126998 Sat Oct 18 22:12:54 -0700 2003 7 9 New Orleans 0 689024 We know relatively nothing about cajun cookin. My wife's been cooking an awesome Emerils recipe that's really similar to a Gumbo consistancy (or thinner). Really a soup. I vaguely remember a etoufee from a visit to NO years ago that was more of a thicker concoction on a bed of rice. could someone please clarify? thanks! Sat Oct 18 22:12:54 -0700 2003 0 wade 1 689031 you have obviously posted twice seeking etouffee in NO. First, it's a "type" of stew using....Gad, I'm too tired right now to elaborate...good night! Sun Oct 19 02:07:04 -0700 2003 689024 0 spudly 1 689032 Etouffee means "to smother", so you can really "etouffee" just about anything. It's a cooking technique that uses just a little water, a covered pot, and no roux (please remember that one can find many exceptions to every rule). In a classic crawfish etouffee, you cook the crawfish tails in their own fat, adding aromatics (onion, green pepper, celery, green onions...) and a small amount of liquid. It's closer to a gravy or stew in consistency than a soup or gumbo. Interesting variation: some folks in southeast Acadiana (basically, the part east of the atchafalaya basin) make etouffee de macaroni, a crawfish or shrimp dish that's served over pasta rather than rice. It often incorporates olives, too. Etouffee potatoes are my personal favorite, especially when cooked until crusty. This is home cooking at its simplest... Sun Oct 19 08:47:48 -0700 2003 689024 0 hungry celeste 1 689096 In my view, crawfish etouffee needs to be thickened somewhat & you'll start huge fights over the flour/cornstarch/arrowroot differences but most of the good ones I've had use a blond roux that is then darkened with tomato sauce. Add onion/garlic/bell peppers/bay leaves--the usual suspects---and cook with crawfish fat and the crawfish tails. It is fairly quick to make. On US HWY 90 and in some areas below, etouffee is bound together with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. I grew up with this as a "camp style" etoufee (vegetables are cut rougher, too). There is a spot on La HWY 14 that marks the line where the canned soup is permissable. To the west of this magic point, mushroom soup is an indictable offense. Etoufee in New Orleans is spotty. Restaurants that have some cajun waiters often have it off the menu. Other joints started putting it on the menu for the tourist trade. Wed Oct 22 09:46:11 -0700 2003 689024 0 Hazelhurst 2 689112 Thanks for the good info. Generally within walking distance of downtown/Garden district, where do you suggest I find a good Chowhound etoufee? Or, am I wasting my time with etoufee? Wed Oct 22 21:26:31 -0700 2003 689096 0 wade 3 689114 Well, your problem at the moment is that we are not in crawfish season. Most big-time operations bought thousands of pounds and froze them (and crawfish freeze very well if your freezer-guy knows what he is doing). Otherwise you'll get the Spanish ones....no one 'round here wants to buy Chinese stuff (even though they [the Chinese] figured out the flash freezing trick first--or so I am told. You can sometimes get "pond" crawfish in December but it is rather suspect. Still and all, you CAN get a good representation in the off season. I'd vote for Clancy's---call and ask Brad if they can make a decent one--he'll be fair with you. Used to be a couple of Galatoire waiters who made the stuff themselves. One is dead....I don't know if the survivor is allowed the privilege these days. Truth is, if you want REAL etouffe, go to someone's home. I can name several someone's in Lafayette, Crowley, Rayne. Delcambre, New Iberia, and even [gasp!] Baton Rouge where you can learn to make the stuff in 45 minutes--this allows for beer-drinking-time---. Anyway, good luck on your search. Thu Oct 23 03:03:51 -0700 2003 689112 0 Hazelhurst 3 689292 When they have it Pere Antoines is a fairly good representation of Etouffee, Koop's on Decauter is good BUT the best I've found is at The Red Maple on the West Bank...enjoy. Sun Nov 02 13:20:53 -0800 2003 689112 0 Mike Mcq 1 689293 Etouffe is merely a tomato based sauce that has been cooked down with garlic, onions, green bell pepper and celery and then mixed with a quick cooking protein (i.e. shrimp, crab or crawfish) or one that has been cooked (i.e. leftover chicken, beef or pork) and served over rice. While it's true that some cooks thicken the sauce with flour, butter or endless other possibilities, the ONE thing that sets etouffee apart from just another red sauce is the addition of a bit of black roux. In NOLA you are likely not to find this addition because most restaurants don't go to the trouble of making it BUT out around Lafayette, Breux Bridge and towns around there you will almost always find it in the mix. The sauce can be thick or thin as you desire BUT it should not be so thick that it doesn't wet the rice it is served atop (rice is not an option, it is required). Etouffe means "smothered", which refers to the protein being smothered in sauce. Sun Nov 02 13:32:21 -0800 2003 689024 0 Mike Mcq