Ingredients
Seasoning mix
2 teaspoons dried sweet basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1-1/2 pounds cooked crawfish tail meat, in all

6 artichokes
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped (save 1/2 of the skins)
1-1/2 cups nonfat mayonnaise
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated skim milk
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Lagniappe Dressing (below)

Instructions
Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crawfish tail meat evenly with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix, combine thoroughly, and set aside. Place a large pot half-filled with water over high heat. Add the artichokes, cover, and cook just until the artichokes are tender about 25 minutes. Remove the artichokes and let them cool.

Place the cucumbers, reserved cucumber skins, remaining seasoning mix, mayonnaise, skim milk, and 1/2 pound of the crawfish tail meat in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Set aside. When the artichokes are cool, cut about 1/2 inch off the top of each and snip the sharp points off all the leaves. Slice off the stems (do not discard them) to flatten the bottoms, but be careful not to cut too close to the artichokes, as you want to keep them intact. Remove all the leaves that have started to fall off, until the artichoke has a nice round appearance. Using your fingers, grab the center leaves around the fuzzy choke, and remove but do not discard them. Carefully remove the choke, and remove and discard all the fibers. With a teaspoon scrape the artichoke leaves and reserve the pulpy meat. Peel the stems and dice them into small pieces.

In a large bowl combine the remaining 1 pound of crawfish tail meat, the diced artichoke, the scrapings from the leaves, and 2-1/2 cups of the mixture from the blender. Place 3/4 cup of this mixture in the center of each artichoke. If you wish, you can at this point serve the artichokes cold. Or, if you prefer them hot, place the filled artichokes in a baking pan and add enough water to come 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese, if desired, over each artichoke, and bake, uncovered, in a 350 degrees F. oven until the stuffing is hot and the cheese is brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 6 stuffed artichokes

Lagniappe (Artichoke and Cucumber Salad Dressing)
Ingredients

 	Remaining dressing from stuffed artichokes (about 2 cups)
1 	(5-ounce) can evaporated skim milk
2 	tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Yield: 2-1/2 cups dressing

Credits
From: Fork in the Road by Paul Prudhomme (Wm. Morrow & Company)

Shared by: Peggy, Home Cooking Guide

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