Shrimp Etouffee

We recently traveled to Louisiana...home of some of the most amazing food I have ever tasted!  We recreated a couple of our favorites the week we got home, with many more to come soon.  The first was shrimp etouffee.  While in Louisiana, we actually ate crawfish etouffee, but due to the lack of easily accessible crawfish, I used shrimp instead.

6 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 C flour
2-3 C chopped onions (depending on how much you like onions)
2 C chopped green bell peppers
2 C chopped celery
2 TBSP minced garlic
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1 TBSP Cajun seasoning
1 quart (4 C) chicken stock
3 lbs shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/4 C chopped parsley leaves
steamed white rice, for serving

Melt the butter in a large pan.
Add flour and stir to make a roux (flour/fat combo that acts as a thickening agent in the sauce).
Stir the roux on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until it is the color of peanut butter.
Add onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic and cook (stirring often) for 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, and 1 TBSP of Cajun seasoning.
Cook for about 3 minutes.
Stir in the chicken stock.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Cook the etouffee sauce for 45 minutes (stir occasionally).
Season the shrimp with the last TBSP of Cajun seasoning.
Add the shrimp and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
Evenly mix in the parsley.
Serve immediately over white rice.

Just FYI...next time I make this, I am going to put the finished sauce (minus the shrimp) into a food processor and blend it smooth.  The chunky veggies were delicious, but I want to try a smooth sauce.

If you need a little more kick (I thought the Cajun seasoning was enough), add up to a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper.

I adapted this recipe from Emeril Lagasse of the Food Network.