The Recipe Thread [tm--CajunCook]
Here you go...got any seafood? This will work with just about anything, but it's called:
CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE
Feo, I hope you don't mind the cross post:
I checked it out and feoinfunroe's recipe is pretty close to mine. Since I'm a little buzd (ahem), I'm going to expand on it a bit, because it's really easy to make a good etouffee.
First the "trinity" is onions, celery, and bell peppers in a roughly 2:1:1 ratio. Extra celery always helps. Garlic is kind of the stepchild, and it burns faster, but we all love garlic, right?
The best etouffee is made with hand-picked crawfish, or at least LA crawfish tails. Chinese crawfish won't make good etouffee, because you need the fat. If you peel your own (5-7 lbs per lb of meat), keep the shells and make a stock. Simmer the shells lightly for 15-30 minutes in a gallon or so of water. If using packaged meat, squeeze off the fat and add it to the roux (do it also with hand picked meat).
1. Make a roux. Equal parts flour and butter, roughly half a cup of each (or oil to taste). Make a light or dark roux, just don't burn it. It's a question of style. Prepackaged roux and making in the microwave are both cheap outs, but work surprisingly well (no one will know).
2. Stop the roux from cooking by adding the Trinity. 1 cup onions, 1 cup celery, 1/2ish cup peppers. Cook 5 minutes and add as much garlic as you feel like (it may burn if you add it right way). The vegetables stop the roux from cooking. Continue to stir well, about 15 minutes.
3. Optional - add one small can tomato paste. There is much argument about this. I add it if I have it - sometimes not. I don't care. Cook another 5-10 minutes, stirring.
4. Add stock, hopefully crawfish stock (probably a pint or two - experiment to get the thickness you want). Stir well, and allow to simmer for a while. Add bay leaves and Tony's (or other cajun seasoning) to taste. For extra spice, add cayenne. A little white wine and/or dark beer at this point is good too. You can add other herbs and spices, but you can make great etouffee without them. Simmer for a while and allow to thicken.
5. Chop up the whites from some green onions (reserve the greens for garnish to serve). Add with the crawfish and simmer another 10 minutes or so. You don't want to overcook the crawfish - just heat them up and blend the rest of the fat.
6. Serve over rice topped with chopped tops of the green onions. easy.