Creole Summertime Stew

This recipe is from my friend, Sheryl. She lives in NOLA so I trust her Creole recipes! This was really good - though time consuming so plan ahead. You could adjust the spice as much as you liked; I made ours pretty spicy and it helped with my sinuses. =) Overall, it's a really hands-off recipe so you can get it going and move to something else for awhile.

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Creole Summertime Stew

1/2 lb andouille sausage (I just used the whole 14 oz package)

1 lb peeled shrimp (I pulled the tail off, too)

2 cups fresh okra (or sliced frozen, which is what I did)

1.5 Creole tomatos, diced (I used a can of diced tomatos or you could use plum tomatos)

1/2 can Rotel tomatos (I just threw in the whole can)

2 slices lemon

1 vidalia onion, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced (I skipped)

2 celery stalks with leaves, diced (I used more like 4-5)

2 cloves diced garlic

Olive or vegetable oil

Fresh basil

Fresh sage

Splash of Sherry

Cajun seasoning

All Spice

Sweet paprika

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Slice the andouille and brown in as little oil as possible. Remove from pot and set aside.

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Add more oil if needed and add okra and lemon slices. Brown the okra until it's not slimy anymore - so dry and lightly browned. This takes awhile - be patient.

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Return andouille to pot and add the onion, pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook until soft.

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Add a splash of Sherry to the pot to deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom. Add tomatos, Rotel, cajun seasoning (to taste), and cook about an hour.

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Add shrimp and cook another 15-30 minutes on low heat. Remove lemon rinds, add fresh herbs and additional seasonings to taste, and serve with white rice.