Sunday, August 2, 2009

Cajun Crawfish Etouffee' + A Walk in the Garden

It was a hot, humid day in Cajun Country, which is par for the course, for August. But at least we are only in the low 90's with a few showers here and there. After that scorching heat wave that we had in June, July was kinder, with a lot more rain and lower temps. Perfect for growing flowers and healthy lawns.

I'm having my Dad over for Sunday dinner and started preparing, last night, just to get the entree out of the way. Crawfish Etouffee' is Dad's favorite Cajun dish and he calls it "coonass penicillin" because it has been known to cure more than a few maladies. (hangovers, sinus woes, and the common cold). With this fabulous recipe for Crawfish Etouffee', your guests are sure to ask for more! Enjoy!

Start with 1 lb. of (Certified Cajun) peeled Louisiana Crawfish. For those of you who do not have access to crawfish, shrimp may be substituted and is a divine dish in itself. And the combo of both makes for one sinfully delicious pot of stew. And if you happen to have any crabs around, throw a few of those in for good luck. Ca cest bon, cher!


Cajun Crawfish Etouffee'

2 lbs. peeled crawfish tails or
1 lb. peeled crawfish tails and 1/2 lb. each of peeled shrimp
and  fresh crab meat

1 cup each of chopped onions, bell peppers. and celery
2 tsp.'s minced garlic
1 can Rotel brand tomatoes and green chilies
1 cup of chopped green onions (divided)
1 tbsp. Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
Salt and Tabasco to taste
1 tbs. of fresh thyme, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups of water or seafood stock

First, you make a roux.

5 tbls.'s butter
5 tbsp's flour

Season crawfish or shrimp with Tony's in medium bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot, on low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly, until a light to medium brown color is reached. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and tomatoes and saute on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add a small amount of water to prevent sticking. Add the water or stock, parsley, seasonings and half of the green onions. Bring to a boil, add seasoned crawfish, or crawfish, shrimp, and crab meat and stir. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.


Serve over cooked rice and top with the remaining chopped onions. A tossed green salad and french bread compliment the spice nicely. Serves 6 Bon Appetit!

Cajun Supermarket :: Your One Stop Cajun Shop!

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A Walk in the Garden

Late this afternoon I went for a walk in the flower gardens, and took a few shots of nature's glory that I wanted to share with all of you. The zinnia patch is really going strong, this summer.

Everything is doing nicely, but requires a lot of watering, when mother nature does not co-operate. The hibiscus are thriving, as they love the climate.

The mixed planters are overflowing, especially the petunias and the sunny cosmos.
Because of the bounty of nature, summer is my favorite time of year. What is yours and why?


20 comments:

Elizabeth Bradley said...

I spotted crawfish in the seafood case of a local market a couple of weeks ago, I have no idea if they come from Louisiana but I'm about to find out. I am going to make this dish! I am only sorry that I lost my Pop last December and I can't make it for him. But we will eat it and THINK about how much he will enjoy it.

I'm afraid it's too dry around here to grow zinnias except in the early spring, but we sure do have lovely hibiscus in this yard, red and yellow, and happy as can be.

As usual, it's great to drop by your Cajun enthusiasm is catching!
Elizabeth

Elizabeth Bradley said...

I meant to say, Pop would enjoy it. Sorry...

Angie Ledbetter said...

Don't know which looks "gooder," the garden or the etouffee! :)

Jeni said...

Yummy food, good company and beautiful flowers -what more could anyone ask for anyway?

California Girl said...

I seriously doubt I can find crawfish in northern New England but shrimp works! Love the recipe. Thank you.

Unknown said...

The hibiscus is perfect!!

My favorite time of year is the fall actually. I love growing things and seeing the earth so alive in the summer like you. I really love when fall comes and things become crisp, and the holiday anticipation begins...it's just an excitement that summer doesn't have.

Marguerite said...

Elizabeth- That is so cool about you wanting to cook the crawfish. Once you get the roux down, it's all uphill from there. Thanks for the nice compliment, cher!

Angie- It's a no brainer for a Cajun. lol Have a good week!

Jeni- You are so right. I am truly blessed. I enjoyed your post about the bats.

Cal. Girl- You're very welcome. You're probably right about it being scarce in New England. But do try it with shrimp and maybe some crab.

Anna- I like fall, too, especially the cooler temperatures. And we have a long growing season, too.
Thanks so much for visiting!

Sally Townsend said...

Thanks for the visit and kind comments, we had some people from Louisuana stay last year and they had a ball, they also gave me a keyring with all these weird and wonderful sayings on. You're now seriously tempting me to come visit !!

Kat said...

Marguerite, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all your comments on my blog. They are very encouraging! I love flowers and yours look beautiful! Flowers are so uplifting. Heat is back again.

Vagabonde said...

That EtouffĂ©e looks delicious and it seems you are as talented in the garden as in the kitchen – I love your zinnias

The Good Cook said...

The gardens look fantastic. I too love summer and all of it's bounty. My next favorite is autumn with the harvest, the cooling nights, and the glorious colors of mother nature bedding down for the winter.

It's our anniversary tomorrow (TBHITW and I) - I'm going to make him this etouffee as a surprise! It will remind him of his years in New Orleans, working in the patch...

Kora Bruce [Dixie Lust] said...

Marguerite! I left you a little something on my last post...

Owen said...

Bonjour Marguerite !
You are so BAD !!! Everytime I come over here I get this wicked craving to taste some of the beautiful dishes you keep presenting in such mouth-watering full color... talk about leading a poor guy on ! And man, that beer butt chicken looks tasty too... we had roast chicken this weekend, with a tasty French red wine from Cahors... yum...

I think la Grenouille and I are gonna have to plan a trip to Louisiana one of these months, and take some cajun cooking lessons... it all looks TOO good ! :-)

Marguerite said...

Sally- Merci for your kind comment and for visiting. We would love to have you visit and I would love to stay at Le Chateau, sometime. The scenery is breathtaking!

Kat- You're so welcome, cher, and I so appreciate your kind compliments, too. I really enjoy reading your blog and seeing what's new at the compound. Cheers!

Vagabonde- Merci, mon cher, amis, and thanks so much for your flattering comments. I really loved your Alaska post!

Vancouver, Canada said...

Thanks for the lovely comment sweetie! I always love hearing from you :) Your blog is definitely one of the best blogs on the net!

Much Love, Sandy xx

Marguerite said...

Good Cook- Thanks for your kind comment and good luck with the etouffee. Your hubby will love it!

Kora- You are so sweet. Merci Beaucoup! :)

Owen- No cooking lessons necessary. Just follow the recipes and you can have Cajun cuisine on demand! Thanks for all of your sweet comments.

Sandy- So good to see you. Blogger hasn't been updating your posts on my blog list, for some weird reason, so it's a good thing that I check. Thanks for coming by!

Nancy said...

Oh my gosh, I am going to make this soon. I don't know if I can get crawfish here. I do know they catch them in Tahoe. In fact my daughter is visiting, and she and her friends were going to cook some on the beach, but she left early. They must be different though, because the water is so cold. Maybe I'll use the shrimp.

Anne Steen-Tierney said...

Can I ask, what is the difference between Etouffee' and gumbo? The recipes I've found look very similar.
I love, love, LOVE your recipes!
~Anne

Marguerite said...

Anne- Etouffee has a butter based roux and is more like a stew. Gumbo has an oil based roux and is more like a soup. Thanks for stopping by!

Anonymous said...

I know it has been a long time since this was posted, but I was wondering if this reheats ok? I was hoping to make it the day before and then warm it up the next day for serving. Any suggestions?