Savannah Shrimp Etouffee

I guess it is time to show off my Cajun side. I can admit that I am not John Besh, Emeril Lagasse, or Justin Wilson, but this is good eatin' fo true. I guarantee! I made this up through a mixture of recipes and dishes I have tried over the years. To me this is authentic Cajun style shrimp etouffe, but I would imagine a true Cajun would curse me for not using Crawfish. There is also a special to my taste buds ingredient in this. Staying true to my roots I used Striplings smoked sausage. I doubt you have ever heard of this place, but I was lucky enough to pass by it this weekend, and picked up a pound of sausage. This was the basis for the whole dish. I also got their famous beef jerky too, but that would take another page or 5 to explain. If you get the chance to check them out I suggest you do (http://www.striplings.com) Keep in mind this is spicy!

Ingredients:
1 pound FRESH shrimp
1/2 pound smoked sausage of your choice
3 tbls unsalted butter
4 tbls flour
1 bunch of green onions
1 small green bell pepper
1-2 ribs of celery
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups shrimp stock

Spices:
1 tbls worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1-2 bay leaves

I start this out earlier in the day by peeling and deveining the shrimp. Save your shells so we can make a shrimp stock. You want to do this earlier in the day so you can cool the stock down. Toast your shells in a pot for around 3 minutes. You will want to add about 3and 1/2 cups of cold water to make the stock, the extra 1/2 cup should evaporate off. Bring the water and shrimp shells to a boil then let it simmer on med-low for about 20 minutes. Strain the stock and get to chilling! You will see why later. Around dinner time start by dicing your sausage up and cooking on med-low to render out some fat (I got about a table spoon).  Take out the sausage and reserve for later. Melt the 3 tbls of butter in with the sausage fat and get ready to make a roux. This is when you have to pay attention! Add the flour and start stirring. You should be on med-low heat. DO NOT STOP STIRRING! A roux is the base of this. If you burn the roux then start over. You are looking for a dark roux. It will take a bit to start turning color, but when it goes it will GO. When you are at the color in the picture toss in your "Holy Trinity" and your spices. We are trying to slightly soften the veggies, but it is mostly to toast the spices. After they have cooked for about 3 minutes pour in your COLD shrimp stock. The cold stock will prevent the "gravy" from being lumpy. I don't know why, but I bet Alton Brown does. Put the sausage back into the pot, bring this and your rice water to a boil. When your etouffee reaches boil bring it back to simmer and put your lid on. You may notice I never mentioned any salt. I don't know what your salt level is so I don't want to try to guess. Check you salt now and again before serving. The flavors will develop in the next 30 minutes so be patient. When you rice is ready toss your shrimp into the etouffee. The will only take a few minutes to cook. I cut my shrimp in half to give them a cool curly-cue effect. It makes them bite size and seems like you have more. Spoon some rice in a bowl, ladle over the etouffee, and garnish with the tops of the green onions (maybe hot sauce too) Get ready to see your inner Cajun come to life!

If you forgot how to cook rice then this is my way:
1 cup long grain white rice (washed)
1 1/2 cups water

Bring everything to a boil in a sauce pan, put the lid on, and take your stove to the lowest setting. Cook for 15 minutes then remove from heat for 15 minutes. DO NOT TAKE THE LID OFF. I promise the rice will not burn or stick. Once the lid is on don't remove it for any reason. TRUST ME. No stirring is necessary.