Wild Rice Soup

1 med. onion, chopped
Chopped parsley
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Butter or vegetable oil

1 box fresh mushrooms (4 to 5 oz.), thickly sliced

4 c. chicken broth (or vegetable broth, Ryan!)
1/2 c. cooked wild rice
1 c. Half & Half cream



Saute onions, most of the parsley, celery, pepper mushrooms and garlic in butter or vegetable oil until soft. Add chicken broth and cook 10 minutes. Add wild rice and cream. Heat through. Do NOT boil. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 6 to 8.




Boiled Shrimp and Sausage

2 lemons, halved
1 head garlic, unpeeled and smashed
1 onion, quartered and unpeeled
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Emeril's Original Essence
8 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 bag Zatarain's crawfish, shrimp and crab boil in bag
1 1/4 pounds medium peeled and deveined shrimp
3/4 lb cooked sausage



1. Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts water. Squeeze lemons into water, and add garlic, onion, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon Emeril's Essence, salt, cayenne, sausage and liquid crawfish boil. Place over high heat and bring to a boil; let boil 5 minutes.
Season with remaining tablespoon Emeril's Essence and add to boiling water; turn off heat. Let stand until shrimp are just cooked through 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain and sprinkle with a little more Essence before serving-may be eaten hot or cold.




Crawfish Pie

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 3/4 cup chopped yellow onions
* 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
* 1 1/2 pounds peeled crawfish tails
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions or scallions (green part only)
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1 large egg
* 3/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs
* 1 pie shell
* Creole seasoning, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the fryer. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, bell pepper, salt, cayenne and cook for 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the crawfish tails and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the green onions, garlic, and parsley and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into a medium-size mixing bowl and let cool for about 3 minutes. Add the egg and bread crumbs and mix well. Add crawfish mixture to an unbaked pie crust (bottom only ) and bake until crust is golden brown.


Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

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Fried Catfish and Hushpuppies

Heat one inch of vegetable oil in skillet or oil as required in deep fryer to 350F. Wash prepared seafood in cold water, drain excess moisture. Sprinkle fish with Essence seasoning. Pour Zatarain's Fish-Fri onto plate or into plastic bag. Roll or shake moist seafood in mix until evenly coated. Fry seafood (a few pieces at a time) in hot oil until light golden brown. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Hush Puppies

2 cups yellow corn meal
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Boiling water
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
Oil for frying

Heat oil in deep skillet or fryer to 375°F.

Mix all dry ingredients except the baking powder. Pour in enough hot water to make a thick mush, making sure all ingredients are moistened. Add milk, egg and baking powder and mix thoroughly.

Drop by spoonfuls (or use a small ice cream scoop) into oil, and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.