Shrimp and Okra Bisque

[JudiB]

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Here's the original recipe:

Paul Prudhomme's Shrimp and okra bisque
Yield: 8 Servings
3 Whole bay leaves
2 ts Salt
1 ½ ts Dry mustard
1 ¼ ts White pepper
1 ts Cayenne pepper
1 ts Dried thyme leaves
½ ts Black pepper
½ ts Dried sweet basil leaves
¼ c Plus
2 tb Veg oil *in*all*
¾ lb Okra, sliced 1/4 inch thick (3 c. sliced), *in*all*
¾ c Finely chopped onions
¾ c Finely chopped green bell peppers
¾ c Finely chopped celery
4 tb Unsalted butter
2 ts Minced garlic
¼ c All-purpose flour
5 ½ C., *in*all*, seafood stock
½ c Finely chopped green onions
3 Dozen peeled medium shrimp, abt. 3/4 pound

SEASONING MIX frm. Paul Prudhomme's Lousiana Kitchen (ISBN: 0-688-02847-0) Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In a 4-qt. saucepan, heat 1/4 c. of the oil over high heat for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of the okra; cook until browned, abt. 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the onions, bell peppers, and celery and cook 1 minute. Add the butter and cook 1 minute; then stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the seasoning mix and stir well; continue cooking over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping pan bottom well. Add the remaining 2 TBSP oil and the flour; stir and scrape the pan bottom well. Continue cooking until well browned, stirring frequently, abt. 2 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the seafood stock and scrape the pan bottom well; then add 4 cups more stock and stir well. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Boil 2 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining cup okra. Continue simmering 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add the green onions and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the shrimp [crawfish -rael-], turn heat to medium, and simmer just until shrimp turn pink, abt. 1 minute. Serve immediately, allowing abt. 3/4 cup for each searving.

Here's how I changed it:
I didn't exactly measure - but I was close. I didn't use oil, I used a few tablespoons of butter, added the flour and slightly browned it... then I added the chopped veggies and sauteed.

I didn't have shrimp stock, they were already peeled, so I added the organic chicken stock that is low sodium.

I bought some beautiful fresh corn, so I added that (cut in half, not sheared off the cob)

I didn't have green bell pepper, so I used red and orange.

I was told that the original recipe is waaaaay too peppery, to cut the amounts in half. I went a step further and only added 1/2 the suggested amount of Cayenne.

At the end, I squeezed a lemon over the pot.