Spicy Shrimp Creole

Dinner was up to Jim tonight and he came across this recipe. Now I like spicy, but this was really spicy. I like spicy that has flavor and this was just H.O.T. Jim LOVED it. I would make this again, but maybe tone down the spicy a little and add all Red Hot sauce instead of Tabasco. Red Hot seems to have a little more flavor than Tabasco does. We served this over brown rice.

3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups julienne celery
2 onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp. white sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 tbsp. hot pepper sauce - I used half Tabasco and half Red Hot sauce
2 pounds medium shrimp - peeled and deveined

Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat. Saute celery, onions, red pepper and garlic in the Dutch oven until the onions are pearly white and the celery has begun to soften. Mix sugar, flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper into the Dutch oven. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, both pieces of bay leaf, and hot sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Approximately 15 minutes before serving, add shrimp to the pot and stir well. If necessary, raise the temperature to medium-low to ensure the Creole is bubbling but not burning. Scoop out the bay leaf halves before serving. Serve when the shrimp is pink and thoroughly cooked.