Crawfish Bread

In New Orleans, at Jazz Fest every year, one vendor sells this stuff..there's always a long line to get it, and my Fest isn't complete until I have it. While their filling is baked into the loaf, this is a wonderful substitute . I'm posting it to share with everyone, but mostly to have it in my cookbook here. The servings depend on how large you cut the pieces and how hungry you are. Warning, this is highly addictive.

• Ready In: 37 mins
• Yields: 4 loaves

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped onion
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped bell pepper
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped celery
• 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
• 1  cup chicken broth or 1  cup  clam juice
• 1⁄3 cup  prepared  roux
• 1⁄8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄8 teaspoon sweet basil
• 2  bay leaves
• 2  tablespoons  minced garlic
• 2  lbs crawfish tails, with fat
• 1⁄2 cup  ripe tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 (10 1/2ounce) can  Campbell's cream of shrimp soup
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped parsley
• 1⁄3 cup  sliced green onion
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  cajun seasoning
• 1⁄8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1  teaspoon salt (if needed)
• 8  ounces  shredded colby
• 8  ounces  shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1  cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 4  loaves  French bread, twin shorties

Directions

1. In a large heavy skillet, melt the butter and heat it until it bubbles. Then lower the heat and add the chopped onions, bell pepper, and celery.
2. Sauté the mixture until the veggies turn limp, but do not let them brown (figure that it should take about three minutes).
3. Next add the wine to the seasoning base and bring it to a boil.
4. Then, after about a minute, pour in the clam juice (or broth) and add to it the prepared roux, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic.
5. At this point, return the mixture to a boil once again but immediately lower the heat and simmer everything together for about five minutes more or until thickened.
6. Now add the crawfish tails, diced tomatoes, cream of shrimp soup, parsley, green onions, seafood seasoning, and salt (if needed).
7. When everything is thoroughly combined, simmer the skillet for about 8 to 10 minutes or until you can pick up the sauce with a fork.
8. All that's left to do is to slice the loaves of bread lengthwise and sprinkle each half with a thin but complete layer of cheese.
9. Then place the bread onto a sheet pan and slide it under a hot broiler or toaster oven until the cheese fully melts.
10. Finally, take the bread halves out of the oven, generously spoon the crawfish sauce down the center of each loaf, then top them liberally with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
11. Return the Crawfish Bread to the oven one more time, but only until the sauce begins to bubble.
12. Then slice the "breads" into appropriate individual portions and serve the pieces piping hot.
13. Outstanding with a frosty "brewskie" in a tall frosted glass!