Weekend Cooking...Bayou Birthday

Ok, it did not actually happen in the bayou.
It took place in NJ.
But it was a dish one might eat in the bayou, so close enough!

The Bro, the birthday boy, got to request what he wanted for his birthday dinner.
Seems he would have preferred a vanilla cake and got chocolate.
But it was delicious.


And somehow, something was lost in translation and his requested jambalaya turned into a creole.
Shrimp...rice...close enough!!
Once again, like a recent post, those tasty Rotel tomatoes with peppers came into play.
They were not in any recipe I saw, but I thought they would be a fine addition.
I scoured a lot of recipes and settled on one from Southern Food About.com with a touch of Emeril Lagasse thrown in for good measure.

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Shrimp Creole

• 4 lbs medium-size shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 large green pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour mixed with 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• hot pepper sauce to taste
• salt to taste
• serve with hot cooked rice

Heat oil in Dutch oven and add onion, celery, green onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, 15 minutes or more until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, salt, black and red pepper, bay leaves, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Mix the flour with the water to make a slurry and add, stirring well. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 
Add shrimp and simmer for about 10 minutes more, or until the shrimp turn pink. 
Remove the bay leaves. 
Stir in parsley and serve over rice. Serves 8. 

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It seems like a lot of ingredients, but is really just a fair bit of chopping and prep. Then they almost all go in together, and except for some stirring, it is good to go.
And as with many dishes with a sauce like this, even better the next day when all the flavors have 'married'. 

 

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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