• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• coarse salt
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1½ cups water
• ¾ pound andouille, sliced into ½-inch thick rounds
• 2 cups frozen sliced okra, thawed
• ½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Shrimp Stew

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• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 4 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels or 1 (17-ounce) can creamed or whole kernel corn
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound cleaned Louisiana shrimp*
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Louisiana Shrimp and Corn Soup

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• 2 cups dried Great Northern beans 
• 1 smoked ham shank or ham hock, 3/4-1 pound 
• 1 small yellow onion stuck with 
• 3 whole cloves 
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 fresh oregano or thyme sprigs
• 3 large fresh parsley sprigs
• 1 celery stalk with leaves, cut into 2 or 3 pieces  ½ pound ripe plum (Roma) tomatoes
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced 
• 1 sweet red (Spanish) onion or other sweet onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper

White Bean and Ham Soup

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• 1½ pounds octopus
• 1 quart water
• 1 cup Anson Mills Piccolo farro
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sliced yellow onion
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1¼ tablespoon red pepper flake
• 1/2 cup diced fennel
• 1/2 cup sliced leeks
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced butternut squash
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup dry white wine that you would want to drink
• 1½ cup San Marzano tomatoes or your own preserved tomatoes and their juice
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 3 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns
• 15 clams
• 15 shrimp
• 1/4 cup basil
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 thinly sliced baguette
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Seafood Stew With Farro

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• 2 tablespoons vegetable oll
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 6 (3-inch) strips lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or tarragon

Lemony Chicken And Rice Soup

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• 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3/4 cup homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 lb large shrimp (21/25 count), shelled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Cooked long grain white or jasmine brown rice, for accompaniment
• 2 green onions, trimmed and chopped

Smoky Seafood Étoufée

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Beef Stew:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1½ pounds beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 1lb trimmed)
• 1 lb beef top round, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup dark roux, plus more as needed
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoondried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 8 to 10 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely diced, seeded hot chiles (replace with 1 medium jalapeño or 3 serranos)
• 1/4 teaspoon finely diced fresh bird's eye chiles  (do not seed chile)
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion 
• 2 cups quartered Baby Bliss or small Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1½ cups peeled parsnips or yams, cut into bite-size dice
• 1 cup bite-sized pieces of peeled carrot
• 1 cup thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts)
• 1 cup bite-sized pieces of peeled turnip
• 1½ cups bite-sized pieces of celery
• 1/4 cup quartered button or small cremini mushrooms
• 3/4 cup seeded and chopped red, green, or orange bell pepper

Herbed Dumplings (optional):

• 2 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh fiat-leaf parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon poppy or caraway seeds

Note: many grocery stores carry jarred roux, both medium and dark. To make your own, for this recipe use 1/2 cup plain flour to 1/2 cup cooking oil or butter; place the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it is slightly darker than peanut butter. Adjust heat lower if you are not familiar with the process; if you scorch it, throw it away and start over. Note also that roux is basically molten lava; take care not to splash it on yourself.

Beef Stew With Herbed Dumplings

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• 4 strips of smoked bacon, chopped
• 2 cups diced onion
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 cups diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 cups sliced smoked pork sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup sliced andouille sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup diced tasso
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup diced green onion tops
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• Dash of hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups uncooked Louisiana long grain white rice, such as Supreme
• 4 cups chicken stock

Cajun Pork Jambalaya

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image courtesy of George Graham

• 6 center-cut bacon slices, chopped 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup chopped celery 
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1/3 cup half & half 
• salt and pepper salt

Shrimp, Corn and Bacon Chowder

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• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 3/4 cup chopped celery 
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 6 cups chicken broth 
• 3 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cups cubed cooked ham 
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 1 cup whipping cream 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
• Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

Sweet Potato-Peanut Soup with Ham Croutons

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