Friday, February 27, 2009

Shrimp Etouffee with Collard Greens & Honey Cornbread

The Diva here with another divalicious Supper Secret Recipe! As promised, in honor of Mardi Gras and the (weak sauce) Top Chef Finale, I made a Creole inspired dish called Shrimp Etouffee, literally shrimp smothered in gravy. This is a spicy, rich Southern dish that's traditionally served over rice. To add a fun spin on the dish, I served mine over collard greens and homemade honey cornbread. Note: While this dish does use some butter, rendering it not the healthiest, eaten in moderation it should be just fine. Remember, my BDFF's, portion size is the key to eating great food and staying healthy. Check out my pictures to see the amounts I'm serving!

My shrimp etouffee recipe calls for shrimp stock. I recommend buying shrimp with the shells on them. You can use them for make a quick stock before you cook your dish (great way to make everything go to use!). Otherwise, you can substitute vegetable broth.

Domestic Diva's Shrimp Etouffee with Collard Greens & Honey Cornbread

Cornbread Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
1 egg
beaten
1 cup milk (I subbed Rice Milk in mine)
1/4 cup butter
melted

Cornbread Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl (cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder).


In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Then mix the wet ingredients with the beaten egg (honey, milk, butter).


Pour the wet ingredients in the dry ingredients, mixing until combined, being careful not to over beat the mix.


Grease a pyrex dish. Pour the mix into the dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.


Shrimp Etouffee Ingredients:

Stock:
1 cup shrimp shells

1 carrot

1 celery rib

1 onion

1 tsp peppercorns

4 cups filtered water

Shrimp Etouffee:
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup onion
diced
1/4 cup celery
diced
1/4 cup bell pepper
diced
dash hot sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp
worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tomatoes
diced
1 1/2 cups shrimp stock (or vegetable stock)
1 lb shrimp (I used Wild Key West Pink Shrimp) peeled and deveined
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tbsp lemon juice

Stock Directions:

While the cornbread is cooking, whip up a quick batch of shrimp stock. Using your shrimp shells from peeling your shrimp, toss them into a pot with the vegetables and peppercorn. Note: to make use of everything, I used my carrot and celery tops and onion shells that I would normally have tossed out for my stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least an hour. Presto Chango, you have your own wonderful shrimp stock!


Shrimp Etouffee Directions:

For this classic Creole dish, you to first make a Blond Roux (hello Top Chef fans!). A roux is fat mixed with flour and it's used to thicken sauces. So begin by melting the butter in the bottom of a heavy bottomed pan. I used my braising pan that I use for everything! Whisk the flour into the butter, stirring constantly over low heat for about 10 minutes. Take your time with your roux!


Then, add the onion, celery and pepper, sauteeing until soft, about 5-6 minutes.


Add the tomatoes, stock, hot sauce, bay leaf and worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20-25 minutes.


The flour will begin to thicken your sauce into a gravy.


Meanwhile, dust your shrimp with the cajun seasoning. I made my own version using paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.


Once your sauce has achieved thickness, add the shrimp. It should cook quickly and release water as it cooks, bringing your sauce to the perfect thickness. Add the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Collard Greens Ingredients:

3 cups collard greens
2 tbsp shallots diced

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper


Collard Greens Directions:

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minutes.


Then, add the collard greens.


Saute the greens until cooked, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.


Plating Directions:

To plate, cut a square piece of the cornbread and then cut it in half. Place both halves in the bottom of the dish with the middle facing up. The cornbread should soak up excess gravy!


Then, place some of the collard greens on top of the cornbread.


Top with the Shrimp Etouffee. Enjoy!



Wine Pairing Notes: Altocedro 2006 Malbec Reserve

With this spicy dish, Kuzak selected an Argentinian Malbec. If you've never had malbec, it's a wonderful grape, and the resulting wine stands up great to big food and is generally affordable. This is a very drinkable wine with raspberry and blackberry fruit and earth and tobacco. The wine opened up well, developing personality and a smooth finish. Can be purchased for around $25. Robert Parker rated it a respectable 90 points. So if you're looking for value, this bottle is a great choice!

2 comments:

  1. For a healthier option you can also use olive oil in place of the butter, it actually makes a nice roux!

    ReplyDelete