Friday, March 25, 2011

Crawfish Etouffee Recipe

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Crawfish Etouffee Recipe

Posted By Danno On July 1, 2009 @ 12:05 am In Featured Post,Recipes

As much as I love the spring Crawfish Boil ^[1], I always look forward to having some leftover Crawfish tail meat to play with for later use. After my spring boil I had a fair amount of Crawfish leftover so I sat down with a cold beer after our guests had left, relaxed and picked all of the tail meat as well as the fat from the heads.
This is one of those tasks that is actually a very therapeutic process for me, like peeling shrimp, or making roux, where you can just sit or stand there and enjoy the silence and repetition of the task at hand, let your brain go and think about whatever; kind of like sleep without the bad dreams.

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From Nola Cuisine ^[3]

I ended up with about 2 pounds of tail meat, the perfect amount for a nice batch of Crawfish Etouffee. I made a batch of Crawfish Stock ^[4] from the shells and vacuum sealed the tails and fat for later use.

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From Nola Cuisine ^[3]

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From Nola Cuisine ^[3]

Which brings me to lunch today.
The smell of Crawfish Etouffee or Shrimp Etouffee (my recipe ^[7]), makes me more nostalgic for Louisiana than any other dish I can think of, even above Gumbo and Red Beans. I arrived home from work tonight to sit down and write this post and was met with the aroma of Etouffee still hanging out in the house, heavenly.
The real key to this recipe as with my Shrimp Etouffee, is the stock. Seafood stocks are simple and require a very short cooking time yielding great results.
This recipe leans a little more to the country than my Shrimp Etouffee Recipe ^[7], although they are similar, neither shy with the butter, but this one doesn’t use tomatoes. I hope you enjoy it!
The recipe:

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From Nola Cuisine ^[3]

Crawfish Etouffee Recipe
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning ^[9]
4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
2 lbs Crawfish Tail meat
1/4 Cup Flour
1 1/2 to 2 Cups Crawfish Stock ^[4]
1/4 Cup Minced Garlic
2 Tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves, chopped
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce ^[10]
1 tsp Hot Sauce (I like Crystal or Louisiana Gold)
1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Italian Parsley, minced
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice
1 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice ^[11]
Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and 1 Tablespoon of the Creole seasoning, saute until translucent. Add the Crawfish tail meat, the remaining Creole seasoning and saute until the tails let off some of their liquid, cook for 3-5 minutes more. Add the flour, stirring constantly for about 3-5 minutes.
Add a small amount of the crawfish stock, stir well to form a paste, add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need a little more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of a gravy, not too thick, not too thin.
Add the garlic, Thyme, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, a little salt, black pepper. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Add the green onions and parsley, simmer for 5-10 minutes more.
Stir in the 3 Tbsp butter, lemon juice, and adjust the seasonings to taste.
Serve over Creole Boiled Rice ^[11].
Serves 4 as an Appetizer or 2 as a large entree.

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From Nola Cuisine ^[3]

Related Posts:
Shrimp Etouffee Recipe ^[7]
Crawfish Boil Recipe ^[1]
Crawfish Stock Recipe ^[4]
Live Louisiana Crawfish Recipe ^[12]
Shrimp Stock Recipe ^[13]
Shrimp Creole Recipe ^[14]
Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes ^[15] which provides links to all of the recipes featured on this site!

Article printed from Nola Cuisine: http://www.nolacuisine.com

URL to article: http://www.nolacuisine.com/2009/07/01/crawfish-etouffee-recipe/

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Iconic Cajun dishes: Gumbo

Published: Thursday, April 15, 2010, 10:37 AM Updated: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 9:48 AM

By Brett Anderson, The Times-Picayune

One struggles to think of a dish from a cuisine of similar depth — Mexican tacos? — whose ubiquity is as thorough as gumbo’s in south Louisiana. It is a constant on the menus of restaurants from here to the Texas border as well as on the stoves in homes of every class and race located along that same broad swath.

