The other night I had a craving for something gumbo-like. I love the flavor palette in gumbos - a little spicy, thick sauce, shrimp flavors - but I wanted it in half the time with half the ingredients. (Gumbo is involved but SO worth it. I will have to post my take on it sometime).
So - I had my basics nailed down. I wanted:
Shrimp
Gumbo/creole flavors
Some rice
And maybe some veggies (so I feel better about myself)
I decided to make a gumbo gravy sauce with shrimp, served over rice with sauteed green beans on the side. Sounds good, right?! Yes!
Let me tell you what makes this gravy different from other gravies:
everything.
Really though, most gravies start with a MIREPOIX - onion, carrots & celery. Creole cooking starts with a variation on this called the TRINITY - onion, celery & green bell pepper. THIS is why their flavor profile is so distinct - it starts at the very base of their cooking. The bell pepper adds the slightest hint of heat and creates a very subtle difference from other sauces.
I knew I wanted a thicker gravy so I figured that once I sweated out my trinity veggies, I'd add flour to them to create a vegetable roux.
Initially I was going to deglaze my trinity vegetables with some wine but went a totally different direction and used BEER! (Major guy pleaser ingredient) THIS also helps thicken the sauce because of the carbonation!
I will provide the sections of the recipe separately because I don't like to confuse the ingredients...
Trinity Shrimp
TRINITY VEGGIES:
Olive Oil
3/4 of Green Bell Pepper, medium chop
2 stalks of Celery, medium chop
1 small Onion, medium chop
(these get really soft in the sauce so don't worry about size)
Flour - as needed
1 beer can ( I used Bud Light)
32 oz. Low Sodium Chicken Stock
Some generic "Creole" or "New Orleans" seasoning mixture
1/2 lb. peeled and de-veined medium Shrimp
Warm pan, drizzle in enough olive oil to coat the bottom.
Place bell pepper, celery & onion in pan. Let cook through until they change color (the pepper will lighten and the onion will become translucent).
Season with a pinch of salt.
Once cooked through, sprinkle enough flour on the veggies to soak up any moisture. This will be your ROUX. Let the flour cook through for a minute.
Pour entire beer can into pan, crank up the flame to medium-high. You want the beer to bubble and reduce by about half.
Once reduced, add chicken stock and bring to a high-bubbling simmer. This will cause the chicken stock to also reduce - getting us to that thicker consistency = yummy.
We'll wait to put in the shrimp until we are almost ready to serve. Shrimp only take a few minutes to cook through and they aren't so much fun when they're overcooked.
Note: The great thing about simmering/reducing sauces is that it can take as long as you want. If you want the food faster, crank up that heat and get that moisture outta there! If you still have a lot to do, put it on a low simmer so it can take forever (or as long as you need).
KEEP tasting your sauce as it cooks.
Is it bland or not as good as you thought?
Add more salt.
When in doubt - add a pinch of salt. Then taste. You'll be surprised.
OH, and add as much of that creole seasoning as you want. Like I said before, just keep tasting the sauce until it's what your hungry heart desires!
RICE
Let's make this easy, ok? I make my rice in the oven because I get too nervous to make it any other way. It's the pilaf method and I highly recommend it.
PRE-HEAT your oven to 375 - don't ask why, just do it.
IN A POT:
1 C Medium Grain Rice
1.2794 C Water (I like to add just a smidge more than a cup because I can).
Bring these two confusing and complicated items to a boil on the stovetop. Once you see that boil, put a lid on it and stick her in the oven. SET YOUR TIMER (this is crucial) for 17 MINUTES. Close that oven door and let the rice and water work their magic.
At 17 minutes, briskly remove your pot from the oven and set it on a heat-proof countertop (this pot will be very hot). WAIT 2 MINUTES, then remove the lid and fluff your beautifully cooked rice. It's very exciting.
The beans should be cooked last and closest to serving time. If your sauce is where you want it, let's move forward with your shrimp and the green beans. Go ahead and drop your beautiful and clean shrimp into your sauce and proceed with the...
GREEN BEANS
(These were an afterthought so they're very basic)
Olive Oil
A large handful of green beans
Salt
That creole seasoning from before
Get your pan HOT HOT HOT - like - hotter than you've gotten it before. We are going to SAUTE these suckers - so it's gonna be fast and furious. Ready? Ok. Coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil and keep getting the pan hot. Once you're CERTAIN that your oil is piping hot, drop your beans into the pan. They're gonna crack and sizzle and it's gonna be really scary at first - but DON'T WORRY! This is what you want to hear! Let them sit in that heat long enough to brown. Toss them or move them around so they get evenly cooked. Once you see even color on all sides, sprinkle some salt and seasoning on them. Turn the heat down, breathe a sigh of relief and get ready to serve your meal!
We're almost done here -
Check your sauce one more time. It should have a gravy consistency. Got enough salt? Not sure - add more.
Are you shrimp pink and firm? Good!
Green beans hot and bothered, I mean, cooked? Good!
Rice is still fine because it just is!
Place a mound of rice on the plate. Ladle the sauce and shrimp over the rice. Place the beans on the side and CHOW DOWN.
Thanks and enjoy your food a la harte!
Note: This is my first posted recipe so I hope this makes sense. Please let me know anywhere that might need clarification!
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