ cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. Original Louisiana hot sauce, plus more for serving
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
Cooked white rice
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat bacon in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat until rendered, 3 minutes. Add butter, scallions, garlic, celery, onions, tomatoes, and peppers; cook until soft, 7 minutes. Stir in thyme, paprika, cayenne, bay, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook until reduced by one-third, 12 minutes. Add crawfish; cook until hot. Stir in cream, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and parsley; serve with rice and more hot sauce.