The word gumbo is equally omnipresent whenever people struggle to verbalize the dizzying viscosity of New Orleans culture. There is a reason for this. Gumbo has no single history. It has a jillion, and you could say the same of New Orleans.

Around the mid-1970s, before the emergence of nouvelle cuisine and the subsequent surge in ambitious restaurants, before Paul Prudhomme took over the kitchen at Commander’s Palace, it was easier to track the differences in gumbo along geographic and racial lines.

Judging by the contents of Cajun cookbooks and conversations with natives of Acadiana, the thick, dark-roux gumbo favored by New Orleans chefs today is Cajun in style. It is now, at least in restaurants, dominant to the lighter, brothier gumbo that New Orleanians remember eating 40 years ago.

Mr. B’s Bistro201 Royal St., 504.523.2078Mr. B’s Bistro opened in 1979, and its gumbo ya-ya signaled the shifting tastes. The hearty broth leaves a thin coat on the back of your spoon, and it is dark enough to partially camouflage whatever pulled chicken and mahogany brown andouille doesn’t jut above the surface.

According to the restaurant’s cookbook, the recipe originated with Jimmy Smith, an early Mr. B’s chef approximating the gumbo he grew up eating in Cajun country, and its name is said to “come from women who would cook the gumbo all day long talking, or ‘ya-ya-ing.’”

Other great Cajun-style gumbo:

Herbsaint701 St. Charles Ave., 504.524.4114

Brigtsen’s723 Dante St., 504.861.7610

More iconic dishes native to Cajun country, Cajun versions of those found throughout south Louisiana and those that have been altered by their exposure to big city modernity:

Cochon de Lait
Courtbouillon
Crawfish etouffee
Jambalaya
Alligator
Boudin

Monday, March 14, 2011

Gumbo Filé

Gumbo Filé / NOLA.COM

Published: Saturday, May 01, 2010, 10:22 AM
Updated: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 12:00 PM

By The Times-Picayune

*See note at end about Filé powder.

To make a good "Gumbo File" use the following ingredients:

1 Large Tender Chicken

2 Large Slices or 1/2 Pound Lean Ham

2 Tablespoonfuls of Butter or 1 of Lard

1 Bay Leaf

3 Sprigs of Parsley

3 Dozen Oysters

1 Large Onion

1 Sprig of Thyme

2 Quarts of Oyster Water

2 Quarts of Boiling Water

1 Half Pod of Red Pepper, without the Seed
Salt and Pepper and Cayenne to taste.

Clean and cut up the chicken as for a fricassee. Dredge with salt and black pepper, judging according to taste. Cut the ham into dice shapes and chop the onion, parsley and thyme very fine. Put the lard or butter into the soup kettle or deep stewing pot, and when hot, put in the ham and chicken.

Cover closely and fry for about five or ten minutes. Then add the onion and parsley and thyme, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When nicely browned add the boiling water and throw in the oyster stock, which has been thoroughly heated. Add the bay leaf chopped very fine, and the pepper pod, cut in two, and set the Gumbo back to simmer for about an hour longer. When nearly ready to serve dinner and while the Gumbo is boiling add the fresh oysters.

Let the Gumbo remain on the stove for about three minutes longer, and then remove the pot from the fire. Have ready the tureens, set in a "bainmarle." or hot water bath, for once the File is added the Gumbo must never be warmed over.

Take two tablespoonfuls of the File and drop gradually into the pot of boiling hot Gumbo, stirring slowly to mix thoroughly; pour into the tureen or tureens, if there should be a second demand and serve with boiled rice. (See recipe.) The rice, it should be remarked, must be boiled so that the grains stand quite apart, and brought t o the table in a separate dish, covered. Serve about two spoonfuls of rice to one plate of Gumbo.

