Emeril Lagasse's Crawfish Pie Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. SautT for about 8 minutes, or until golden and wilted. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crawfish tails and parsley. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes.

3. Dissolve the flour in the water and add to the pan. Stir for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

4. Place the crust in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan and crimp the edges. Pour the crawfish mixture into the pie crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the pie crust are golden. Cool for several minutes.

5. Cut into wedges and serve.

One nine-inch pie, serves six.

Basic Savory Pie Crust

3 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups cold lard or solid vegetable shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons water
Directions for Pie Crust
1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the lard and work it in with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, working it in with your hands. Add only as much as you need to make a smooth ball of dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. For 2 crusts, cut the dough in two and put the second half back in the refrigerator. For each crust, roll the dough out on the floured surface into a circle 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Gently fold the circle of dough in half and then in half again so that you can lift it without tearing it, and unfold into a 9-inch pie pan.

3. Fill and proceed as directed in the recipe.

Makes two nine-inch pie crusts.