Shrimp & Sausage Stew

This is very quick and easy. When I think stew, I think hours of bubbling goodness and a good bit of labor. But, this takes less than a half hour and it's very flavorful. We had it last night - good for a cold winter dinner.

3/4 lb spicy sausage (hot Italian or Andouille)
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 32 oz box of chicken broth (Whole Foods broth is my favorite)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup canned diced tomatoes (Hunts fire-roasted works great)
6 fresh sprigs of thyme
1 lb shrimp

1. In a large pot, cook the sausage until about 3/4 cooked through. You can use sausage links, or I like to use ground sausage because the bits are incorporated throughout the stew rather than in big chunks.

2. Remove sausage from pot. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until soft in the sausage fat.

3. Add the flour, cumin and paprika and stir well until onions and garlic become dry.

4. Add the chicken broth and wine and stir until the onion/flour mixture is well incorporated.

5. Add the tomatoes and thyme. Bring stew to a boil and then simmer on medium for 30 minutes.

6. Add the sausage (3/4 cooked) and the shrimp (raw) and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
*Serve immediately - if you leave the shrimp in the stew for long, it tends to get tough.

Serves ~3 people.