RSJ’s Crawfish Etouffee (tomato version)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter or canola oil

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups yellow onion, medium dice

1 cup green bell pepper, medium dice

1 cup celery, medium dice

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups, chicken or seafood stock, heated

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

2 pounds peeled crawfish tails

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

3 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons kosher salt.

1 1/2 cups whole grain rice

Place the butter or oil in a 14-inch skillet and heat over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Cook the roux until it becomes the color of peanut butter. Add in the onions, bell pepper, and celery and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 2 more minutes. Use a wire whisk to stir the hot stock into the vegetable mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes then stir in the crawfish. Bring the mixture back to a simmer. Once the crawfish is heated thoroughly, stir in the parsley and remove from heat.

For the rice, in a 1-quart saucepot, bring the stock and salt to a boil, stir in the rice and reduce the heat so that the stock is barely simmering. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Yield: 6-8 servings