Our California Shrimp Creole

     Today we are starting a new series of our adaptations of some classic recipes. Our intention is to adapt these timeless recipes to modern California home cooking techniques in order to make them easier to prepare, more colorful and more flavorful to the modern adult palate. These recipes will all be prefixed with T and A's California ........................ to differentiate them from the more traditional recipes that we prepare.

     The first in this series is the classic Shrimp Creole known far and wide from it's Louisiana Creole origins. It is delicious no matter traditional or modern version because it adds the spicy Creole flavoring to a rich tomato and pepper base with the added flavors of shrimp and coloring and texture of white rice. Mama mia that'sa good tomato sauce...
     Well, anyway, one of the main changes is to prepare and reserve Garlic Shrimp to use in the dish thus adding a strong garlic flavor and allowing a more interesting plating. The other change is to under cook the vegetables so that they are more crisp and have flavor, texture and color independent of the spicy sauce. On to the recipe...

Serves:                                2
Prep Time:                         10 to 15 minutes
Cooking Time:                  20 minutes more or less if the rice is cooked at the same time as the                                              shrimp and sauce

INGREDIENTS
3/4 pound large shrimp, shelled and de-veined
3/4 cup of long grain white rice
2 green onions, cut crosswise into 1 inch sections on the bias
1 medium red onion, cut into 3/4 inch by 1/4 inch pieces
 stalks of celery, cut into 1/4 inch sections
3/4 cup more or less of red, green, orange and or yellow Bell peppers for flavor and color
4 large cloves of garlic, skinned and cut into 1/16 inch slices
1 green jalapeno pepper cut into 1/4 inch pieces
25 ounces of canned chopped fire-roasted tomatoes; with jalapenos if you like spicy food
3 tablespoons of peanut oil or olive oil to make the flavor a little Mediterranean
3/4 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and thyme
a pinch of red pepper flakes to give it a little more kick
a pinch of kosher salt to bring out the flavors and a few turns of fresh ground black pepper for interest

PREPARATION
     It takes about twenty minutes to cook the garlic shrimp and the sauce. The rice also takes about twenty minutes. So cooking them simultaneously results in about twenty minutes of total cooking time.
The Rice
1. Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add the rice and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Drain the rice, pour out the water and return the rice to the pot. Cover wit ta lid or aluminum foil to keep it warm if everything else is not ready.
The Shrimp
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a 10 or 12 inch pan until the oil is hot.
2. Add the garlic and shrimp and cook without stirring for 1 1/2 minutes or until the shrimp loses it's translucency about half way through.
3. Turn the shrimp and garlic over and cook about the same length of time or until the shrimp is cooked.
4. Reserve the shrimp in a warming oven or toaster oven at 175 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit with the serving plates.
The Sauce
1. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the other tablespoon of oil to the hot pan.
2. Add the onions and jalapeno pepper to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the canned tomatoes and saute for 10 to 15 minutes at a gentle boil to remove some moisture and concentrate the flavors.
4. Add the green, red, yellow and/or orange peppers and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes or until softened but not thoroughly cooked.

PLATING
1. Either in a shallow bowl or a deep plate, spoon and level the rice and then put a shallow depression in the center.
2. Spoon some of the sauce into the depression in the rice.. Leave the edges of the rice uncovered to achieve maximum contrast in the colors.
3. Place the shrimp in a radial pattern on their backs in the sauce with the tails up.
4. Garnish with basil, flat leaf parsley, pepper stems or whatever is handy.
5. Serve with Tabasco or other pepper sauce and enjoy a flavorful meal.

Bon appetit,
Tom and Anita