Crawfish Bread
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup crawfish or shrimp stock or water
- Pinch dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbs. chopped garlic
- 1 1/2 cups crawfish tails, with fat if possible
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
- 3 sprigs chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/3 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 tsp. salt-free Creole seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 8 oz. shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 loaf poor boy bread, or three loaves brown-and-serve French bread
Instructions
- 1
In a large heavy skillet, melt the butter and heat it to a bubble. Add flour gradually and stir constantly over medium-high heat to make a roux. Cook until light brown--about five minutes.
- 2
Lower heat and add green onions, bell pepper, and celery. Saute until limp, but not browned--about three minutes. Keep stirring to avoid burning the roux.
- 3
Add wine and bring it to a boil. After a minute, add stock, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic, then return to a boil. Simmer about five minutes more, or until thickened.
- 4
Add crawfish tails, tomatoes, parsley, green onions, Creole seasoning, and salt. Simmer for about eight to ten minutes, until sauce can be picked up with a fork. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
- 5
Sprinkle a thin but complete layer of cheese over bread. Put the bread into a hot broiler or toaster oven until the cheese melts. Take the bread out and spoon the crawfish sauce down the center of the bread, and top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven until the sauce begins to bubble. Slice into appropriate serving portions and serve hot.