COMMENT:
My great aunt made the most wonderful crab and cheese soup in the
world. One Sunday morning, she was busy in the kitchen chopping
onions, celery and bell pepper in anticipation of the family coming
over for lunch. Since we lived far out in the country and ingredients
weren't easy to come by, we had to prepare well in advance for every
dish. Once the soup started to come together, her old house cat,
Lucy, jumped up on the kitchen counter and knocked over a pint of
her half and half cream. With a blink of the eye, she looked around
and said, "Don't panic. Instead of soup, we'll have my 'now
famous' crabmeat appetizer."
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
- 1 pound crawfish tails
- ¼ cup lite margarine
- 1 cup diced onions
- ½ cup diced celery
- ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- ½ cup flour
- 3 cups evaporated skim milk
- ½ pound lite Swiss cheese, grated
- ½ ounce sherry
- Salt substitute to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce to taste
METHOD:
In a cast iron Dutch oven, melt margarine over medium-high heat.
Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minutes
or until vegetables are wilted. Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire
whisk, whip until white roux is achieved. Pour in skim milk, bring
to a rolling boil and reduce to simmer. Add cheese and sherry. Continue
to cook until cheese is melted. Fold in crabmeat and crawfish tails
and season to taste using salt substitute, pepper and Louisiana
Gold. Should you wish to recreate my great aunt's wonderful crab
and cheese soup, simply add 3 cups of milk or chicken stock. Blend
all ingredients well, heat and serve.
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