For crab sauce: Shells from 2 crabs 1 onion, chopped 1/2 celery stalk, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 quart gf chicken broth 4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 Tablespoons brandy 1/2 cup cream 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
For stew: 1 lb cooked crab meat 2 carrots, sliced 8 asparagus, the tender sections chopped into 1/2" pieces 1-1/2 lbs quartered mushrooms 3 Tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper 6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Directions
For crab sauce: Add oil to a large heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add crab shells, onion, celery, garlic and thyme and saute for about 10 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain solids from liquid and return liquid to a clean pot over medium-high heat. Add brandy and reduce until about 1-1/2 cups remain. Add cream and simmer for another 10 minutes. Whisk in butter. Add parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. For stew: Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add carrots and cook until just tender then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Add asparagus to boiling water and cook until just tender then remove to ice water. In a separate pot, add oil over high heat. Add mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a plate. Add tomatoes to pot over medium-high heat and cook until their liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Add crab sauce, mushrooms carrots, asparagus and parsley to the tomatoes over medium heat, stirring gently to blend. Add crab meat and toss until heated through. Serve over rice.
Tips
This recipe takes a bit of work but it is well worth the effort!