Bess's Shrimp Etouffee

This one is not Brooksie's, but pretty close. This is the recipe of a Delta woman, my best friend's mama, who married a New York Dr. (Joe Baum's (Windows on the World) nephew, come to think of it) in Lafayette during the war. She could cook. Lord, she could cook. She had the first commercial stove in a home kitchen that I ever saw. She knew what to do with it. Sadly, she passed a few years ago, but her recipes live on.This one has no tomatoes. While I have some recipes that do, this is pretty close to the traditional deal, I think. (and yes, it's got a can of mushroom soup in it, and I use it, but if you just hate cans and can't deal with it make a white roux (beurre blanc) with 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup flour -but the soups easier and better)

Be sure and visit the Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee, Creole…, Please Advise thread for more than you ever wanted to know!

2 lb cleaned shrimp
1/2 lb butter
2 T all purpose flour
3 large yellow onions
1 medium bell pepper (you pick the color, although green would be the normal)
3 ribs celery
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c shrimp stock (or any other you have around, but shrimp is best)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
good dash of cayenne
paprika (hot kind if you have it)
1/2 c green onion tops

Season shrimp to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Melt butter and add flour, cook until incorporated, not dark and add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic

Cook til wilted

Add can of soup

Mix well and simmer few minutes until smooth

Add shrimp and 1 1/2 cups stock and simmer 30 min or so

Add the rest of the stock just before serving and stir til smooth

Season with more salt and and pepper and add the paprika for color

Add onion tops to top of ettoufee after it is placed over good white rice

I highly recommend some good rice for this. While certainly Konriko or something woud be traditional, a nicely flavored rice like Jasmine or Texmati adds much to the dish.

Serve with salad and warm, crusty bread

Submitted by: Mayhaw Man