The wife (MHNBPF) and I were on Highway 1 in south Louisiana one fall afternoon about twenty-five years ago and stopped at a little mom and pop restaurant somewhere between Thibodeaux and where SR 3090 joins Highway 1 south of Leeville. I know that helps almost none at all, but we haven’t been down there in so long and after Katrina, I wonder if it is still there.

After drooling all over their typing paper menu I asked for “the best thing you make”. And the recipe that follows is what they served us that night. Oh to be able to go back … I can’t even remember the name of the place but I bet someone does. The beer was nice and cold and the juke box was sweet. I do remember that much.

We talked to the husband, who was the cook and then combined notes and thoughts when we got home. This is our interpretation of an incredible South Louisiana dish that may well be gone forever. I have no name for it, so call it whatever you like.

SMOKED SAUSAGE, CRAWFISH & EGGPLANT -

By adding a small amount of sugar to this dish you will cut the any bitterness you may get from the eggplant or tomatoes.

You’ll Need:

8 – 12 ounces Creole Sausage – Remove skin and break into small 1/4 inch chunks
2 Cups diced onion
1 Cup diced bell pepper
1 Cup diced celery
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup medium dark roux
One 10-ounce can diced Rotel tomatoes
One 14-ounce can chicken broth
3 pounds (1 large) eggplant, peeled, diced and soaked in lightly salted water for 30 minutes
2 Tablespoons sugar – cuts the bitterness of eggplant and tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3 bay leaves
1 pound crawfish tails, peeled
3/4 cup bread crumbs plus 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

You could easily substitute 1 pound of picked out lump crabmeat or peeled shrimp, but it deserves crawfish

Cook this dish in a shallow buttered casserole or individual ramekins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large sauté pan or pot over medium heat, cook the sausage until it is browned. Add onion, bell pepper and celery and cook with the sausage for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to get tender. Add the garlic and roux and cook for 3-5 minutes until the roux coats the vegetables and gets hot.

Stir in the Rotel tomatoes, chicken broth, eggplant, sugar, oregano, thyme, basil and cover the pan or pot. Simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering until it begins to dry out. Add the crawfish tails, green onions and parsley.

We have added a cup of cooked white or wild rice to this to extend it. This works well, but the original recipe did not have it.

Generously butter a shallow casserole dish and loosely spoon the mixture in the dish. Top with the bread crumb and Creole Seasoning blend. Bake uncovered in the hot oven for 20-30 minutes.

Serve with a simple green salad, crusty bread and a nice white wine.

Serves 4-6