bigbadbrother
07-02-2013, 04:03 AM
A Roux is the basis for many Cajun dishes, such as Louisiana Cajun Gumbo. It's time you learned to make one, if you dont know how yet.
1 1/2 cups olive oil or bacon drippings. I prefer Olive oil.
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over a medium fire. Add the flour and cook very slowly, stirring almost constantly. The flour must be cooked to a very dark brown, nearly black. Not burned ! This takes more time than you might think, so plan on spending some time on your feet in front of the stove. A good roux must be cooked slowly to get the floury taste out and to have uniformity of color. This is the basic roux. Some Cajuns say that a finished roux has a shine.
Most roux are pretty much the same. In some Cajun kitchens, there are variations. For example, after you have made the basic roux, you can add a small can of tomato paste, stirring this all the time until the roux returns to the color of the flour before the paste was added. Then add a small can of tomato sauce, stirring it into the mixture until it turns dark brown again. I like to brown green onions in mine. I also go for a deep brown caramel color at times. That's the one I use in red beans and rice. Yes, that's what I said. I make a roux and add it to my red beans and rice ! Not many Cajuns do that, but try it. You'll like it, especially with pinto beans.
Others add "The Cajun Holy Trinity" to their Roux. That's onions, bell pepper and celery. Be careful with that celery and don't add too much, though. It''s powerful stuff. As for onions, you can't have too many onions in Louisiana food as far as I'm concerned.
Now that you know how to make a roux, let's use it in some Louisiana Seafood Gumbeaux (or Gumbo, as the rest of the world spells it !)
1 1/2 cups olive oil or bacon drippings. I prefer Olive oil.
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over a medium fire. Add the flour and cook very slowly, stirring almost constantly. The flour must be cooked to a very dark brown, nearly black. Not burned ! This takes more time than you might think, so plan on spending some time on your feet in front of the stove. A good roux must be cooked slowly to get the floury taste out and to have uniformity of color. This is the basic roux. Some Cajuns say that a finished roux has a shine.
Most roux are pretty much the same. In some Cajun kitchens, there are variations. For example, after you have made the basic roux, you can add a small can of tomato paste, stirring this all the time until the roux returns to the color of the flour before the paste was added. Then add a small can of tomato sauce, stirring it into the mixture until it turns dark brown again. I like to brown green onions in mine. I also go for a deep brown caramel color at times. That's the one I use in red beans and rice. Yes, that's what I said. I make a roux and add it to my red beans and rice ! Not many Cajuns do that, but try it. You'll like it, especially with pinto beans.
Others add "The Cajun Holy Trinity" to their Roux. That's onions, bell pepper and celery. Be careful with that celery and don't add too much, though. It''s powerful stuff. As for onions, you can't have too many onions in Louisiana food as far as I'm concerned.
Now that you know how to make a roux, let's use it in some Louisiana Seafood Gumbeaux (or Gumbo, as the rest of the world spells it !)