Crawfish Etouffee

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup flour (I used a gluten free mix)

1/2 stick butter

1/2 red bell pepper

1 small onion, diced

3 TBS chopped green onions

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 cans of diced tomatoes UNDRAINED

2 TBS diced celery

1 TBS dried parsley

1/2 TBS basil

2 bay leaves

2 cups chicken stock

2 pkgs of frozen crawfish tails, thawed and drained (Or you can boil crawfish and peel ’em and all that mess but I am not that dedicated to anything)

Couple of dashes of hot sauce, Crystal or Tabasco

1 package smoked sausage, sliced thinly and browned in a skillet

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1 TBS Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, (more to taste, I use about twice that)

1/2- 1 tsp of black pepper

Cooked rice.

1. Make a roux. Google this business if you’ve never done it. In a nutshell, put the oil in a stock pot and get it warmish, add the flour. Stir LIKE IT IS YOUR JOB until the roux turns dark brown without burning it. Don’t answer the phone . Don’t check Facebook. Whisk. It should be “the color of a fallen leaf.”

2. Add the butter and guess what? Whisk some more while it melts.

3. Add all the vegetables except the garlic, cook until tender THEN add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes (about a can and a half) with the juices and the chicken stock. Stir well and let simmer, add spices, bay leaves. Taste the roux and see if you need more salt or spices.

5. Add cooked sausage, drained crawfish and hot sauce. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes stirring frequently.

You may need to cover and simmer to make sure the vegetables are soft all the way through. This is WAAAAAAAY better the day after if you can stand to not eat it the same day you cook it. If not, make it early and let it sit in the fridge, warm it up and serve it over rice. If you want to feel superior, serve it over brown rice.

Freezes beautifully. (I don’t really know that, but name that movie!)

I tweaked this recipe from a cookbook of Sister Wife’s and as soon as I figure out the name of it I will credit it!