Crawfish Andouille Lasagna from Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney

In 1996, The Orlando Sentinel’s food section asked Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney for some inspiration for a Mardi Gras menu. The result was this fab crawfish lasagna. The dish incorporates many traditional Louisiana ingredients including spicy andouille sausage, crawfish and Tabasco. But more importantly, it calls for the three essentials of the Louisiana cook’s ”holy trinity”: onion, bell pepper and celery.

Crawfish Andouille Lasagna

Yield: 4 servings

1 pound pasta

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella

1 cup ricotta

Lasagna filling:

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound minced andouille sausage

1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup chopped green onion

8 slices stale French bread, soaked in stock and minced

2 pounds minced crawfish tails

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Tabasco

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup crawfish stock thickened with a bit of roux ( 1/2 cup New England clam chowder can be substituted)

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1. Heat oven to 350 F. To make the filling, melt butter in a skillet over high heat. Add andouille and vegetables. Cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add minced bread, crawfish and seasonings. Cook mixture for 4 to 5 minutes. Add sauce and a cup of bread crumbs. Blend well and remove from the heat.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Lightly grease a baking dish and cover the bottom with a layer of pasta. Put a layer of the filling (about 1/2 -inch thick) over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella. Ladle 1/2 cup of the crawfish sauce on tip and spread evenly.

3. Cover with another layer of pasta, filling and cheeses, 1/2 cup crawfish sauce and ricotta. Repeat procedure (there will be no ricotta layer).

4. Top with remaining pasta and lightly grease the top sheet. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.