Smothered Okra & Shrimp

The end of February and March were rough for us.  Two out of the four of us got the flu, one of us had a respiratory infection, one had a viral infection and a bought with an allergy flare up.  We've spent the last few weeks trying to get well.  And, in the midst of all that, Mr. C and I painted our bedroom.  We are still working on remodeling our room, and we will share that with you later.

Today, I'm sharing a recipe I created for smothered okra and shrimp.  This one includes tomatoes, which I know some do not.  My dad always talks about the smothered okra my grandmother used to make.  I don't have her recipe for it unfortunately.  So I started experimenting until I found something we both liked.  My mom makes smothered okra also, but her recipe doesn't include tomatoes and sausage in lieu of shrimp.  There are so many different ways you can make this dish, this is just my version of it.

Ingredients:

1/3 container of chopped seasoning blend (contains onions, bell pepper, parsley and celery)

2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 lbs. fresh okra, sliced into circular pieces (2 frozen bags can also be used)
4 Roma tomatoes

1 package of dried shrimp 
2 lbs. peeled, deveined shrimp (about 50-60 count)

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chicken stock

Saute the seasoning blend and garlic for about about 10 minutes on medium high heat, stirring often, until onions have browned.  

Add the okra, tomatoes and dried shrimp to the pan.  

Stir in the ingredients frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add the shrimp, salt, paprika, pepper and cayenne pepper and chicken stock and continue to stir.

Once the shrimp are fully cooked, turn the temperature to low and simmer for 20 minutes.  

Serve over steamed rice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings