Chicken and Sausage Etouffe

My Pickiest Eater Ever Son loves gumbo.  He could eat gumbo every single day, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  But, making gumbo is not so easy.  In fact, if you do it the old fashioned way, it can be quite a chore.  So, to satisfy his gumbo cravings, I make chicken and sausage etouffe (pronounced eh-too-fay).  It has a lot of the same flavors but you don't have to make a roux so it's not so labor intensive.  My son gives it a thumbs up and says it's almost as good as gumbo but not quite as rich.  I love that he's developing a discerning palette.  Now, if I could only get him to eat his vegetables.

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE ETOUFFE

1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), cubed
2 TBS oil
Tony Chacherre's Creole Seasoning (any Cajun Seasoning will work)
Salt
Pepper
1 (10oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes with chilis (if you don't like the spice, use regular tomatoes)
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 stick butter (or margarine, but butter tastes better)
2 cups water

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add sausage.  Brown well on both sides.  You want it to stick.  That stuff stuck to the bottom of the pot is flavor!

Remove sausage and set aside.  Add the oil.  Season the cubed chicken with Creole seasoning.  Add to the pot and brown on both sides.

Remove chicken and set aside.  Add the butter to the pot and let melt.  Add onion, celery, bell pepper, green onions and garlic.  Saute 5 - 10 minutes, until cooked down a bit.

Add the Rotel.  I have to zip the Rotel in a blender first because my picky eaters don't like chunks of tomatoes.  But you don't have to do that if you're feeding normal people.  Scrape the bottom of the pot to get up the stuck bits.

Season to taste with Creole seasoning, salt and pepper.  Return the sausage and chicken to the pot.

Add the water.

Bring it to a boil.  Then lower the heat and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes until it has reduced and thickened slightly.

Serve over rice and garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

Like I said earlier, this hits the same flavor notes as a gumbo but is much easier to cook.  It makes my Pickiest Eater Ever Son happy so it's alright by me.  (Plus, he is unwittingly eating onion, celery, bell pepper, etc).  I call that a win!

Simple Shrimp Etouffe

It's Lent.  That means no meat on Fridays.  I love seafood so you would think I would love this time of year.  Not so much.  My Old School Italian Husband refuses to eat seafood and my Pickiest Eater Ever Son is, well, picky.  So, most Friday nights I end up making two different meals.  This past Friday I made three!  What the hubby wanted, the son didn't like and vice versa.  Plus, I was craving Shrimp Etouffe.  But, if I was going to make three different meals I surely didn't have time to make a traditional etouffe (the roux alone takes half an hour).  So, I figured out a way to make a simple etuoffe, no roux required.

SIMPLE SHRIMP ETOUFFE

1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 stick butter or margarine
2 cups water (or broth, seafood, chicken or veggie)
1 capful Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce
Fresh parsley to garnish
Tony Chachere's (Cajun seasoning)

In a big pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Saute onion, bell pepper, celery and green onions in butter until tender (about 5 minutes).  Season to taste with Tony's.

Add water (or broth or a combo of the two) and Kitchen Bouquet. (It doesn't seem like a lot of water but seafood makes its own liquid.  Later, when you add the shrimp, it will increase the amount of liquid).

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (See how dark the Kitchen Bouquet makes it?)

Season shrimp with Tony's.  Add them to the pot.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until the shrimp turn pink (about 10 minutes or so).

Garnish with fresh parsley (or more green onions).

Serve over rice.

This is quick (especially compared to the original recipe), easy and so good!  Perfect for Lent or anytime (especially when you're making three different meals!).