Alligator a l'etouffee

[bekah]

That last post escaped prior to being ready!  To begin again:
***

"Galloping gasbags, but it's just capital to see you fellows again!" 
the Professor greeted them.  "Lst I heard, you'd come to grief down 
in New Orleans, no doubt from packing away more alligator á 
l'etouffee than that old Inconvenience quite had the life for!"
"Oh, an anxious hour or tow, perhaps," allowed Randolph, his facial 
expression suggesting gastric memories."   (pg 29)

**
I expect that alligator meat was substituted for the crayfish which 
is mentioned in The Crying of Lot 49,  Vineland,  Tand Mason & Dixon.


****  a l'étouffée

Definition: [ay-too-FAY] This popular cajun dish is a thick, spicy 
stew of crayfish and vegetables served over white rice. Its rich, 
deep color and flavor come from the dark brown roux on which it's 
based. The word étouffée comes from the French étouffer, which means 
"to smother" or "to suffocate." The term à l'étouffée refers to the 
method of cooking food in a minute amount of liquid, tightly covered 
and over very low heat. This method is also called à l'étuvée.


--Copyright (c) 1995 by Barron's Educational Series, from The New 
Food Lover's Companion, Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
<http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,2370,00.html>


Bekah