Cajun Dynamic Duos

One of my favorite duos in Cajun cooking is shrimp & andouille.  The sweet, clean taste of Gulf shrimp is the perfect thing to level out andouille's smokey, spicy richness.

This dynamic duo can be found in shrimp & andouille jambalaya, tossed with pasta, topping off grits, together on a Po Boy, or turned into a tasty sauce and poured over a baked potato.

Shrimp & Andouille Baked Potatoes

Another dynamic duo found in Cajun country...Steve Riley & David Greely.
At the end of January, the Music of Acadiana Performance Series featured Steve Riley & David Greely at NuNu's.  The program consists of an hour-long jam with the spotlight artist(s), an interview, and a performance.

We arrived early because the featured performers are The Boy's favorites.  He was actually a little nervous at the thought of jamming with them.

It was a great spring-like day even though it was January 29th.  Doors were opened, chairs moved, and the jam took place outside.

NuNu's, an art gallery/cafe/music venue, occupies an old lumber building.  I love this old door.

Jammers jamming

A sample of what was played on a sunny day, with wildflowers just starting to pop up from the ground

And another

After the jam, everyone moved inside for gumbo and the interview.  Steve Riley spoke fondly of Cajun music greats who came before him--people he idolized.  He still speaks about them with a certain amount of awe and appreciation.  I wondered if he realizes that young people, like The Boy I live with, feels the same way about him.

Riley and Greely then performed for the crowd.
Twin fiddles...

And their more common roles

What I like about these two is that when they play, you know they love it.

Great music and great food is a big ole chunk of life here.

For the baked potatoes--bake them any way you like.  I prefer Alton Brown's method of rubbing the skin with oil, salting, and baking.  Love the way the skin turns out.

The sauce is basically a quick and dirty back road to etouffee.

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Shrimp & Andouille Baked Potatoes
1/2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2-2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 c chicken stock
10-12 oz andouille, small dice
12 oz shrimp, medium to small in size
salt, pepper, Tony's Creole seasoning, all to taste
green onion for garnish
4 medium russet potatoes, baked how you like them

Heat oil in a skillet.  Saute sausage with onion and celery until softened and the onion starts to turn golden.  add the garlic and saute a few more minutes.

Sprinkle about 1 1/2 Tbsp flour over the mixture.  Stir to coat and saute for a few minutes to cook the flour. Add the liquid and season with salt, peppers, and Tony's.  Simmer about 10 minutes.

Add the shrimp and simmer about 7-8 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through.

Split open each baked potato and top with the andouille and shrimp mixture.  Garnish with chopped green onion.

Linking this week with:

Food on Friday: Potatoes @ Carole's Chatter

Also linking with
Feed Your Soul @ Around My Family Table


Southern Sundays @ A Slice of Southern


Tuesday Trivia & Linky Party @ Memories by the Mile