Shrimp Sauce Piquant



INGREDIENTS:

2 tb Unsalted butter 

2 1/4 c  Chopped onions

1 1/2 c  Chopped green bell peppers

3/4 c  Chopped celery

3 c  Peeled & chopped tomatoes

1 c  Canned tomato sauce

3 tb minced jalapeno (see note)

2  Bay leaves

5 1/2 ts Ground cayenne pepper

1 1/2 ts White pepper

1 ts Ground black pepper

1 1/2 ts minced garlic

2 1/4 c  Basic seafood stock

1 1/2 ts Dark brown sugar

3/4 ts salt 

2 lb Peeled large shrimp

4 c  Hot basic cooked rice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over high heat.
Add the onions, bell peppers and celery; saute about 2
minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, tomato
sauce, jalapenos, bay leaves, ground peppers and garlic;
stir well.  Continue cooking about 3 minutes, stirring
often and scraping the pan bottom well. Stir in the
stock, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat
and simmer until flavors are married, about 20 minutes,
stirring often and scraping pan bottom as needed. (If
mixture scorches, quit stirring and pour mixture into a
clean pot, leaving the scorched ingredients in the first
pan.) Add the shrimp to the hot (or reheated) sauce and
stir. Turn heat up to high, cover pan, and bring mixture
to a boil. Remove from heat. Let sit covered for 10
minutes. (Meanwhile, heat the serving plates in a 250F
oven.) Stir, remove bay leaves, and serve immediately.
To serve, mound 1/2 cup rice in the center of each heated
serving plate; then pour about 1/2 cup sauce around the
rice and arrange about 8 shrimp on top of the sauce.



Shrimp Sauce Piquant