The above recipe is for a family of six. Increased quantities in proportion as required. Never boil the Gumbo with the rice, and never add the File while the Gumbo is on the fire, as boiling after the File is added tends to make the Gumbo stringy and unfit for use, else the File is precipitated to the bottom of the pot, which is equally to be avoided.

Where families cannot afford a fowl, a good Gumbo may be made by substituting the round of the beef for the chicken.

*NOTE: (Editor's note: The following was taken from "The Picayune's Creole Cook Book," circa 1901 and content may be dated)

First, it will be necessary to explain here, for the benefit of many, that "File" is a powder, first manufactured by tribes of Choctaw Indians in Louisiana, from the young and tender leaves of the sassafras.

The Indian squaws gathered the leaves and spread them on a stone mortar to dry. When thoroughly dried, they pounded them into a fine powder, passed them through a hair sieve, and then brought the File to New Orleans to sell, coming twice a week to the famous French Market, from the reservation set aside for their home on Bayou Lacombe, near Mandeville. La.

The Indians used sassafras leaves and the sassafras for many medicinal purposes, and the Creoles, quick to discover and apply, found the possibilities of the powdered sassafras, or "Filé," and originated the well-known dish. "Gumbo Filé."

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Homemade File Powder

Homemade Filé Powder / NOLA

Posted By Danno On July 3, 2006 @ 2:05 pm In Articles,Recipes

I finally made a small batch of homemade Filé Powder, and I can’t believe the difference between the true Filé and the store bought variety.

The Filé that I made smells subtle and fruity like coriander seeds, or as my wife said, “Fruit Loops.” It’s color as you can see, is army green, and I’m assuming that it’s thickening power is way more intense than the store bought, which I’ve noticed has zero thickening power at all, and has a flavor that can almost take over the flavor of your Gumbo.

The store bought Filé smells very woodsy, and you can detect some thyme and possibly some bay leaf in there, it’s color is tan. One that I saw recently contained Sage, Oregano, and Thyme, and no Sassafras at all. There are definately some good ones out there, but definately some really bad ones. For example, here is a picture of the two side by side, the store bought is in the background, my homemade is in the foreground:

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From Nola Cuisine ^[2]

The following is from the 1978 book Creole Gumbo and All That Jazz by Howard Mitcham ^[3]:
The Story of Filé

For hundreds of years the Choctaw Indians have had a settlement at Bayou Lacombe on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and they had a way of making Gumbo long before the white man and the black man arrived. They invented filé (pronounced feelay). The tender green leaves of the sassafras tree are gathered, dried, and ground to a powder. Only a few tablespoons of the powder will thicken a whole pot of Gumbo and give it a flavor that’s spicy and pleasant. The filé must always be added after the pot is removed from the fire. If allowed to boil, it becomes stringy and unpalatable. Okra and filé should never be used together in a Gumbo or it will be as thick as mud. The Creoles in New Orleans used filé only in the wintertime, when fresh okra was not available but many Cajuns prefer filé gumbo year-round. They pass a big bowl of filé around at the table, so that all the guests may take as much as they want.

