Shrimp Etouffee ♥ One Master Sauce, Five Meals

So tell me, do you know the difference between etouffee and gumbo? Is it really all that important?
To someone living in NOLA it is.
I knew there was a difference but the minutia escaped me so I hit Wikipedia.

From what I read, an Etouffee (smothered) is thicker than a gumbo and usually focuses on one main ingredient, shrimp or crawfish where a gumbo can be made of many.
The roux is also different, gumbo being espresso dark and etouffee lighter, like peanut butter. While we like the crawfish (or crayfish) version in this house, fresh is never available so I decided to showcase shrimp since they can be found across the world.

Since I am using the master sauce in this recipe, preparation took no time at all. Remember, the master sauce has all the flavorings that go into the sauce for this dish so the majority of my time was spent making the roux and simmering the sauce, all done in under thirty minutes. Enough time to cook the brown Basmati rice.

As with most creole dishes, you will need the Holy Trinity and I always have a bag of frozen onions and peppers in my freezer, so all I needed was some celery, Creole spices and garlic. I like to add a spicy sausage to a highly spiced Creole dish, and with a good Mexican chorizo in the freezer, I was ready to roll. If you can find good andouille, use that but if you can't, a hot Italian sausage will do just fine.
I bought a half pound of shrimp (or the two of us), shelled and veined because of time and I got lucky, it turned out to be the cheapest in the market that day. As a guideline, use 1/4 pound per serving.

One cup master sauce, a few tablespoons of cajun seasoning (Tony or Emeril's) and a cup of chicken broth is really all that is needed. Oh, and brown Basmati rice (if you want rice, this is the best for a Diabetic).

I am loving this concept of using one master sauce for 4 dinners. The sauce has garlic, onions, bay leaves, and tomatoes already in it, so this was by far the easiest dinner yet.

I have to say, this was much better than I expected and really good and when The Nudge eats this for lunch next week, I know he will agree. As a matter of fact, I made all the dishes while he was traveling, so I have 4 nights of dinners that just need defrosting (yup, one of the perks).

Easy Shrimp Etouffee
makes 4 servings

* 1 pound of shrimp, cleaned & veined
* 1 cup master sauce
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon creole seasoning, divided
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1 spicy sausage, sliced into coins (andouille, chorizo, hot Italian)
* 1 cup each peppers, onions and celery (large dice)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 scallions, sliced

Brown Basmati Rice

1. Heat the oil and when shimmering, add the flour and stir continuously until the mixture is the color of a penny (this will take about 5 minutes).
2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning on cleaned shrimp and when the roux is ready add the sausage and saute until cooked. Add the garlic, the vegetables, remaining  tablespoon Cajun seasoning mix, and salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the shrimp, and when cooked add the broth and the master sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and coats the shrimp.
4. Serve with rice and sprinkle with scallions.

Four dishes made from one Master Sauce:
Shrimp Etouffee
Braised Ribs in Tomato Sauce
Miso Cod in Sichuan Sauce
Spanish Meatballs