I get to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival about every third year. If you've never been, know that it's a lot more than a music festival. For many of us, the real lure is the food.

The festival features booth after busy booth offering Louisiana delicacies such as crawfish bread, crabmeat-stuffed shrimp and pheasant, quail and andouille gumbo. These folks don't play when it comes to festival fare.

And -- always, always -- one of the longest lines forms at Kajun Kettle Foods booth, where they sell just one thing: Crawfish Monica, a simple but satisfying cream-based pasta.

While KKF "invented" the dish, I've found dozens of similar pasta dishes in cookbooks and online.

Personally, the classic Crawfish Monica is a little bland. That's why I've developed this recipe, taking a little bit from several cookbooks, including one from Mr. Bam himself.

Once you get your chopping and grating done, this dish comes together very quickly.


Crawfish Connie, Monica's sassier cousin: Syd Kearney : 29-95

Crawfish Connie
Serves 4-6

1 pound of pasta
olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup onions, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, freshly chopped
1 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1 1/2 pound crawfish tails

The plan
Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain; return to pot and add a small amount of olive oil; stir to coat. Cover and keep pasta warm.

In large pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and seasonings, stirring. Cook for about 1 minute.

Add the wine and cook over high heat until nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Then add cream and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced.

Add the crawfish tails and cook, stirring, to warm through. Add the green onion and parsley and cook for another minute.

Add cheese and mix well. Then add the cooked pasta and toss to coat with the sauce. Cook until the pasta is warmed through, about 1 minute.

Serve warm.

: I used spiral pasta, as is served in the traditional Crawfish Monica, but any pasta would work well. Also you could sub raw shrimp for the crawfish, but make sure you allow for a longer cooking time.