The "award-winning" étouffée recipe comes from L'Acadie Inn & Park in Eunice, owned by Kelly and Lance Pitre. It took second place in the Professional Division at the annual World Championship Crawfish Etouffee Cook-off last year. The Pitres are considered real Cajun cooking pros, and have also landed several winning titles throughout the years. Their goal is to send visitors home as ambassadors for Cajun country's distinctive cuisine and lively culture. If you like the recipe, then check out Louisiana Cookin' magazine. Subscribe with the promotion code wwoz2010, and they'll donate $5 to WWOZ. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup each chopped green and red bell pepper
1/3 cup each chopped orange and yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound peeled Louisiana crawfish tail with fat
2 green onions, chopped
hot cooked Louisiana rice

Directions

Melt butter in a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, set over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and celery and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the flour, stirring constantly until well blended. Add tomato sauce and garlic. Stir to blend.

Stir in chicken broth and cream, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium, season with salt and cloves, and add crawfish and green onions. Cook until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

PAIR WITH: Mer Soleil Chardonnay “Central Coast”