Fattening Tuesday
I pride myself on making the finest etouffee east of the Mississippi Hudson. Here’s my recipe, which was originally the crawfish etouffee recipe rustled from The New Orleans Cookbook but since modified (little hard to find crawfish or crawfish fat in Connecticut). As I tell Mrs. Kuhl, it’s basically health food — except for, you know, the sausage and the six tablespoons of butter.
Shrimp and Sausage Etouffee
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 or 4 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb. shrimp, peeled
- 1/2 lb. or 3 or 4 links sausage, preferably andouille, sliced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne (I use this)
- couple shakes of Tabasco for luck
- 1/4 or 1/2 cup of water or shrimp stock
- 3 or 4 scallions, chopped
- cooked rice
In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Gradually add flour, stirring constantly, and cook until a nutty brown roux is formed — about 20 minutes (Alton Brown has a method where he bakes the roux but I’ve never tried it). Remember: Don’t rush the roux!
Add onion, pepper, celery, and garlic and continue stirring until vegetables are cooked but still crisp — about 15 minutes. Add shrimp, sausage, salt, pepper, cayenne, Tabasco, and water or shrimp stock and bring to a boil, then simmer until shrimp are pink. Add scallions and stir.
Ladle over rice. Serve with lager; for authenticity try Abita or Dixie, if you can find it.
Next year: my recipe for Bananas Foster!
