There’s nothing like good old Southern food to warm your body and soul in the heart of freezing Ozark winters. Most Southern recipes call for simple ingredients you’re likely to have on hand, so you don’t need to get out on snow-covered roads or in bone-chilling temperatures to shop before making those favorite stick-to-your-ribs, down-home dishes.
If you’re raised in the South, you acquire a taste for Louisiana Hot Sauce and can handle the “heat” more than those of us who acquired the taste later in life. The beauty of most Southern recipes calling for that “heat in a bottle,” though, is that they can be made according to your taste, either using the hot sauce sparingly to achieve just a hint of hot pepper flavor or using a lot to create a much spicier flavor.
The following recipe for the Southern favorite, Louisiana Shrimp and Rice, is no exception. I try to keep a package of shrimp in the freezer so I have it when I want to make the dish. The recipe makes a big batch, so it’s great if unexpected guests show up for dinner. I like to serve the dish alongside barbecued ribs – another Southern favorite!
LOUISIANA SHRIMP AND RICE
6 slices bacon
2 green bell peppers, cut into small slices
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 pound cooked, medium-sized shrimp
Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove from skillet, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Drain bacon on paper towels. Cook and stir bell pepper and onions in reserved drippings until tender. Stir in rice, hot pepper sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble bacon. Add bacon and shrimp to skillet mixture; heat thoroughly. Makes 4 (1 1/2 cup) servings.
Brotherton offers website readers one stellar recipe a week in the “My Leader Yummy” feature.
Looking for a recipe you can’t find? Email me at kbrotherton42@gmail.com and I’ll see if I have it.
