Savory Bread Pudding, Shrimp in Red  Creole Sauce,  and Jellied tomatoes

 Bunko was at my house last Friday night.  My girlfriends have been playing Bunko for near 20 years.  Although we all have been friends for 20 to 30 years and then some even longer!  We are great group which we all have great respect for one another.  We are all different but the love we share is the same, true!  Our Bunko entails a group member hosting a dinner party at her home.  We all try to attend, not easy, even after all the years of raising our children.  And then there are the times we get together and just eat, have a few drinks, and talk, laugh and never play a game.  As was last night!  Oh well, trust me, we were having fun!

Each time I have my girlfriends over I want nothing more to offer my heart and soul, wait on them, and create a wonderful menu they have never ate before.  I first created this during the holidays 2011.  Inspired from NOLA, I created a menu classic, from shrimp and grits.  Although instead of using grits, I thought, all this French bread and cornbread we had for the holidays why not combine the breads and make a savory bread pudding?  So here goes, take a ride on this and remember one statement I love to make, just have fun!

French bread – cubed and day old – 5 cups

Corn bread – cubed and day old – 5 cups
Milk – ½ gallon
Eggs – 12 eggs, 1 dozen
Onion – whole onion chopped
Bell pepper – 1 cup chopped – Mix the different colors, will add wonderful flavors to this dish
Celery – 1 cup chopped
1/3  cup olive oil
Lawry’s  - 1 Tablespoon
Granulated garlic – 1 tablespoon
Black pepper – 1 teaspoon
Sauté in a skillet, onion, bell pepper, celery, oil  and Lawry’s seasoning until tender
Mix the above ingredients and place in a Pam sprayed 9  X  13 casserole dish.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour.

Let cool for 15 minutes and top with red Creole sauce and shrimp and garnish with jellied tomatoes.

Red Creole Sauce

1 large cans of Contadina Crushed Tomatoes
2 large cans of water from the Contadina
2 small cans of Canadian tomato  paste
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dried basil
6 bay leaves
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup of a dark roux

8 pounds of cleaned divined shrimp that are 20 to 30 count a pound.  Just the perfect size shrimp for this recipe.

Sauté olive oil, onion, bell pepper and celery in a large pot until tender.  Add seasoning, brown sugar, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste along with the water.   Cook over low heat , covered for 4 to 5 hours.  Stirring often and occasionally.  Add the roux after the sauce has been cooking for a couple of hours.  Make sure to stir often.   Once you have cooked the red Creole sauce long enough you can add the raw shrimp to cook quickly for no more than 10 minutes.  Very important to not overcook the shrimp.

Jellied Tomatoes

1 large package Grape tomatoes
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
4 tablespoons of butter

Place all ingredients in large saucepan and cook over medium heat on top of the stove, uncovered.  Render down until tomatoes have thickened as jelly.

The red Creole sauce and Jellied Tomatoes can be topped on rice or grits.   Any version is delicious, but come on, main statement, just have fun, let’s have some fun!