MAQUE CHOU (pronounced Mock Shoe) – corn/tomato stew

1 cup roux – medium heat stir ½ cup flour into ½ cup hot vegetable oil and keep stirring until it is the color of a pecan nut)
2 large bell peppers, cored and chopped
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia), chopped
1 cup coarsely diced green onion
¾ cup chopped parsley
7 cloves garlic, crushed
8 ears corn, with kernels cut off (reserve ears)
2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
1 bottle clam juice
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp seasoned salt
2 lbs peeled jumbo shrimp
hot sauce to taste

Heat roux slowly in iron Dutch oven. Stir in bell peppers, onions, parsley and garlic. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add corn, tomatoes, clam juice and stock – stir. With chef’s knife, scrape corn ears to get every bit of pulp and juice you can. Add corn scrapings to Dutch oven and stir. Add paste, salt and hot sauce. Crush 4-5 of shrimp with side of chef’s knife and dice. Add to mix and stir. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for 20 minutes. Test for flavor. Adjust salt and hot sauce levels if needed. Bring to boil and add shrimp. Cook, cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve