Mixed Cajun Etouffee Food

MIXED CAJUN ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• In a large hot skillet, brown the sausage quickly over high heat to seal in juices.
• Remove to medium size bowl. Go ahead and taste a piece if you want.
• Add the chicken breasts to the same pan and quickly brown both sides, cooking through. If the breasts are really thick, you may want to slice them in half or pound them so they will cook through without burning the outside.
• Remove chicken to cutting board to cool.
• Meanwhile, throw shrimp in pan and give a quick browning (no more than 45-60 seconds).
• Add browned shrimp to bowl with sausage. The shrimp doesn't tempt me as much as the sausage, but go ahead a sample a piece if you want.
• Now head back to the chicken. Should be cool enough to handle if you're careful. Either shred into bite size pieces or dice with a sharp knife.
• Add to the shrimp and sausage.
• Measure out one cup of beer and set aside.
• Pour the remaining beer over the meat mixture.
• Add chopped parsley and combine well.
• Using the same skillet that you browned your meat in, melt the butter over medium heat, scraping up the browned bits of meat.
• Whisk in flour a little at a time, stirring continuously until smooth.
• Continue cooking until roux (flour and butter mixture) is nice and browned, 10-15 minutes. Don't rush it by turning up the heat or you'll burn it.
• Add onions, celery, peppers and garlic to roux.
• Cook 4-5 minutes until crisp-tender.
• Stir in spices and cook another 5-10 minutes.
• At this point, I transfer to a bigger pot because I don't have a big enough skillet. If you need to do this, heat your bigger pot a few minutes before you add the chicken broth and beer (next step)so it's ready to go. If just using one pot, ignore this step.
• Add remaining cup of beer and chicken broth to roux/veggie mixture. Add hot sauce if desired.
• Stir well to combine, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.
• Pour meat mixture into pot and combine well.
• Continue cooking 5-10 minutes longer.
• Serve with hot rice.

SHRIMP ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously to make a roux. Stir the roux over medium heat until the color of peanut butter, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic to the roux, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pot and season with the bay leaves, salt, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of the Essence. Cook the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes and then whisk in the shrimp stock.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook the etouffee, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Season the shrimp with the remaining tablespoon of Essence and add them to the pot, stirring to evenly distribute. Cook the shrimp for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are cooked through. Add the chopped parsley to the pot and stir to combine.
• Serve immediately over steamed white rice and garnish with sliced green onion tops.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Place the shrimp shells and heads in a large colander and rinse under cold running water for several minutes.
• Combine the shrimp shells and remaining ingredients in a heavy 6-quart stockpot, add 4 quarts water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim to remove any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, skimming occasionally.
• Remove the stock from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container; let cool completely. Refrigerate the stock for up to 3 days or freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months.

LOUISIANA CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• Combine the rice and 6 cups water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.
• While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until transparent. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a minute. Stir in the flour until well blended. Gradually stir in the tomato sauce and remaining 1 cup water, then add the crawfish tails and bring to a simmer. Add the green onions and season with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat, until the crawfish is cooked but not tough. Serve over hot cooked rice.

CAJUN SHRIMP ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• 1. Saute onions, garlic and bell peppers in butter until wilted.
• 2. Add shrimp and chicken broth. Simmer for 30 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Add a tablespoon of roux at a time to achieve desired thickness.
• 3. Cook 20 minutes after adding roux. Serve over hot rice.
• 4. Roux - Take 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup oil. Mix and brown (stirring constantly) in a heavy pot until the color of light chocolate.

SEAFOOD ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• In large, heavy pan melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 20 to 25 minutes or until a dark reddish-brown roux is formed.
• Stir in the undrained tomatoes and chilies, water, sliced carrot and celery, chopped onion and green peppers, basil, salt, minimum amount of cayenne (can always be adjusted up later), and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer about 25 minutes until vegetables are tender. Adjust the hotness with additional cayenne if desired. (Can be prepared to this point with the vegetables undercooked, then refrigerated to be reheated and completed right before serving).
• With the stew simmering, add the shrimp and crabmeat and simmer uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
• Serve in bowls with stew on the bottom and a mound of rice atop. Serve with a crusty French bread.

CAJUN CRAWFISH AND SHRIMP ÉTOUFFéE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in flour, and stir constantly until the mixture turns 'peanut butter' brown or darker, at least 15 or 20 minutes. I use a large fork with the flat side to the bottom of the pan in a side to side motion. This is your base sauce or 'roux'. It is very important to stir this constantly. If by chance the roux burns, discard and start over.
• Once the roux is browned, add the onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper to the skillet, and saute for about 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and fish stock, and season with the seafood seasoning. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Season the sauce with hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper (if using), and add the crawfish and shrimp. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.