Creole Shrimp

Creole sauce:

1 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

1 small diced onion

1 red bell pepper, cored and diced

1 green bell pepper, cored and diced

3 cloves minced garlic

2 T. flour

2 T. tomato paste

2 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes

Seasonings:

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried thyme

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

1 . cayenne pepper

1 t. white pepper

1 t. black pepper

hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce, to taste

1 T. sugar

salt, to taste

For the shrimp:

2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 T. butter

splash white wine

chopped scallions

pinch chopped parsley

pinch cayenne

pinch paprika

sliced scallions and lemon wedges, for garnish

Get the pan hot over a medium high flame, saute all ingredients - except flour, tomato paste and tomatoes - in the olive oil and butter until they begin to wilt. Add flour and tomato paste. Season with oregano, thyme, parsley, cayenne pepper, white pepper and black pepper.

Saute all that until it begins to brown. After 5 minutes, when it's quite brown, add the tomatoes. Stir in hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire, to taste. Add sugar and salt. Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Shrimp: In a pan over medium heat, saute shrimp in 1 tablespoon of whole butter. While the shrimp is cooking, splash it with white wine. Then add to taste some chopped scallions, a pinch of parsley and a bit of cayenne pepper and paprika.

When the shrimp is almost ready, add it to the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes so the Creole flavor cooks into the shrimp. Prepare the serving plates with cooked rice. Ladle the shrimp and sauce over the rice beds, making sure there is lots of sauce (Creole dishes feature “lots of gravy”).

Makes 8 servings.