Shrimp Creole

I did not expect to find a creole recipe on a blog titled Curry and Comfort, and I wondered if it would be risky to try it.  Well who doesn't like risks?  It was well worth taking and I would definitely make it again, in fact I e-mailed the recipe to my daughter this week-end suggesting she try it.  Unfortunately she did not have all the required ingredients and did not wish to venture out in the snow storm.  Yes, that's right, we had our first snow storm.

Anyway, back to business, this recipe is very quick and you get to have left over Emeril's Cajun Seasoning which is an added bonus.  It has lots of flavour without the heat.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of raw cleaned and deveined shrimp
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup celery diced
1/2 cup of bell peppers diced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
red chili flakes to taste
1 tablespoon of Emeril's Cajun Seasoning
1/4 cup dry sherry
8 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
green onions sliced
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a pan.  Add the onions, celery and peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and chili flakes.  Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the Cajun seasoning, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, sherry, chicken stock, salt and pepper, tasting for seasoning.  Add the shrimp and cornstarch slurry.  Boil until the sauce thickens and the shrimp is cooked.  Finish off with sliced green onions.

Serve over rice.

Emeril's Creole Seasoning
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Beef Stifado (Stew)

During this dreary season you will be seeing a lot of hearty dishes on my blog.  This  is a Greek beef dish which has the unusual twist of  feta cheese.  I wondered if this would be accepted by Al who tends to find the flavour of feta too strong.  No need to worry, he loved it.  I also tried something new by serving it over a bed of orzo pasta.  This was an excellent choice.  Orzo will  be in my pantry from now on!  I also like the idea of being able to prepare The stew ahead of time and finishing it off the next day.   This is probably an easy dish to freeze as well.  If you try to freeze it  please let me know how it turned out.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 large onion chopped
1  can diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cups dry red wine
1/2 pound feta cheese crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat oil in heavy 4-5 quart dutch oven over medium high heat.  Toss beef with flour in a large bowl.  Add beef to pan in small batches and cook until brown, stirring occasionally.  Transfer browned beef to bowl.

Add onions to pan and cook until light brown, stirring frequently.  Add tomatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf, and cumin to pan.  Stir in wine and bring to boil.  Add beef and cover.  Cook over low heat about 2 hours, until meat is tender.  (Can be covered at this stage  and put in the refrigerator  or freezer and re-heated.)

Stir feta cheese into stew and continue cooking over low heat until cheese is heated through.  Season with salt and pepper according to taste.