Creole Shrimp Sauce Piquante

Heat that oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add your trinity - onion, bell pepper, and celery - along with the garlic and both peppers. Cook until the vegetables start to soften and smell like home, about 5-6 minutes. (Don't rush the trinity, cher - it's the foundation of all good Creole cooking)

Pour in those tomatoes with all their juices and toss in the bay leaves. Bring it to a good boil, then drop it down to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away uncovered for 10 minutes so the flavors can get acquainted and the sauce thickens up nice.

Season your shrimp with salt and pepper, then nestle them into that beautiful red sauce. Cover the pan and let them cook 4-5 minutes until they're pink and curled up tight. Don't overcook them, baby - nobody wants rubber shrimp.

Pull out those bay leaves, taste for seasoning, and finish with fresh green onions scattered over the top. Serve over white rice with some good French bread for sopping.