I am sort of a Southern transplant. Although born in Texas, I spent most of my yourh in the Midwest: New Mexico and Colorado. I went to college in Mississippi and my in laws were from Louisiana. After a few trips to New Orleans in college, I took a liking to Cajun and Creole fare. After I got married I started collecting cookbooks from the region. I wanted to master some of my favorites like Jambalaya, Creole sauce and of course Gumbo. Many of the old Cajun recipes I found start of with the statement “First you gotta make a roux”. Some of the recipes explained how to do this but a lot didn’t. When I first tried, I failed often. I would either burn it or not let it cook long enough to get it to the right color. I have since mastered the roux so I thought I would share my secrets and tips here. If you do not know what a roux is, it is a thickener or binder to soups, stews or sauces. It was first introduced in French cuisine in the 17th century. A Cajun roux is much darker than those used in French cuisine. The darker the roux becomes the less thickening power it has but it gains a rich and nutty flavor.
To make a roux successfully you really need a cast iron Dutch oven or deep skillet. If you do not have cast iron, use a pan with a very thick bottom, otherwise your roux will burn.
Add 1 cup oil and 1 cup flour to pan. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Turn your burner on med-high heat and begin to stir. You must stir the mixture constantly or it will burn. If you have a recipe that states it takes 10 minutes to make a roux, don’t believe it. It could take up to 30 minutes. Your arm will be tired. I have a cold beer in the other hand to ease the pain! When you start the roux will look like this:
Continue stirring the mixture and it will gradually start changing color from a blonde roux to a golden roux. If you start seeing a lot of black specks in the mixture it is burnt and you need to start over. A very small amount of black specks in the mixture is normal. It will look like this:
You are not done yet. Keep stirring (you may need a second beer). The roux needs to be a very dark caramel color. Almost there……
The darker you make it the richer the flavor. The color in the above picture is acceptable but you could cook it a little longer and it will get darker. Once it is the required color, remove the pot from heat and continue to stir the roux until it is no longer boiling.
For gumbo, you need to have the trinity ready to go. This is chopped, onion, celery and bell pepper. Add the trinity to the roux (I usually add the garlic here as well). It will immediately thicken up and look like this:
Below is my Sausage and Chicken Gumbo Recipe. If you are brave enough to tackle the roux, the rest is a breeze. Enjoy and Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Roux:
1 cup veg oil
1 cup flour
1 med onion chopped,
1 bell pepper chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
3 cups hot water
3 cupbs beef broth
1 large bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or more to your taste) ( I use Tony Cs or Zataran’s)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or more to your taste)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 lb andouille or smoked sausage, cut in 1 in pieces
2 cooked chicken breasts cup up in 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups cut okra, fresh or frozen
- Add oil and flour in a cast iron dutch oven pot. Cook over medium high heat stirring constantly until it is the color of dark caramel. This will take at least 20 minutes. If you read somewhere or if anyone tells you it takes 10 minutes they are LYING. Do not look away and keep stirring it or will burn.
NOTE: If you see a lot of black spec in the roux, the flour burned and you need to start again.
- Remove pan from heat. Add in the trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) and the garlic and stir well. Put pan back on the heat and turn to medium
- Gradually add the water and beef broth to mixture until combined well with the roux mixture. Add all of your seasonings at this time.
- Add your sausage and chicken and simmer for at least an hour. I do not put a lid on the pot as I like it to be very thick.
- About 30 min before serving add the cut up okra
- Serve over steamed white rice.
