Crawfish Etouffee

1/4 pound butter
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped green peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh chopped garlic
4 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
4 dashes Tabasco
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
Melt butter in large heavy-duty pot. Add onions, peppers, garlic and all seasonings. Sauté, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent (15 minutes).
Add mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add flour and mix thoroughly for 1 minute, stirring often. Add whipping cream and half-and-half. Cook until cream thickens but does not boil, stirring often.
Add tomato sauce and cook for 15 minutes. Add desired meat, seafood or crawfish. Stirring often, cook until meat or vegetables are done. The longer you let the sauce cook, the more flavorful it becomes.

Everything Jambalaya

1 cup enriched white rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (white or dark)
1/2 pound andouille, casing removed and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 tablespoons (several drops) cayenne pepper sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons (a handful) all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (14 ounce) can or paper container chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 rounded teaspoon dark chili powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay or poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled
Coarse salt and black pepper
Chopped scallions, for garnish
Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish
Cook rice according to package directions.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Cube chicken and place in hot oil and butter. Brown chicken 3 minutes, add sausage, and cook 2 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay and cayenne.
Saute vegetables 5 minutes, sprinkle flour over the pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes more. Stir in tomatoes and broth and season with cumin, chili, poultry seasoning, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil and add shrimp.
Simmer shrimp 5 minutes until pink and firm. Remove the pot from the heat and place on a trivet. Ladle jambalaya into shallow bowls. Using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of rice in the center of the bowlsful of jambalaya. Sprinkle dishes with salt, pepper, chopped scallions and thyme leaves. Serves 4.

Fat Tuesday Noodles with Smoked Sausage and Shrimp

Makes 7 (1-cup) servings.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Coarse Ground Black Pepper
1/2 pound smoked sausage or andouille sausage
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cups chicken broth
8 ounces angel hair pasta, uncooked
1. Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, celery and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in Italian seasoning and red and black pepper.
2. Cut sausage in half lengthwise, then in 1/2-inch slices. Add sausage and shrimp to skillet. Cook 2 minutes or until shrimp begin to turn pink.
3. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Break pasta in half; add to skillet. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until pasta is just tender.
Recipe and photograph provided courtesy ©2008 McCormick & Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jambalaya

Sausage, peppers, tomatoes and rice create a hallmark in flavorful Creole cooking.
Makes: 5 servings
8 ounces lean turkey Polish-kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 cups frozen stir-fry bell peppers, thawed
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked fat-free ham (about 8 ounces)
2 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups Progresso® diced tomatoes (from 28-ounce can), undrained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) fat-free chicken broth
1 cup uncooked parboiled (converted) rice
Red pepper sauce, if desired
1. Spray 4-quart Dutch oven with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. In Dutch oven, cook sausage about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until brown. Remove sausage from Dutch oven; set aside.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice and pepper sauce. Heat to boiling; stir in rice. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir in sausage; heat until hot. Serve with pepper sauce.

Mardi Gras Gumbo

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts (8 cups) water
1 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 chicken, cut up
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 jar fresh oysters (1 pint)
Tabasco sauce (optional)
Gumbo file
Slowly brown oil and flour to make dark roux. Add onions, simmer until onion wilts. Add salt, garlic, and water. Bring to boil. Add cayenne pepper, chicken (which has been browned in separate pot) with all contents of browning pot. Simmer 30 minutes. Add shrimp. Simmer 20 minutes. Add oysters. Simmer 20 or 30 minutes more.

Mardi Gras Jambalaya

1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup green onion, diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 tablespoon red pepper
Pinch of salt
1 cup smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup chicken, cooked and diced
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups uncooked rice
Sauté all ingredients in olive oil except the chicken stock and rice. Add chicken stock and rice; cook slowly until rice is done. Serve hot. Serves 4-6.

Mardi Gras Shrimp

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 clove garlic
1 bunch green onions
1 pound shrimp
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1/2 cup whipping cream
8-12 ounces pasta
Melt butter, press garlic, chop onions; mix together. Peel shrimp, add to butter and saute 4 minutes. Add seasoning, cream and cooked pasta and toss together.

New Orleans Best Gumbo

Makes: 15 servings
6 cups water
1 package (1 pound) chicken gizzards, chopped
2 tablespoons seasoned salt
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
Dash of ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 large green bell pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 pounds uncooked turkey or beef sausage links, cut into 1-inch slices
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
4 cups hot water
1 bag (1 pound) frozen chopped okra
1 package (6 ounces) frozen ready-to-serve crabmeat, thawed and drained
2 pounds fresh uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can (8 ounces) regular or smoked oysters, drained
Hot cooked rice, if desired
1. In 8-quart pot, heat 6 cups water to boiling. Add gizzards, seasoned salt, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, paprika, red pepper, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in sausage. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, in heavy 2-quart saucepan, heat oil over high heat. Stir in flour; reduce heat to medium. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is dark brown; remove from heat.
3. Stir flour mixture into gizzard mixture until blended. Stir in 4 cups hot water, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Stir in okra, crabmeat, shrimp and oysters. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 5 to 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm. Serve over rice.

Shrimp Stew

1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth, or 2 cups homemade
1 to 1 1/2 cups sliced cooked okra
Few dashes hot pepper sauce
1 (8 ounce) can minced clams, undrained
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 cups cooked rice
In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter; saute celery, onion and garlic. Stir in flour, salt, thyme, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, clams with liquid, and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and bubbles, about 3 minutes.
Add okra and shrimp; bring to the boiling point.
Prepare 6 bowls. In the center of each bowl, make a mound of hot cooked rice. Ladle shrimp mixture around rice. Serves 6.