In South Louisiana, any sauce is called gravy. This dish would be our equivalent of biscuits and sausage gravy, except we've got all this seafood down here that finds its way into nearly everything. Serve this gravy over biscuits ) with Oeufs au Plat , and you've really got something. As a chef, I make this a bit more complicated than it needs to be: I start with the shrimp in the pan, then remove them so they don't overcook, and then I add them back once it's all come together.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6–8

　　1 tablespoon rendered bacon fat

　　1 pound green onion pork sausage, removed from casings

　　1 small onion, diced

　　1 tablespoon flour

　　1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

　　Salt

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

　　1 clove garlic, minced

　　1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

　　1 pinch allspice

　　2 dashes Worcestershire

　　1/3 cup diced canned tomatoes

　　1 cup Basic Chicken Stock

　　Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme

　　1 green onion, chopped

　　

Step 1

1. Melt the bacon fat in a large heavy-bottomed pan over high heat, then add the pork sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon, until it is browned, 12–15 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring often with the spoon, until the onions are deep brown, about another 15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

2. Reduce the heat to moderate, then sprinkle the flour into the pan, stirring to mix it into the sausage and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes to remove the raw flavor from the flour.

　　

Step 3

3. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, then add them to the pan, stirring and tossing them with a spatula. Sauté until they turn pink, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside while you continue making the sauce.

　　

Step 4

4. Add the bell pepper, garlic, pepper flakes, allspice, Worcestershire, tomatoes, and Chicken Stock to the pan, stirring well. Increase heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Add the thyme, green onions, and shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

　　Reprinted with permission from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh., © September 2009 Andrews McMeel Publishing