Cold Weather, Warm Food, Crawfish Pie Recipe

Looks like old man winter is hitting North Dakota will full force. We all have our favorite cold weather food to cook during the cold winter months. Sure, a meaty chili or a hearty beef stew or soup. A nice casserole is sure good about this time of year also.

Let me share a nice hearty and easy South Louisiana favorite. Crawfish Pie. I made this for Thanksgiving and it serves about 8 people and it's so easy! Before we get started, please don't tell me North Dakotans don't eat crawfish, because they do! For Thanksgiving, I had to shop 3 different grocery stores to find crawfish because they were sold out! And I'm not eating all of the crawfish tails in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

Here is what you need:

2 unbaked pie crusts , I use generic,1/2 stick butter (or olive oil) 1 small onion, chopped , 1/2 bell pepper or red pepper, chopped fine, 1 lb. crawfish tails, 1 can cream of mushroom soup and season all seasonings.

Directions- Place 1 unbaked pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie dish and set aside. Now in a large skillet, melt butter(or olive oil) and add onion, celery and bell pepper. Sauté over medium heat until vegetables are soft, make sure the fire is not too high. Then add crawfish tails and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add cream of mushroom soup and simmer for 20 minutes nice and thick. At this point you should season to taste. I like to add red pepper along with the seasoning salt. If you'd like it thicker, add corn starch to the mixture until desired thickness. Now comes the fun, pour filling into pie crust. Top pie with second pie crust and gently crunch both edges of the pie together. Take a fork and make a few holes in the top crust so the pie can breath. Place in preheated 350-degree oven for about 25-35 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly.

Once cooked, be sure to let it set and cool for about 20 minutes. If you slice while the pie is sill hot, the crawfish will run out, it tends to run when it's hot. Letting it cool will help it thicken.

Now enjoy as it is, or serve with a side of corn or veggie!

Here is a little tip for you, when pronouncing craw-fish, it is pronounced the way it's spelled CRAW-FISH, please don't pronounce it CRAY-FISH, there is no such Crustaceans on the earth! That's today French lesson!