Shrimp Etouffee on a Hot Summer's Day (Wednesday, June 27th, 2018)

Another really hot day in Havasu calls for some more creativity on how to spend our day.  We had a lot of fun using our outdoor kitchen yesterday, so we decided to do it again today.  I love to cook, but sometimes in the heat of summer it just doesn't feel like it's worth heating up the house.  So back outside we went!

Tonight's menu...shrimp etouffee and rice.  

Many years ago, Steve's aunt Nancy and Uncle Lloyd gave us a signed copy of "Chef Paul Prudhommes Louisiana Kitchen" cookbook. 

I have used it so many times throughout the years, but I have to admit that being the health food junkie that I am, I always alter the recipes to make them healthier.  But this time Steve decided that he wanted me to make the authentic recipe, full on roux and all.  The outdoor kitchen seemed like the perfect place for this.

It's so weird to imagine that this is just oil and flour.  It's so pretty!

Once the roux was complete, we added the vegetables and set it aside.

 Once it was cool, we added the roux and vegetable mixture to the seafood stock we had made earlier using the shrimp shells.

The next step of this recipe killed me almost as much as the roux, but I did it!  Cooking the shrimp in almost a cup of butter.  Yikes!

We made the basic rice recipe to go with the shrimp etouffee, but I decided to try something a little non-conventional.   Instead of putting the ingredients together and baking it, I decided to try it in the rice cooker.  It turned out great and was so easy in the heat of summer!  I would definitely do this again.

Our shrimp etouffee turned out great, and I have to admit that it is better than the healthier version, but I'll still have to revert back to my healthy version for everyday cajun cooking.  

It was so much fun to make the authentic version of this recipe from the cookbook we received so many years ago.  Thanks Lloyd and Nancy for this priceless gift!