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potatoes to go with the stew. A stew that made me happy was oneMama, Aunt Lois and Cousin Coonie made when we were at our camp at Cypremort Point on Vermilion Bay. My siblings, cousins and I were in charge of catching the crabs in the traps baited with chicken necks. On a good day, we could count on bringing up several dozen. The larger ones were dropped into the boiling pot with onions, lemons and small potatoes for a delicious boiled crab repast, but the smaller ones were put aside for the stew. The crabs were scalded, then cooled. The ladies, with cold beers at their elbows, set about carefully removing the top shell and scooping out any fat that might be inside to add to the stew later. Then the abdo- men and the grey gills were taken out. Again, if there was some fat in the cavity (between both sides of the crab) that was also put aside to add to the stew.The crabs’ bodies were then halved, and the claws and fingers were left intact because Aunt Coonie proclaimed that they contained a great amount of flavor. While the ladies chatted, downed another beer or two, and continued their work, my older brother and I chopped the onions, bell peppers and celery. A big Dutch oven sat on the old butane stove with flour and oil at the ready. Armed with more beers, the ladies began stirring the roux. Mama always warned that the roux should be the color of peanut butter, not dark like chocolate, because she held firm in her belief that a dark roux was too heavy for the delicate crabs. Once the roux was made, and the vegetables added and caramelized, warm stock made from crab and shrimp shells (there were always a few pints stowed in the freezer) was poured in. That mixture simmered for at least an hour while we played bourré — a popular card game in South Louisiana. When Aunt Lois gave the okay, the crab bodies were added to the pot, and every- one dashed to put on a pot of rice and toast some French bread. Finally, the crab stew was ready. And there were more beers for the ladies and Pop Rouge for the children! Needless to say, everyone slurped up the stew and sucked out the meat from the crab bodies — heaven on earth! Then there’s the dried shrimp and egg stew that was popular during the Lenten season or when fresh shrimp was not available. Drying the shrimp was an ardu- ous task. According to my dear friend, the

late Eula Mae Dore, who was the cook for the McIlhennys on Avery Island for many years, small shrimp were “boiled in heavily salted water until the shell separated from the meat.The shrimp were ‘deheaded’ and dried in screen boxes on the roof of a building in the sun.” Eula Mae’s version does begin with a roux (with a ratio of 1/2 cup oil to 2/3 cup flour) that is dark brown, the color of chocolate. Her recipe calls for onions, bell peppers, celery and whole garlic cloves. (When the garlic cloves became soft in the stew, she mashed them against the side of the pot. She declared that the softened garlic added a “nice smooth flavor” to the finished dish.) The dried shrimp would be soaked in water for 1 hour, then drained before they were added to the pot. Eula Mae claimed that since eggs were plentiful, they were often added to stews and gumbos to provide a heartier meal. Sometimes hard-boiled eggs (peeled and finely chopped) are used to garnish shrimp stew.The locals like to mash the eggs into the gravy to make it even thicker than it already is. But note: Eula Mae liked to poach eggs in a shrimp gumbo but not in a stew since the gravy is so thick. Tante Belle, who lived next door to our family home, was the ace at making meatball stew, or boulette fricassee as she called it. Her meatballs were made with equal amounts of ground beef and pork, some homemade breadcrumbs and eggs to bind the mixture. Each of her meatballs was the size of a baseball and contained a peeled garlic pod in the center of each ball. She sometimes added rice to the mixture — rice was often used to bulk up protein to stretch it for more servings. This stew called for a hearty, dark roux to which onions and bell peppers were added along with beef broth. My sister claims that when she wanted a “fancier” dish, Tante Belle added canned sliced mushrooms with the can liquid for extra flavor. Of course, the stew was served over rice. Now to the Italian ragù. My Sicilian connection shared a recipe for this sauce that contains garlic, thyme, red bell pepper strips, ground beef (or lamb), plum toma- toes and some red wine, all simmered long and slow before being served over pasta and garnished with Pecorino cheese. Hopefully, cooler weather will inspire you to pull out a big pot to make a stew, fric- assee or a ragù — heck, why not try all three?

Scald crabs with hot water to stun. Remove the back (top shell) from each crab, and clean out gills, lungs, and center of each. Crack crabs in half, and remove claws. Reserve claws for stock. In a large heavy stockpot, combine oil and flour, and heat over medium heat. Stirring slowly, make a dark- brown roux, 15 to 20 minutes. Add onion, bell peppers, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, salt, cayenne, and seafood stock. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, add crabs, and simmer 20 minutes. Add crabmeat and shrimp, and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and add parsley. Serve hot.

39 everyday NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018