1/2 c. Crisco oil
3 c. coarsely chopped onions
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped celery
3/4 c. bell pepper
1/2 c. shallots
4 cloves minced garlic
1 c. water
3 c. chicken stock
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. paprika
2 lb. peeled crawfish tails with fat
3 c. long grain rice

To make a really good jambalaya, you need to use a well-seasoned black cast iron Dutch oven. But if you don't have cast iron, a heavy aluminum Dutch oven can be substituted in its place. For this recipe, you want one that measures about 5 quarts.

Place the pot on the stove, pour in the vegetable oil, and heat it just until it begins to smoke slightly. Then toss in the onions, celery, bell peppers, and shallots and fry them over high heat until they wilt (which should take you about 6 to 8 minutes). Then when the vegetables are soft, drop in the garlic; you want to cook it for a minute or two, but you don't want it to burn.

Now pour in the chicken stock and the water, stir everything together well, and bring the mixture to a boil. At this point, season the liquid with the salt, black and cayenne pepper, and the paprika to taste. NOTE: The seasonings listed in this recipe will give you a mildly spicy pot of jambalaya; if you want it more peppery, add the extra black and cayenne pepper at this point in the recipe.

Drop in only 1 pound of the 2 pounds of crawfish tails you have and cook them into the liquid for 2 minutes. Then pour in the rice, stir the grains into the mixture well, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to extremely low. Every 10 minutes or so, take the lid off the pot and stir the mixture thoroughly. This keeps the rice cooking evenly and allows it to fluff.

All in all, you want to cook the jambalaya for about an hour. So halfway during the cooking process, right at the 30 minutes mark, stir in the second pound of crawfish tails. The first pound will release a rich crawfish flavor, but they'll also shrink tremendously because you're overcooking them. The second pound, on the other hand, will stay more plump and provide the whole-crawfish-tail texture you want in the dish.

When all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice tend to fluff up, the jambalaya is ready to serve. If you plan to eat it right away (which is the best way), serve it directly from the black pot. If, however, you plan to eat it later in the day--or the next day--spoon it out of the black pot into a large shallow baking pan so that it can cool. If you allow it to remain in the Dutch oven, the residual heat will over cook it to a mush!

Crawfish Jambalaya is best served alongside a cold crisp tossed green salad topped with croutons, bacon bits, and a creamy French-style dressing.