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FEATURE

Spinach Madeline Serves 5 to 6

This spicy spinach dish is one of the most famous recipes in the River Road Recipes cookbook series. It was invented by St. Francisville, Louisiana, native Madeline Wright in 1956 and published three years later in the first edition of the cookbook. After Kraft’s jalapeño cheese roll — the key ingredient of the dish — was discontinued — the Junior League’s River Road Recipes committee came up with a feasible substitution: Kraft Velveeta® cheese and chopped jalapeño peppers. WHAT YOU WILL NEED 2 packages frozen chopped spinach 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons chopped onion ½ cup evaporated milk ½ cup vegetable liquor (water from spinach) 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon black pepper ¾ teaspoon celery salt ¾ teaspoon garlic salt Salt to taste 6 ounces Kraft Velveeta cheese, cut into small pieces 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño peppers Red pepper to taste HOW TO PREP Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquor. Melt but- ter in saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stir- ring until blended and smooth, but not brown. Add onion and cook until soft but not brown. Add all liquids slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook until smooth and thick; continue stirring. Add seasonings and pieces of cheese. Add jalapeños. Stir until cheese is melted. Combine with cooked spinach. This may be served immediately or put into a casserole and topped with buttered bread crumbs. The flavor is improved if the latter is done and it’s kept in the refrigerator over- night. This may also be frozen.

ÉTOUFFÉE Étouffée means “smothered” in French and, in most recipes, crawfish (or shrimp) and vegetables are smothered in a medium-brown roux. Étouffée can be made without a roux — it’s just thinner. Some people add RO*TEL tomatoes; others consider that blasphemous. Several contributors to the Facebook group Cajun Recipes have mentioned adding canned cream soup to their étouffée. Cream of Mushroom is the most popular, though Golden Mushroom, Cream of Shrimp, Cream of Chicken and Cream of Celery, and combinations thereof, are also used. Rouses Corporate Chef Marc Ardoin says that when you add cream to étouffée, technically, it’s no longer étouffée. But just like gumbo, everyone has a preference.

Crawfish Étouffée This dish appears in Pirate’s Pantry: Treasured Recipes of Southwest Louisiana from the Junior League of Lake Charles. WHAT YOU WILL NEED 1 stick margarine 1 pound crawfish tails (or shrimp) peeled 1 medium onion, chopped ½ bell pepper, chopped 1 tablespoon paprika ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground Pinch thyme 1 bay leaf 1 cup chicken broth Hot fluffy rice 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon sliced green onion tops HOW TO PREP Melt margarine in a deep, heavy frying pan. Do not use a black iron pot; it will discolor the crawfish. Add crawfish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Re- move crawfish with slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and season- ings. Saute for at least 10 minutes, removing bay leaf after about 5 minutes. Return crawfish tails to pan and add chick- en broth. Stir and cook slowly, covered, for about 40 minutes. Serve over boiled rice and sprinkle with parsley and green onion tops.

Crawfish Étouffée This version of Crawfish Étouffée was first published in Talk about Good! in 1967. The yellow-and-white-striped Livre de la Cuisine de Lafayette is a mainstay in kitchens all over the Gulf Coast. It has sold almost 800,000 copies. WHAT YOU WILL NEED 3 medium onions ½ cup chopped bell pepper ½ cup chopped celery 2 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons cooking oil 4 pounds crawfish 2 tablespoons parsley 2 tablespoons onion tops Salt and pepper to taste Red pepper to taste HOW TO PREP In a deep, cast-iron skillet, add oil and flour and make a very light roux. Then add onions, celery and bell pepper. Smother for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add shelled crawfish and fat. Add seasoning to taste. Cover tightly and let simmer, stirring constantly. Add about ½ cup water and cook about 15 or 20 minutes, then add onion tops and parsley.

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