| EASY ÉTOUFFÉE RECIPES |
| I fell in love with Cajun cuisine when I lived in the Lafayette area of Louisiana for 6 years. And yes, there is a different between Cajun and Creole cooking. After 20+ years, I still remember my first taste of authentic seafood gumbo. Love at first slurp! And my former roommate loved to smother rice with everything from pork chops and gravy to crawfish étouffée. She whatever was in the fridge. The word "étouffée" comes from the French étouffer, which means to smother. It is pronounced “ay-too-FAY.” It is most like what one would call gravy. The best investment on earth – and inexpensive, too – is to purchase a rice cooker. You can get one at most Wal-Mart stores. Season-All: Tony Chachere's, Konriko Brand, Zatarain's, etc., or you can make up your own mix - mix, taste, and try until you get a blend you like. Most seasoning mixes contain salt, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder with additions of dried herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme. Mix up a batch and store in an airtight container to keep it fresh for as long as a month or two. You can usually pick up frozen crawfish tail meat at a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Or you can purchase yummies at www.cajungrocer.com. I use brown rather than white rice since brown rice is supposed to be healthier for you. I also tend to mess with any recipes I use. I absolutely do not call myself a gourmet cook or purist, much less an expert in Cajun cuisine. I just know what tastes good to me! So for all my friends who live in Louisiana, no critiquing and no laughing! ******************** CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFÉE Note: Recipe can be adjusted to add more crawfish. Except for garlic, flour and butter, the quantities stay the same. Adjust the amount for each of those for each pound of crawfish you add. I use frozen crawfish since fresh is hard to come by here! I also use frozen chopped onion and bell peppers when I’m in a hurry. 2 lbs. fresh (or 2 12-ounce packages frozen) crawfish tails 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1-1/2 bell peppers, finely chopped 2 teaspoons garlic (1 teaspoon per pound per pound of crawfish) 2 tablespoons flour (1 tablespoon per pound of crawfish) 1 stick margarine or butter (1/2 a stick per pound of crawfish) Salt and pepper or season-all to taste Cooked rice Melt butter or margarine at low heat. Add onions, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté slowly at very low heat until onions are transparent. Add flour, a little at a time, stirring frequently to prevent lumps and sticking. Add crawfish tails and season to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes stirring frequently. Serve hot over rice or potatoes (mashed or boiled). Makes about 4-6 servings Some people add tomatoes (i.e., a large can of chopped) but it is said this makes it more Creole than Cajun. Do whatever tastes best to you! I like it both ways. ******************** SHRIMP ÉTOUFFÉE 2 cups chopped onions 1 cup chopped bell peppers 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter or margarine 3 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 cup water Salt and cayenne to taste 1/4 cup chopped parsley 2 tablespoons chopped green onions Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic and sauté for about five minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Add the shrimp. Cook, stirring often, for about five to 10 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Add the salt, cayenne, parsley and green onions. Cook for two minutes. Serve over rice. Makes about: 6 servings Copyright © 2009 Nan C Loyd All rights reserved. Used by permission. |
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