The Indians also supplied dried bay leaves (laurel), an essential flavoring element in most Creole soups and stews. At the old French Market there were always several Choctaws sitting in the shade of the arcade, peddling their small caches of filé and dried bundles of bay leaves.
On several visits to Bayou Lacombe a few years ago I was fortunate enough to meet one of the last of those Indian filé makers. His name was Nick Ducre, and he was over eighty-five, very proud, wise and independent. He owned a few acres of very valuable land on the banks of the bayou. Rich folks had built up bayou estates all around him, but he clung to his land and kept it in a primitive state with plenty of game-coons, possums, squirrels, rabbits, and even a few deer. A great story teller, he told us much about the good old days in the early part of the century. Once a month he would take a schooner across the lake to New Orleans and sell his filé and bay leaves at the market at the New Basin Canal. He would sell out in one day, buy himself a pint of whiskey, and sail for home that night, a happy Indian.
At our last parting Nick gave me a sample jar of his homemade filé, and I made a pot of gumbo with part of it. Because I didn’t realize just how strong it was, I overdid it. That gumbo got so thick, the stirring spoon stood upright in it. I have saved the rest of that filé as a memento of one of the best Indians I ever knew.
So whenever you eat gumbo filé, give a thought to the almost vanished Choctaws of Lacombe. filé of a commercial grade can be purchased at any grocery store in New Orleans and in the Cajun country, but the homemade kind is stronger and tastier. If you can’t find an Indian source, you can make it yourself by pounding dried sassafras leaves with pestle and mortar. And while you’re at it, pound up a few bay leaves for a terrific flavoring element.The Choctaws and their Filé are long gone from the French Market, which is now little more than a tourist trap to purchase Mardi Gras beads, T-shirts, and a million varieties of hot sauce. It’s still a must stop though, if just to feel the history of the old French Market.

Here is a quote from Leah Chase regarding Filé from the 1978 publication Creole Feast ^[4] by Nathaniel Burton & Rudy Lombard:

I don’t buy the filé powder for my gumbo off the shelves. My daddy makes it for me. He grinds it himself and it is perfect because it is pure sassafras. He has sassafras trees and he dries the leaves. The filé from a store will have maybe a little bay leaf in it and it’s much weaker. Mine is pure sassafras, nothing mixed in, and it’s always fresh and strong. Daddy sends it to me in little mayonnaise bottles.

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From Nola Cuisine ^[2]

How to make homemade Filé Powder

Locate a Sassafras tree ^[6] and take some branches containing the younger, more tender leaves.

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From Nola Cuisine ^[2]

Hang the branches outside to dry (preferably out of the direct sun) for about one week.

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From Nola Cuisine ^[2]

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From Nola Cuisine ^[2]

When the leaves are completely dry, remove the leaves from the stems and pulverize very well in a mortar and pestle, or an electric coffee grinder as I did.

Pass the powder through a very fine sieve, or a metal coned coffee filter as I did. It was a painstaking process as the mesh was too fine, but it worked to remove all of the little twigs, and tough pieces.

Store in an airtight container and keep out of the sunlight.

I feel a Filé Gumbo ^[10] in Nola Cuisine’s very near future, I will keep you posted.

**Update** I recently noticed a container of Tony Chachere’s File powder at the store and picked some up. It’s the real deal, pure Sassafras, just like my homemade. Highly recommended!

Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes ^[11] which provides links to all of the recipes featured on this site!

Article printed from Nola Cuisine: http://www.nolacuisine.com

URL to article: http://www.nolacuisine.com/2006/07/03/homemade-file-powder/

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Origins of Creole Gumbo

Origins of

Creole gumbo

Origins of Creole gumbo

Origins of Creole gumbo

Published: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 10:19 AM

Updated: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 11:06 AM

By The Times-Picayune

(Editor's note:
The following was taken from "The Picayune's Creole Cook Book,"
circa 1901 and content may be dated)

Gumbo, of all unique dishes of the New Orleans cuisine, represents a most distinctive type of the evolution of good cookery under the hands of the famous Creole cuisinieres of old New Orleans.

Indeed, the word "evolution" fails to apply when speaking of Gumbo, for it is an original conception, a something "sui generis" in cooking, peculiar to this ancient Creole city alone, and to the manor born.

With equal ability the older Creole cooks saw the possibilities of original and delicious combinations in making Gumbo, and hence we have many varieties, till the occult science of making a good "Gombo a la Creole" seems too fine an inheritance of gastronomic lore to remain forever hidden away in the cuisines of this old Southern metropolis.

The following recipes, gathered with care from the best housekeepers of New Orleans, have been handed down from generation to generation. They need only to be tried to prove their perfect claim to the admiration of the many distinguished visitors and epicures who have paid tribute to our Creole Gumbo.