Food You Can Eat: Cajun Maque Choux (With Shrimp or Whatever)

This is such a versatile recipe – it can be made in a vegetarian or vegan version, or with sausage or chicken rather than shrimp as the protein. You can easily control the heat by your choice of pepper. The vegetarian version can function as a side dish, and by finishing any version with more stock it can become a soup. You will need:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 large red onion
• 1-pound peppers, your choice of heat, from bell to habanero to Myo killer Scoville
• 2 celery stalks
• 5 thyme sprigs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 ears corn, kernels and corn milk stripped or 2-3 cans of corn, 3 cups total
• 1/3 cup dry vermouth
• 1 cup fish or seafood stock, or vegetable stock (4 cups if soup)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (or almond milk or other mildly flavored vegan substitute)
• 1-pound medium shrimp, chicken, or andouille sausage

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the white and light-green parts of the scallion, sliced into rounds (reserve the dark green ends); the red onion, chopped; the peppers, cleaned and chopped; the celery, halved and thinly sliced across; the sprigs of thyme; and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring a few times, until vegetables are crisp-tender and golden in places, 6 to 8 minutes depending on your stove.

Stir in corn kernels and corn milk (or the corn plus the liquid from one can if using two cans, or from two cans if using three). Add the vermouth and boil until the liquid has mostly evaporated, only a minute or two. Stir in the stock that matches your protein or vegetarian version and the cream/vegan liquid. If you want this to be a soup, use 4 cups of broth.

Vegetarians/Vegans, skip this next step. The shrimp can go on top after being shelled and deveined; or if using chicken, add it cooked and cubed, or sausage, cooked and sliced into bites.  Simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, 4-7 minutes, or until the chicken or sausage is heated through.

Discard the thyme sprigs, top with the reserved dark-green part of the scallion (chopped, this is for pretty) and serve. You can serve it over rice, or serve it with toasted baguette, or serve it as side from a bowl if going vegetarian, or as a soup. It made 4 servings as a main course.