Instructions: Boil alligator meat for 5 minutes to remove fat. Rinse meat in clean water. Brown meat in black iron pot. Remove meat and clean pot. Place flour and oil in black pot. Cook stirring constantly until as dark as chocolate. Add onions and bell pepper. Cook until dark-brown and soft. Add tomato paste and cooked tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. Add garlic, meat, seasonings, and andouille and simmer 25 minutes. Add butter and cook for another 40 minutes. Serve over rice.

Comments: Alligator meat is a delicacy here in Louisiana. Years ago, alligator was plentiful but demand for alligator hide nearly drove them into extinction. Cajuns, always frugal with what nature provides, found that alligator meat was tasty - especially the tail for grilling. Conservation and even alligator farming has brought this tasty meat back to our tables.

A sauce piquante (pronounced sos pee-kont) is a highly-seasoned stew. Piquante means "to prick" and thats what the spices and flavors in this do.

Any meat can be substituted in a sauce piquante.

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