Field to Feast: Cajun Crawfish Comfort Lasagna & Crawfish Pistolette Sandwiches
These are challenging times. It is difficult to navigate this new normal with stay at home schooling, working from home, and the kitchen open what feels like 24/7. I have been trying to bring in my children to cook with me so we can enjoy this time together and let them learn a little about meal prep. I’m looking forward to a night off of kitchen duty when they get the hang of it.
But my heart is heavy for all of the farmers and my chef friends that are being severely affected by the economics that inevitably accompany orders to stay home. With this in mind, I reached out to my friend Chef Celeste Gill to see if we could get some at home tips while also spreading the word about available to go food by Chef and her friends in the restaurant business. We also cooked with delicious crawfish so we could remind everyone that right now is a great time to get a sack or two to-go and make wonderful dishes with the leftover meat. Crawfish farmers will be grateful for the business and your belly will be happy and full!
So keep crawfish in mind for your Holy Week table and remember that if you don’t feel like cooking from home... we have amazing take out available at most of our restaurants around town.
Happy cooking...
Jenn Finley
Cajun Crawfish Comfort Lasagna
INGREDIENTS:
3 tbs. butter
3 Green onions, chopped
Fresh Parsley, chopped
Four eggs
16 oz. Cottage cheese
16 oz. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 lbs. Crawfish tails
2 pinches of salt
2 pinches of paprika
1 pinch of white pepper
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 pinch of cajun seasoning
1-24 oz. jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
2 tbs. Parmesan cheese
1 pk. lasagna pasta sheets
INSTRUCTIONS:
Melt your butter in a pot over medium heat. Once your butter is melted, toss in your green onions and saute.
Put in 1 pound of crawfish into the pot and saute. Add your pinches of salt, paprika, white pepper, cayenne pepper and cajun seasoning. Stir together.
In a separate bowl, beat all four eggs. One your eggs are beaten, add the cottage cheese and mix together. Add two tablespoons of parmesan cheese and stir together.
To start assembling, add a layer of meat sauce to the bottom of your 9x9 pan. Cover the meat layer with handfuls of shredded mozzarella. Top your cheese layer with lasagna pasta sheets. Continue layering until you reach the top of your pan (about 2-3 more layers). Top final layer with parmesan cheese. Note: You will have leftover sauce for Crawfish Pistolet Sandwiches.
Cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
After baking, let dish cool for 10 minutes and top with fresh parsley before serving
Crawfish Pistolette Sandwiches
Makes about 4 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:
Filling from Cajun Crawfish Comfort Lasagna -- use half of recipe if only making sandwiches
Mozzarella Cheese slices (four balls sliced)
Pistolette Rolls
Chopped herbs (chef uses parsley)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Grab a pistolette roll, and cut into a ‘v’ shape, and remove the wedge of bread from the rest of the roll.
Add your remaining sauce from Cajun Crawfish Comfort Lasagna into the wedge of your pistolette.
Top your pistolette with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Toast in the oven to allow themozzarella cheese to melt.
Top with parsley and add your wedge cutout.
Disclaimer: These are estimated measurements, and are flexible to your needs. Content and photographs are protected. We encourage you to share this recipe with family, friends and online. Post your photos with #fieldtofeast and tag us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Visit Chef Celeste’s website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Learn more about Louisiana Crawfish from Louisiana Crawfish Promotion & Research Board
Starting Saturday, April 18, 2020, Chef Celeste will have heat and eat single servings and family style meals, plus ready-to-cook kits for Baton Rouge and the surrounding area in response to COVID-19. You can contact her through her website, e-mail or phone.