Creole Gumbo Pot

Categories: appetizer, soups, gumbos

Servings: 6

      1 sm Eggplant                            2 c  Boiling chicken stock
      2 ts Salt                                1 cn Tomatoes in tomato juice
      3 tb Olive oil                                -(8 oz)
      1 lg Onion, chopped                      2 tb Long grain white rice
      1    Red pepper, seeded, diced           8 oz Peeled cooked medium-size
      1    Garlic clove, crushed                    -shrimp, thawed if frozen
      2 ts Paprika                                  Salt to taste
    1/2 ts Hot chili powder                         Fresh ground pepper to taste
      4 oz Fresh okra                               Fresh dill sprigs (opt)
    3/4 c  Frozen corn, thawed            

Trim stalk end from eggplant. Cut in 1/2" pieces and place in a colander. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt; let stand 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add eggplant, onion, red pepper and garlic and fry over low heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in paprika and chili powder and cook gently 2 minutes.

Trim stalk ends from okra and discard. Cut okra in quarters.

Add okra, corn, chicken stock and tomatoes to eggplant mixture. Break up tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in rice, cover and simmer gently 25 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender.

Add shrimp to mixture and heat through 5 minutes, stirring ocasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with dill sprigs, if desired.

VARIATION: Stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half and heat through just before serving.

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