I have to give a big thumbs up to Bon Appetit for this one: It is fast and easy and absolutely delicious. And I managed to throw it together last night after a few beers, when normal food preparation can sometimes be a challenge for me. True, it didn’t end up quite as saucy as the picture promised, but that is quite likely entirely my own fault for not adding as much mustard as the recipe suggested. Being a relative newcomer to the love of mustard, after all. Regardless of whether you choose to preface your cooking with a night of Guitar Hero at the local pub, it is very worthy of Monday night dinner. And Tuesday night dinner. And even Friday and Saturday night dinner. It is gooood.
In fact, I feel as though I should have more to say about this lovely food, but I’m on spring break which I think means my brain took the liberty to shut down. I will say that this is wonderfully spicy without being overwhelming, and the shrimp stayed nice and juicy and the peppers cooked just long enough to be soft and to get that flavorful browned edge to them. I’d admit, I’m a little bummed that I didn’t manage to create a thick mustardy sauce for the pasta, but that in no way diminished the enjoyment of eating this. And hey, maybe I’ll have better luck next time. Because there will certainly be a next time.
Andouille and Shrimp with Creole Mustard Sauce
I changed the proportions of the recipe a bit from Bon Appetit‘s suggestions, because I don’t need to be cooking for six people. I’m trying to get smarter about portion sizes when I eat, and cooking enough food for a large family doesn’t help that endeavor too much. So this is my slightly enough for two people version of the recipe:
- 12 large shrimp, peeled and de-veined (about half a pound)
- 1 scant tsp. cajun seasoning
- 1 T. olive or vegetable oil
- 2 links of andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 small onion, halved and sliced thinly
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
- about 1/2 T. chopped fresh thyme
- 1/2 c. chicken stock
- 2 1/2 – 3 T. mustard (the recipe recommends creole mustard, which I could not find for the life of me, so I used Maille)
- 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
Toss the shrimp with the cajun seasoning and set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and when it’s nice and hot, add the sliced sausage. Let them cook for a few minutes, and then flip all the little slices over to cook on the other side. Let them cook until they get slightly browned, and then remove them to a bowl. Add the shrimp to the same pan, and saute them for about three minutes, until they are just cooked. Remove the shrimp to the sausage bowl.
Add a little more oil to the pan, if it looks dry, and add the onions, bell pepper, and thyme to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly browned and the red peppers are soft and starting to brown at the edges. Then add the broth, mustard, and vinegar. Turn up the heat, and cook it all until it starts to thicken and get saucy, for just a few minutes. Then add the shrimp and sausage back to the pan and mix everything together well. And of course, add a bit of salt to taste.
This was delicious with pasta, with a bit of parmesan, and I bet it would be pretty tasty over some rice, too.
I have some other new food items to share this week, and hopefully I will have a little more to say about all that. But for now, back to spacing out and enjoying my spring break. Whoooo! Spring break!!!