Crawfish Curry with Mango Chutney

Another gem from Chef Susan Spicer at Bayona, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She's a master at combining local ingredients with techniques and flavors from other parts of the world; here Louisiana meets Thailand and India in a sweet, tangy dish that you don't have to be too adventurous to love.

3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper
1 gren bell pepper
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
2 zucchini, 1/4 inch dice
1 green apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 tablespoons flour
1 quart of shrimp stock or crawfish stock
6 ounces pineapple juice
2 tablespoons curry paste
1 pound crawfish tails, or substitute raw shrimp if crawfish are not available

For the mango chutney:
1 teaspoon peanut or canola oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, mincced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup raisins

Suggested condiments:
Crispy fried onions
Chopped nuts
Chutney
Chopped egg
Toasted coconut

The mango chutney: Sauté onion and ginger in the oil, then add the diced apple and let it pick up some color. Add the mango, sugar, vinegar and raisins, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Let cool.

The curry: In a 2-3 quart saucepot, sauté the onion, peppers and garlic in peanut oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with the flour, then stir and cook for 2 more minutes. Whisk in the stock, pineapple juice and curry paste. Bring to a boil, whisking all the while, then turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, longer if it needs further thickening.

Shortly before serving, sauté the crawfish or shrimp with the apple in a large sauté pan with a little bit of peanut oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the curry base and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and red pepper, or you may add a bit more curry paste if you like. Serve hot over long grain or jasmine rice, and your choice of the suggested condiments.

YIELD: 4-12 portions, depending on how much of an oinker y'all wanna be

Jalapeno Chutney

This recipe was passed to me by my dear friends Kirby and Suzie. I have not made this yet, but Kirby says it's a good'n.

Yield: 4 cups

4 medium Fresh mangos

3/4 cup raisins

½ cup Light brown sugar

3 cups Sugar

½ tablespoon Fresh garlic; minced

½ cup Honey

1 tablespoon Lime juice

½ cup Water

¼ cup Vinegar

½ tablespoon Ginger; (ground)

2 tablespoons Diced red bell pepper

½ cup Diced fresh jalapenos

1 teaspoon Salt

½ tablespoon Fresh ground black pepper

Peel mangos and cut from the pit. Chop into chunks. Place all ingredients into large pot. Bring mixture to boil and continue boiling uncovered for 25 minutes. Mixture will thicken slightly as liquid is reduced. Pour into large bowl of food processor, pulsing briefly to coarsely mince chutney before serving.

Note:

(1) When making this recipe, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated because of the

boiling jalapenos

(2) Add more jalapenos if you hot. Enjoy!