Recipe Time!

This is one of my favorites!  Crawfish etouffee! It is a little time-consuming, but other than that, it is easy to make.

1 pound crawfish tails

1/2 cup bell pepper chopped

2 cups onion chopped

1/2 cup celery chopped

6 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 cup oil –I usually use olive oil, but vegetable oil will work, too

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme

1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups shrimp stock(you can make your own by saving the shells of shrimp when you peel shrimp and boiling them in water, pour off shells and you have stock!  Chicken stock will also work.

1/2 cup chopped green onions and 1/2 cup chopped parsley for garnish

Season onions, bell pepper, and celery with salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, thyme, and chopped red pepper, mix well and set aside

Prepare rice and set it aside

Heat oil and flour over medium heat, stirring constantly to make a roux the color of peanut butter.  This is the hardest part of this recipe, is the constant stirring…..this part generally takes about 45 minutes or so……once you have the roux the color of peanut butter, add in your seasoned vegetables and stir, cooking until they are soft. Should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Add your stock, tomatoes, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil. If any froth bubbles up, skim it off, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. You can also add some green onion and parsley at this time if you like. Add crawfish tails, butter, stir well.  Put in a bowl over cooked rice, top with green onions and parsley. Serve with a side of garlic bread.