Yankee Gumbo

I have never been to New Orleans.  I would love to visit someday. Until then Mr. J and I imagine all of the delicious food we are missing out on, and then we try to recreate it at home.  In New England.  Yep we are Yankees.  It cannot be helped.

Now amazingly I had all sorts of ingredients waiting around when Mr. J decided that gumbo for dinner was a must.  The one thing I didn't have though was okra.  I am a Yankee but I ain't no fool.  Okra is key in any gumbo dish.  I am sure if I got my act together and ran to the Whole Foods 25 minutes away I could have found some.  However, did you hear that New England was in the midst of a epic October snowstorm last week?  Thus I am affectionately referring to this recipe as Yankee Gumbo.  Okra free.


Yankee Gumbo

Adapted From Real Simple

Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 medium onions, sliced
1/4 C frozen tri-colored peppers
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, sliced
2 tsp crushed red pepper
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add the sausage and onions and cook, breaking the sausage up with a spoon and stirring the onions occasionally, for 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes (and their juices), shrimp, peas, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
5. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the sauce has slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve over the rice.