FEBRUARY 1998
Recipe of the month

Pepper Tomato Shrimp

seasoning mix:
     1½  tsp garlic powder
     1½  tsp dried oregano
     1 tsp dried basil
     1 tsp cayenne
     1 tsp ground coriander
     1 tsp ground fennel
     1 tsp onion powder
     1 tsp ground dried árbol chile peppers
     1 tsp salt
     1 tsp dried thyme
     ¾  tsp black pepper
     ½  tsp white pepper
4 T unsalted butter
1 C green bell pepper, chopped
1 C yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 C red bell pepper, chopped
2 C onion, chopped
1 C celery, chopped
1 T fresh garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
3 fresh jalapeño chile peppers, finely diced
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 C shrimp stock
2 14½  oz cans diced tomatoes
1 lb peeled shrimp

Combine seasoning mix ingredients in small bowl.

Preheat heavy 5-quart pot over high heat for 4 minutes. Add the butter, bell peppers, onion, celery, garlic, ginger, jalapeño peppers, and seasoning mix. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot frequently, until the vegetables are wilted and browned, and the mixture is sticking to the bottom, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir constantly until the paste begins to stick hard, about 5 minutes, then immediately stir in the stock. Scrape the pan bottom to loosen any brown bits, and add the diced tomatoes.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 mintues, then add the shrimp. Bring just to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer just until the shrimp are opaque and plump, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 8  ½ cups.

NOTES: To make the shrimp stock, combine the shells from the shrimp with 1¾ C of water; boil down to 1 C liquid. The specified amount of butter makes the dish almost unbearably rich; next time I will substitute good quality olive oil for a ¼  to 1/3 of the butter. I increased the amount of garlic from about 1 clove (1 T minced) to 6 cloves; also, I omitted the celery. This was served over basmati rice.

Source: Fiery Foods I Love by Paul Prudhomme


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