's MOTD Sun 9/10/2006 Crawfish

[Guest guest]

's Daily Message

Sunday

September 10, 2006

THE SOUTHERN BOY IN ME

The PBS show went great, and I want to thank you for keeping me in your

prayers. I have to tell you, this was an emotionally exhausting experience.

When I got home, I went straight to bed, and in my dreams, I was sitting at

a table in the gumbo shop having Crawfish Etouffee. I woke up craving –

guess what – crawfish etouffee! After the radio show, I`m going home and

making my favorite crawfish dish.

Crawfish look like small lobsters. They are red like lobsters. They have a

tail like a lobster, and they sort of taste like lobster. They`re in many

supermarkets and can be found in the fish department. They come frozen from

my home state, Louisiana. If you can`t find crawfish, you can use shrimp in

this recipe.

Now a lot of Creole recipes start with a roux, which is made with sticks of

butter and flour. I watched my father make it many times. He would turn the

heat on high and melt the butter and slowly stir in the flour and cook it

until it was dark brown. A good roux gives any dish great flavor and

thickness. Now, I don`t make a roux like that! You know where all that

butter goes, so here is my personal recipe for a quick, easy, and low fat

crawfish etouffee!

In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of " I Can`t Believe it`s Not Butter "

spread and 4 tablespoons of vegetable broth. When bubbly, turn on high and

slowly add in 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Keep stirring the faux

roux until it`s brown. Add to this one cup and a half of chopped onions; one

cup of chopped celery, including leaves; 1 cup of chopped bell pepper; 8

green onions, tops and bottoms, chopped; 3 cloves of minced garlic; 3 bay

leaves; and 4 tablespoons of vegetable broth. Cook everything until it`s

soft. Now add one and a half cups of vegetable broth and the crawfish tails

that have been rinsed and well drained. Bring to a boil and then reduce the

heat. Add 10 drops of Tabasco sauce, and let it simmer until it`s thickened.

Can you smell it? I can, and I get to eat it later for dinner! The fish is

served over rice and topped with chopped parsley. A green salad with a

vinaigrette dressing spiced up with Creole mustard would be a nice companion

for this very southern and decadent meal. Try it; you`ll like it!

Love,