Spice up your Love Life with some Shrimp Etouffee #SoupSaturdaySwappers #Winophiles

Since February is the month of Love, Lynn of Savor the Harvest arranged for our French Winophiles group to be gifted some samples of French wines that speak of L'Amour.  She sums it up in her preview post.

We each received 4 very nice bottles.  I will be sharing my own thoughts, impressions and feelings about these wines in the posts that I write.  I received no monetary compensation for this or any post featuring these wines.

I have previously posted a pairing with the Cote-Rotie from Vidal Fleury when I paired it with a Perfect Baked Potato stuffed with Ropa Vieja.

The wine I am sharing in today's post was enjoyed at an early Valentine's Day Dinner that Frank and I celebrated before we left for our California vacation.   Knowing that we would be spending all day on Valentine's Day in airports and on planes, not to mention that we would also be observing Ash Wednesday, we spent the week before our trip having several quiet, romantic dinners at home.

This particular dinner was my personal favorite.  I cooked up a Shrimp Etouffee from a recipe I found in my Cuisine at Home magazine.  I had never made Shrimp Etouffee before but when my friend, Kathy of A Spoonful of Thyme, volunteered to host our Soup Swappers group this month, choosing Cajun or Creole as a theme, I knew that this was what I wanted to make.

Isn't that a gorgeous graphic that Kathy made for this event?  Soup Saturday Swappers post on the 3rd Saturday of each month based on a theme chosen by one of the members.  If you would like to join in the fun just leave a comment below and I will be happy to add you to our group.

This was the most amazing dish!!  I couldn't believe how wonderfully rich and comforting it was.  I was concerned because Frank doesn't care for too much spice so I adjusted the measurements accordingly.  It was, in our opinion, perfectly spiced and Frank loved it as much as I.

Since Creole cooking has such wonderful French Influences, with those influences being very pronounced in the origin of Etouffee, I chose to pair it with the Savoie Cuvee Gastronomie.

While I liked the crisp acidity of the Savoie, I think that this particular dish needed a more fruit forward wine.  Perhaps a softer, more buttery white or a light red wine would have been a better match.

Oh well, I still have the Rose and the Saint Amour to pair and I loved this dish enough that I can't wait to serve it again.  I'll let you know how that goes.

In the meantime, please enjoy the other Cajun/Creole Soups/Stews being shared today.  You will find links to these recipes following mine.  You will also find links to the other Winophile's L'Amour pairings at the bottom of this post.

I hope that you and your Valentine had a wonderful celebration.  I'm beginning preparation for our Chinese New Year Celebration.  See my menu here.

Shrimp Etouffee

adapted from Cuisine at Home, Issue #127

1 T. butter

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved

1 small rib celery, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

4-5 c. chicken stock, divided

2 t. paprika

2 t. garlic powder

1 t. thyme

1 t. oregano

1 t. pepper

1/4 t. white pepper

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

4 T. butter

1/4 c. flour

1/2 medium Vidalia onion

1 rib celery, sliced

1/2 bell pepper, diced (I used yellow)

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, flavored with garlic and onions

salt to taste

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven over med high heat.  Add the reserved shrimp shells, small diced onion, small diced rib of celery and the bay leaf.  Cook and stir until shells turn pink and vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.   Add 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Strain the enhanced stock into a 4 cup measuring cup.  Discard the solids.  Add additional chicken stock to the enhanced stock to make 4 cups.  Set aside.

While stock is simmering, combine the paprika, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, black pepper, white pepper and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Melt 4 T. of butter over medium heat in the same saucepan used for the stock.  Stir in the flour.  Cook and stir constantly until the color of peanut butter, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the medium onion, large rib of celery and bell pepper.  Cook and stir occasionally until vegetables start to soften, about 15 minutes.  Stir in half of the spice mixture and the seasoned diced tomatoes with their juices.  Stir in the reserved stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  

Toss the shrimp with the remaining spice blend.  Add to the Etouffee and cook until pink throughout, about 3-4 minutes. Taste and season with salt as needed.  Serve over steamed white rice.  Print Recipe

More Creole/Cajun Soups and Stews

An InLinkz Link-up

More L'Amour Wine Pairings

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “L'Amour dans une Bouteille ou Quatre”
• Susannah Gold from Avvinare tells us about “Love in the Rhone Valley”
• L.M. Archer at binNotes shares “The Hedonistic Taster | № 36 | #Winophiles + Love: L'Amour du Patrimoine” 
• Jeff at Food, Wine, Click! gives us "French Wines for 'His' and 'Hers' Valentines"
• Jill from L’Occasion takes us on a sensory route “Tasting Romance: French Wine and the Senses”
• Michelle of Rocking Red Blog helps us “Celebrate La Saint-Valentin with French Wine”
• David of Cooking Chat dishes up “French Wine Picks and Pairings for Valentine’s Day” and "Beef Stew with Root Vegetables and Côte-Rôtie Wine"
• Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Wines”
• Liz from What’s in that Bottle pairs "Celebrate Galentine's Day with French Wines & Fondue"
• Gwen at Wine Predator shares "Sweethearts: French Wines and Pizza"
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shows us how to “Spice up your Love Life with Shrimp Etouffee”
• Nicole from Somm’s Table shares “Cooking to the Wine: Domaine Chardigny Saint-Amour with Roasted Salmon and a little Romance”
• Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog tells us about "Celebrating L'Amour Du Vin With French Wine At The Table"
• Rupal of Journeys of a Syrah Queen swirls up "Valentine's Day Romance with French Wines"
• Jane at Always Ravenous asks "Why Does French Food and Wine Taste So Good? Love!"