Shrimp Etoufee

Well, even though we actually made this recipe two months ago, this is actually perfect timing for posting it. Fall is trying to take a quick turn into winter here in South Dakota (no snow for us though--yet), and it's definite comfort food season. While creole cuisine may not be seen as "traditional" comfort food (especially in the Midwest!), and while it certainly isn't as easy to throw together as a batch of macaroni and cheese, this recipe definitely hits the spot on a chilly day. Especially if you like to amp up the amount of Tabasco sauce like Darrell does. And truthfully, the recipe isn't really all that bad, despite the lengthy ingredient list--90% of the work is in the prep of the ingredients (chopping vegetables, peeling shrimp, etc) and once that is done everything goes together easily. And trust me, once you sit down to enjoy this dish, all the prep work and effort will have been totally worth it!

Shrimp Etoufee
(from Mama Shirley!)

3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp flour
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped (we usually just do the whole pepper)
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/4 cup beef broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 tsp whole basil leaves (we usually just use crushed)
1 tsp whole thyme leaves (again, we usually use crushed and dried)
Approximately 1 tbsp Tabasco
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Cooked rice

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven and add the oil and flour. Toast to a peanut-butter colored mixture. Stir often and be careful not to burn. This should take about fifteen minutes over medium heat. Add yellow onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Saute for about ten minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomato paste, followed by beef broth and wine. Stir constantly until mixture thickens. Add the remaining ingredients, expect for shrimp, parsley, and rice. Simmer covered for forty-five minutes. Add shrimp and parsley and simmer for another twenty minutes, uncovered. Serve over cooked rice (and, if you are like Darrell, additional Tabasco sauce. He has to put less in the pot than he would like because I can't handle my food as spicy as he likes it).

And I realized the other day that I usually just take pictures of our main dish since, well, that's usually what I end up blogging about. But just to prove that we actually eat more than just an entree, I decided to take a picture of our whole meal this time. Plus it was just a super photogenic (and tasty!) meal, so I couldn't resist.

I love recipes that only use partial bottles of wine--all the more excuse to have a glass of wine with dinner!