

But what we are most happy to be doing more of is cooking at home. I’ve awakened my dormant chef skills and created some pretty amazing home-cooked meals recently. I’ll be featuring one of my dishes (or someone’s dish I’ve claimed) each month in a new Live to Eat series here on Style Baubles. The dish that has received recent raves is my mouth-watering Shrimp Creole. Actually, I can’t really claim the original recipe. The late, great 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley is responsible but I’ve added my own flair so I could legitimately put my name on it. I won’t share my secret adaptations but I can definitely let you in on Ed Bradley’s incredible version:
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
about 4 medium 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic, about 3 cloves
1 cup chopped celery
2 to 3 stalks 3 green peppers, seeded and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups cubed tomatoes, about 4 medium
4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons **Matouk's Hot Calypso hot sauce, or more to taste
2 pounds medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat two tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic for five minutes. Do not brown.
2. Add the celery, green peppers and jalapeno peppers to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about four minutes, stirring often. Do not let the vegetables become soggy; they should remain crisp.
3. Add the tomatoes, parsley and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and stir in the *Matouk's sauce. Remove the bay leaf.
4. Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan over high heat and sauté the shrimp for one minute. Pour the tomato mixture over the shrimp, stir well and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat and serve with rice and lemon wedges.
Yield: Six servings.
Feel free to substitute chicken (cut into cubes) for shrimp – it’s just as delicious. You can substitute another hot sauce for Matouk’s but it will change the dish significantly. **Here is a place where this potent hot sauce can be purchased online. (Be forewarned – Matouk’s will open a flaming hole in the top of your head if overused.) Although a true New Orleans chef may question this version's authenticity, you can serve this delectable dish with confidence.
I believe that the opportunity to eat wonderful food is one of the many great reasons to get out of bed every morning so join my Live to Eat revolution every month. Enjoy Life!
Shrimp Creole Photo Courtesy of bhg.com
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