Etouffee on Fat Tuesday!

etouffee
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Mardi Gras has long been a favorite holiday. In a sense it is not a religious holiday for most that celebrate the day, however, it does make for a great dinner.

In honor of this years Fat Tuesday I offer, Etouffee. Etouffee is my favorite Cajun food. It is spicy, filling and can be made with various meats. Traditionally it is made with Crawfish. Shrimp is a good substitute and as you can see in the picture chicken works well too. Etouffe is served at our house at least once a month, we don't wait for Mardi Gras to enjoy this great meal. It is a simple recipe to make and I encourage you to give it a try:

Etouffee:
8 T butter
1/2 cup of flour
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 lbs Crawfish tails or peeled Shrimp
3 T lemon juice
2 cups of fish or chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Cooked Rice

Prep:

1. Melt butter in skillet. Add flour and stir on low heat until flour is browned.
2. Add chopped onion, celery and bell peppers, garlic and cook uncovered until tender. About 15 minutes. Add salt, pepper and cayenne.
3. Stir in meat, lemon juice and stock cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes until gravy is formed.

Serve:

In flat bowl mound rice in center. Surround rice with Etouffee mixture. Garnish with scallions.

Enjoy! Mmmm. This should be a spicy dish with just a little heat.