By Denise Zito
As we plow on through the winter, there is a little fun to be had on Fat Tuesday, i.e. Mardi Gras. What could be better than a mid-week party before getting serious (if you’re one of the liturgically inclined who observes Lent)? Mardi Gras is a great excuse to break the winter monotony with your family, or have a few friends over for this traditional meal of shrimp and rice. It takes so little time that it’s a perfectly reasonable meal to cook on a weeknight.
One year, I invited a bunch of friends, cleared the dining room and set up a ‘café’ of card tables and side tables. We had some fun, some songs, some étouffée, and then I chased everyone home by 8:30 pm. (school night).
What follows is my adaptation, with a bit of a surprise. I will never ever forget a shrimp dish prepared by my friend and fellow Free Unioner, Doug Little. He shared his secret: white chocolate in the sauce.
I urge you to whoop it up on Tuesday, February 17, and then settle in to finish the winter, be a bit reflective and prepare for Spring to unfold. And please go ahead and make good, old white rice. You can return to brown rice during Lent.
Shrimp Étouffée with a Doug Little Twist (Serves 4)
For the rice:
- 1 ½ cup white rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 T. butter
Combine the water, rice, salt and butter. Bring to a boil, turn to low and cook for 15 minutes.
For the shrimp:
- 8 T butter
- 1 large onion
- 1 large green or red pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- 3 oz. shaved white chocolate
- 1 lb. medium shrimp (or those
- wonderful gigantic prawns!)
- 1 T. flour
- 1 cup water
- Chopped spring onions for garnish
Use a large frying pan or Dutch oven. Melt the butter and sauté the chopped onion and pepper till translucent, about 10 minutes. Then add the minced garlic, the cayenne and whisk in the chocolate. Add the shrimp and cook for ten minutes or until they are pink. Mix the flour with water and stir into the shrimp and vegetables. Stir over medium heat until you have a sauce. Serve over the rice. Garnish with spring onions.
