COMMENT:
Although Maque Choux is normally thought of as a corn soup, the Cajuns of River Road Louisiana cooked a similar vegetable flavored with the fresh water shrimp of the Mississippi River. Here is their version of that dish.
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 ears fresh corn
- 1 cup (150-200 count) shrimp,
- peeled and deveined
- ½ cup bacon drippings
- ½ cup chopped onions
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup diced garlic
- ¼ cup finely diced tasso
- 2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsps tomato sauce
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- salt and cracked black pepper to taste
METHOD:
Select tender, well-developed ears of corn and removed shucks and silk. Using a sharp knife, cut lengthwise through the kernels to remove them from the cob. Scrape each cob using the blade of the knife to remove all milk and additional pulp from the corn. This is important since the richness of the dish will depend on how much milk and pulp can be scraped from the cobs. In a 4-quart sauce pan, melt bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Sauté corn, onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and tasso approximately 15-20 or until vegetables are wilted and corn begins to tenderize. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and shrimp. Continue cooking until juice from the tomatoes and shrimp are rendered into the dish. Add green onions and season to taste using salt and pepper. Continue to cook an additional 15-20 minutes or until full flavor of corn and shrimp are developed into the dish. |
