Television personality Andrew Zimmern visits the Crescent City for a cooking lesson, chats about his web series, and regales Poppy with stories about exotic lands and Bizarre Foods.
Shrimp Etouffee
3 lbs. shrimp, head and shell on
2 sticks butter
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup shrimp stock
Hot sauce and salt to taste
Peel shrimp and make a stock by boiling peels and heads together with green onion trimmings and any other aromatic vegetable parings (celery, carrot, onion) available. Boil for 10 minutes; strain and reserve.
Melt butter in a sauté pan. Whisk in tomato paste, cooking together over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add green onions and stir together for 2 minutes. Whisk in stock, making gravy. Add garlic and herbs. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, salt and hot sauce. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Shrimp are done when they are just opaque and curl. Taste to check seasonings and serve over rice.
And don't forget to enter this week's Culinary Contest!