Crawfish Enchiladas (Makes 18-20 enchiladas, serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

20 small, fajita size flour tortillas

2 12 oz. bags of crawfish tails

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

2 medium onions, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

several sprigs of fresh thyme

6 Roma tomatoes

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 cups cooked white rice

6 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. chili powder

1.5 tsp blackened seasoning

1/3 tsp dried oregano

cayenne pepper to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450. Slice Romas in half and place skin side down on a sheet pan that has been sprayed with oil. Cook for approximately 25 minutes or until charred. Once cool enough to handle puree and set aside.

Sweat one of the diced onions, green and red bell peppers, and jalapenos in oil until soft (about 20 minutes.) Add thyme, 1/2 of minced garlic, 1/2 of the green onions and oregano and continue cooking for just a few minutes. Add crawfish and cook about five more minutes or until crawfish are just cooked through. Remove from heat. Season with salt, pepper and ground cayenne. When mixture has cooled, mix with 1.5 cups of the cheese and white rice. Adjust seasonings.

Meanwhile saute other onion until soft. Add garlic and cook for an additional few minutes. Add blackening seasoning and chili powder and cream and bring to a light simmer. Reduce slightly (this should take about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese. Cool slightly, add sour cream, pureed tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Assembly:

This recipe should fill both a 9×13 and 8×8 cassrole dish. I made it in 3 smaller casseroles and froze two.

Cover bottom of casserole dish with sauce. Place approximately 1/3 cup of filling in each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in casserole dishes. Top the enchilades with the remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with chopped green onions

Enjoy.