One of the things I remember from visiting our family down in Southern Louisiana was the amazing number of gumbos and dishes that used andouille sausage and shrimp (among other great ingredients). Once I was able to locate both items at a local market, I wanted to put together a dish that doesn’t require a lot of time but has a depth of flavor, can use tomatoes from our garden and leftover items like grilled corn, and add a Southern twist with fresh okra.

Ingredients:

12 shrimp (16-20s)cleaned and deveined; 2 links andouille sausage casing removed and chopped; 1 shallot; 2-3 stalks celery chopped; ½ onion chopped; ½ red pepper chopped; 2-3 roma tomatoes chopped (or equal cherry tomatoes); 1 jalapeno chopped;3 cloves garlic;  1 cup warm vegetable stock; ¼ cup marsala wine; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 2 tbsp butter; 2 cups cooked rice; roasted corn cut from 1 ear; ½ lb. sliced okra; 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp molasses; 2 tbsp peanut oil.

  1. Combine the okra with 1 tbsp peanut oil, salt and pepper and spread in single layer on sheet pan. Roast in a 400-degree oven until starting to darken and crisp up, remove, and add to the rice, then mix in the corn and set aside.
  2. In a large, preheated cast iron pan sweat the shallots and add the andouille until it starts to brown up, then add the celery, onion, red pepper, add the marsala and cook for about 10 minutes.
  3. Next add the vegetable stock, brown sugar, molasses, and tomatoes then cook to reduce by about one third.
  4. While the andouille mixture cooks down, heat another cast iron pan with the butter until very hot, drop the shrimp in and cook until the bottom starts to brown (about 3 minutes) then add the garlic and turn over- cook another couple minute still browned then add to the andouille mixture and mix thoroughly, allow to reduce for a few minutes, add balsamic and remove from heat.
  5. Place half of the rice on each plate then top with the shrimp/andouille mixture and serve.