Shrimp Bascom

drollgirl's blog this morning was about her boyfriend and his aversion to all things vegetable.  Veggies can be somewhat offensive, especially to small children, people with texture problems (don't get me started on over-cooked peas) and all voracious carnivores (drollgirl's boyfriend may fall under a couple of these categories)  so it is my belief that veggies are always best hidden in a delicious meat or seafood based entree such as Shrimp Bascom (thank you chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road cookbook).

1 pound medium peeled shrimp (cooked or raw)

1 cup chopped onions

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1/2 cup apple juice (and he'll get a fruit thrown in!)

2 cups peeled, diced fresh tomatoes or 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup stock (be daring -- use vegetable stock)

1/4 cup sliced green onions

Seasoning Mix

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the shrimp evenly with 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix, combine thoroughly and set aside.

Preheat a heavy 10-inch skillet (or just a really large one), preferably nonstick, over high heat.

Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix. Stir and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan occasionally to clear it of all brown bits, for 4 minutes. Stir in the apple juice, clear the bottom of the pan, and continue to cook until all the liquid evaporates, about 4 - 5 minutes. Add the remaining seasoning mix and the tomatoes, clear the bottom of the skillet, mix, well, and cook 6 - 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the contents of the skillet to a blender (ah ha -- I hear you say -- a blender!!!) along with the oil and process until the vegetables are pureed, about 2 - 3 minutes. Return the pureed mixture to the skillet, add the stock, and whisk to blend. Turn the heat back to high, bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and green onions (but you can leave these out if you feel it will give the pureed veggie thing away), and cook until the shrimp turn pink and begin to plump, about 3 - 4 minutes (or if you are using cooked shrimp, just cook till they are heated through). Serve over rice or those really nice looking egg noodles (see picture above).

I guarantee the boyfriend and all non-veggie lovers will rave about this dish, and will have no idea that it's full of really good for you things. A word of caution though. Don't serve it to your loved ones too often. Each 1 cup serving has 456 calories (see chef Prudhomme below). I'd love to hear how this dish goes over with all those picky eaters out there, so please let me know.

Bon Appetite!