Recipe: Creole Sauce and Seasoning Mix (Paul Prudhomme)

CREOLE SAUCE

"This sauce is terrific served with chicken, rabbit, shrimp, oysters or egg dishes, such as omelets, or served over Jambalaya."

Curtis: "You should be a reasonable capsicum lover to follow the cayenne and Tabasco amounts below. If you choose to cut the heat, try to cut back on cayenne first, Tabasco second. The Tabasco lends more flavor than the cayenne."

FOR THE SEASONING MIX:
2 whole bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
FOR THE SAUCE:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter [I just used 1/4 cup of the chicken stock]
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 cups chicken stock [I used Pritikin's fat free chicken stock]
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco

Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the tomatoes, onions, celery and bell peppers; then add the garlic and seasoning mix, stirring thoroughly. Saute until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the stock, tomato sauce, sugar and Tabasco; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender and flavors married, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

Curtis: "Since I grew up eating shrimp Creole, I made a triple recipe of the above and added 2 lbs. of shrimp meat (small shrimp would have been better, but we don't get them much in CA) about 10 minutes before serving over lots of Basmati rice."

Makes about 2 1/2 cups
Source: Curtis Jackson, 1994 - adapted from: Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen by Paul Prudhomme