This recipe happened while I was on a Cajun food kick.
Ingredients
1/2 pound of crawfish tail meat*, reserve liquid. (They usually have it at Heinens or Giant Eagle), or one 3 lb box intact crawfish.
Chorizo from Gibbs Butcher Block on Columbia Station (they make their own sausages, amazing place). http://www.gibbsbutcherblock.com/
1 banana pepper
2 large bell peppers, chopped (various colors)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of a bold flavored garlic sliced thin or 1/2 cup chopped garlic scapes
1 to 2 cups chopped leeks
2 cups chopped celery leaf
1 cup mustard greens
1 medium zucchini
1 cup chopped okra
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
Southwestern Mills Old Fashioned Pepper Gravy Mix (about 1/2 to 1 cup)
Blackened Redfish Magic Seafood Seasoning or Cajun seasoning
gumbo file
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
In separate pot, combine rice with 1 cup chicken stock and 2 cups water. Bring to boil, then simmer for 30 min until water is absorbed. Set aside.
If crawfish are in shell, remove tail meat from tails, reserve 4 crawfish heads, and set aside remaining crawfish head and claws for making a stock. (Do this ahead of time, as peeling crawfish can take a while).
Add all vegetables, garlic, 4 crawfish heads, crawfish liquid and remaining chicken stock to pot.
Add Seafood seasoning to taste. (I use a heavy hand).
Bring to boil, then simmer until soft, about 1/2 hour to 45min. Add water as needed so that mixture is covered. At end of cooking time remove crawfish heads and add tail meat .
Cook for 3 more minutes.
Slowly add gravy mix, stirring, until the broth achieves the consistency of a sauce or gravy.
Serve over rice.
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* it takes approximately 3 pounds of crawfish in the shell to generate 1/2 pound of tail meat.