The Queen of Crawfish Pies

Before my late husband and I were married we lived in sin (blissful, glorious sin) for several years. At some point during that time, his mother and grandmother deduced that I would be around for quite a while and became worried that a Texas girl might not be able to make all the Louisiana treats that their boy was used to eating. Concerned that their 6'4", 270 lb "baby" might miss home cooking and waste away to normal human size, they began giving me Louisiana cooking lessons every time we came to town. So while he got to run around the Quarter having fun with his friends, I spent time in the kitchen with Ms. Betty, Grandma Devillier, and occasionally Aunt Taups learning how to make several versions of gumbo, jambalaya, and his favorite of all foods, his Momma's crawfish pies. Now while Grandma Devillier is the acknowledged master of all things food related in the house, Ms. Betty is the Queen of Crawfish Pies. She makes little bite-sized pies in phyllo shells with the perfect ratio of filling to crust. And best of all, they are a snap to make. Having grown up in a household where casseroles reigned supreme (frequently featuring Velveeta, assorted canned goods, and covered in crushed Cheez-Its), it should be no surprise that I despise "cheater" recipes. I was shocked that these pies are indistinguishable from the ones I had tasted elsewhere made the more laborious way. Grandma may have nearly worn my shoulder out teaching me to make a chocolate-colored roux, but the lesson I have used the most since then was this very simple one from the best mother-in-law a Texas girl could have.


Ms. Betty's Crawfish Pie Recipe

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1 medium green Bell Pepper, finely minced
1 small red or yellow Onion, finely minced
Several stalks of Celery, finely minced (should be about equal to the amount of bell pepper)
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 can low-sodium Cream of Mushroom soup (such as Campbell's Healthy Request)
1 can low-sodium Cream of Celery soup
1 (12 oz.) pkg Crawfish tails, rinsed of fat and roughly chopped
1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
4 boxes Mini Phyllo Shells (such as Athens brand)

Preheat the oven to 350. In a wide bottom saute pan or skillet over medium heat, saute the bell pepper, onion, and celery until they are quite soft, adding the garlic in towards the end. If the pan gets too dry you can add a touch of olive oil or a small bit of butter, but I generally just add a sprinkle of water. Add the soups and the crawfish and cook just until heated through, stirring gently to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the cayenne pepper, varying the amount according to taste. Fill the phyllo shells with the crawfish mixture and place them on a baking sheet. Place the sheet with the filled shells in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until everything is heated through. Serve immediately.

Notes:
Always use low sodium soup. The regular kind will make the filling too salty tasting. You can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate or even freeze it, but to keep the shells from getting soggy I recommend heating the filling or at least letting it come to room temperature before filling the shells. You can, of course, use full-sized pie or tart shells, but the richness of regular pie crust combined with the filling can be a bit heavy. If you have any excess filling, try using it to stuff chicken breasts or just serve it over rice.






--QC