Crawfish Étouffée

You will need:
6 Cups of cooked long-grain white rice &

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
2-4 tablespoons of flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup of diced tomatoes with juice
½ cup chopped bell peppers
1 pound pre-peeled crawfish tails with juice
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon each of garlic and onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ to ½ cup of your favorite broth (chicken, fish, vegetable , clam)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped green s onions (scallions)

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions, celery and green peppers, cover, lower heat and allow the vegetables to “sweat” or soften without browning. Add flour and mix around. Cook for a few minutes or until mixture is lightly brown. Add the crawfish tails with juice, seasonings, tomatoes and bay leaves. Add a ¼ to ½ cup of broth. Reduce the heat to medium. Stirring occasionally, cook until the crawfish begin throwing off a little liquid, 10 to 12 minutes. If needed add a little more broth to make dish a stew-type consistency. Add ½ the parsley and green onions and cook for about 2 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and serve over white rice- garnish with remaining parsley and green onions.
Makes approx. 4 Servings