Recipe: Crawfish Bisque (Farmers Market Bisque) and Farmers Market Soup - The recipe comes from New Orleans.

Crawfish Bisque (Farmers Market Bisque)
Recipe Compliments of: Poppy Tooker, SlowFood New Orleans

6 lbs. boiled crawfish or 1 lb. tail meat and 25 cleaned heads.

STUFFING
1/4 cup flour for roux
4 Tbs.oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 large bellpepper, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 tsp. thyme
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup chopped crawfish tails
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour for rolling heads

STOCK
Peels from 6 lbs. boiled crawfish
1 large onion (whole)
2 stalks celery (whole)
1 bunch green onions, white parts only (save the green parts for garnish)
2 qts. of water

BISQUE
1/2 cup flour for roux
1/2 cup oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1-1/2 qt. crawfish stock
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups crawfish tails
1 1/2 tbs. parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tbs. thyme

STUFFING
Make a dark roux with the flour and oil. Add onions, then bellpepper and celery and cook until tender. Add tomato paste and chopped tails. Add seasonings and simmer on low flame 10-15 minutes. Add bread crumbs, parsley and butter. Fill each head with stuffing. Roll in flour and bake for 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven. Set aside.

STOCK
Take all peelings from crawfish, onions, celery, (but no bellpepper!). Cover with approximately 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.

BISQUE Make a dark roux with the flour and oil. Add onions, then bellpepper and celery. Add rest of ingredients except garlic, crawfish tails and parsley. Simmer 30 minutes and then add garlic. Simmer 10 minutes then add tails and parsley. Simmer 5 minutes and add more water if necessary. Reheat stuffed heads in bisque. Serve over rice. Add 5-6 heads per bowl and eat by scooping the stuff out of the heads and eating together with rice and bisque.

Farmers Market Soup

1 Medium Red Onion, diced
1 C Red Wine Vinegar
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
2 C Cooked Butter Beans
2 C Cooked Corn
2 Cucumbers, skinned, seeded and diced
3 Ribs Celery, diced
2 C Tomato Juice
6 Medium Tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 Bunch Fresh chives, chopped
1 Bunch Cilantro, chopped
To Taste Tabasco

Macerate onions with vinegar and garlic for one hour. Add remaining ingredients & season to taste. Chill overnight. Serve chilled in soup bowl. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or cr me fraiche and julienned basil.