Crawfish and Tasso Fettuccine

ratherbeswimmin''s Note:

Tasso is/are(??) lean strips of boneless pork that have been marinated in a special seasoning and then heavily smoked. Used in cajun/creole cooking. If you can't locate tasso in your grocery store, I have purchased it from cajungrocer.com. This is a splurge recipe meaning it is VERY rich and fattening.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 12 ounces fettuccine , uncooked
• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine , melted
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• ½ cup chopped tasso
• 1 cup sliced green onion
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms , sliced
• 1 medium green bell pepper , chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 lb frozen cooked crayfish tail , thawed and drained
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare fettuccine according to the package directions; drain and keep warm.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Add in the garlic; saute and stir constantly for 3 minutes or until tender (don't let it burn).
4. Add in the tasso and next 3 ingredients; saute and stir constantly for 5 minutes.
5. Add in flour; stir to combine.
6. Gradually stir in whipping cream and the next 5 ingredients.
7. Stir constantly while bringing to a boil; once mixture is boiling, cook and stir constantly for 1 minute or until smooth and thickened.
8. Add in crawfish tails; stir occasionally and cook just until heated through.
9. Place fettuccine onto individual serving plates; top with crawfish sauce.
10. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.