Crawfish Stuffed Manicotti

STUFFING:
1 Stick butter
1 1/2 cup of Onions, finely chopped
1 bunch of Green onions, finely chopped
1 cup of Celery, finely chopped
1 cup of  Green pepper, finely
3 Clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of Parsley, finely chopped
1 Lemon, juiced
2 Bay leaves
1 teaspoon of Thyme leaves
4 cups of Crawfish tails, boiled,
2 cups of Bread crumbs, fine
Salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste
1 Egg

CRAWFISH STUFFED MANICOTTI: Melt the 4 tablespoons butter. Fry the green onions, parsley and garlic until onions are wilted. Add the crawfish tails and let all of this fry until sizzling hot. Heat a small pot and pour in the brandy. Remove the crawfish from fire, ignite the brandy and pour into the crawfish mixture. Toss until flames die down. Set aside. In another pot, melt 8 tablespoons butter. Add the flour and let this cook on a low fire until flour is cooked, about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the cream, milk, ketchup and tomato paste, stirring constantly until sauce comes to a boil and starts to thicken. Add the wine, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Combine both pans and simmer for a few minutes. If sauce is too thick, thin it out with a little more milk. Cook manicotti according to package directions.

Note: Do not use crawfish cooked with crab boil. STUFFING: Melt the stick of butter. Fry onions, green onions, celery, green pepper, garlic and parsley until wilted. Add crawfish meat, lemon juice, bay leaves and thyme. Let all of this cook for about 10 or 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. Add bread crumbs, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. If stuffing is too moist, add a little more bread crumbs. Add the egg and mix well. Stuff the manicotti carefully and lay them in a lightly greased baking dish in a single layer. Pour most of the sauce over the manicotti and bake covered in a 350ºF.   preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes or until manicotti are fully cooked. Spoon reserved sauce over manicotti when served. Serves 5 to 7. Note: Do not use crawfish cooked with crab boil.

Recipe from Marguerite Sigur, Times-Picayune Cooking Contest, 1985. From Geminis MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini