Back in the beginning of time, when I was living the single life, I always tried to be prepared in case I invited someone back to my place after an evening out partying.
Prepared to whip up a decent meal, that is…. A night on the town dancing could work up an appetite.
I kept a bag of peeled shrimp in the freezer and a couple of jars of chili sauce in the pantry, Add an onion, some garlic, maybe a bit more tomato sauce, spoon it over rice and it was a pretty impressive late night snack (at the time….)
We both love Shrimp Creole, but, as the chili sauce is not to be found on this side of the pond I now make it from scratch.
Still dead easy and ready in no time.
Shrimp Creole, Basmati Rice
Total time: 35minutes
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) shrimp, peeled
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 2 cups whole tomatoes, 15oz (450gr), peeled, chopped, liquid reserved
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 3 – 4 (or more) dashes Tabasco or other hot sauce (optional)
- 1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) Basmati rice
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken stock (or half water) or whatever your rice calls for
Instructions:
- Cook rice according to package instructions
- Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chili powder, paprika and sauté briefly.
- Add celery, onion, pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, until starting to become tender.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
- Add tomatoes, their juices, paste, herbs and sauces. Bring to a boil, stirring well.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until vegetables are done and sauce starts to thicken. Taste and adjust sauce – adding Tabasco if desired.
- Turn heat to medium and add shrimp. Cook shrimp, stirring, until they start to curl and turn opaque, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and spoon over rice.
I have my cranberries for Christmas.
We went to Grand Frais, the big produce supermarket, on Friday which is the only place I can reliably (usually) find them.
They’re from Canada this year. The EU has recently entered into a trade agreement with Canada….. Hedging their bets to make sure they have an uninterrupted supply of maple syrup (and cranberries).
Maybe, someday, we’ll have wild rice, too. A girl can dream.
Grand Frais is also the only place I can get peeled shrimp.
When we first started going to the store there were a few cases of dried goods, cheeses, meats and seafood around the perimeter. The center of the store was, and still is, all fruits and vegetables. The store itself is kept quite cold to keep the produce fresh.
Over the past few months they have started expanding their non-produce offerings, adding gourmet items as well as a butcher shop. It’s all excellent quality, if a bit expensive.
Just as well I don’t live closer…..
When we moved out here to the semi-middle of nowhere, I wondered how convenient shopping would be. It’s not that much, takes me twenty minutes to half an hour to get to the grocery, but I have to admit, it’s certainly cut down on those really expensive, daily, I-just-need-to-grab-this-thing-from-the-store trips I used to make. So while the weekly shopping takes awhile to get to and get done, I’ve managed to save and that’s a good thing!
And I can’t find real wild rice here either…
This sounds so yummy – my perfect comfort food. No wild rice? Geez, we can get all kinds in Canada. Cranberries too – beautiful plump and fresh!
I am used to no cranberries, sometimes in Australia you might find frozen otherwise canned if you are lucky. Jars of cranberry sauce can be found at Christmas.
nighstmusic, I have never lived where ‘running to the store’ was convenient…. which is why I always have a stocked pantry lol You can’t find wild rice?!?!? Wow….
Ina, yeah, I know…. We have our benefits here in France, too 😉
kate, they’re not grown here – no bogs, and Europeans are just learning what to do with them so they’re still rather scarce. Dried cranberries are everywhere, tho.