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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 1 |
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Making a Cajun Roux. The unique flavor of Cajun food is derived from using roux and seasonings. Ingredients:
3/4 cup peanut oil; has a high smoke point |
1 cup all-purpose flour |
Directions:
1. Before you make any kind of gumbo, you will need a good Cajun roux. A roux is made of flour and oil. The ingredients are fairly simple. However, it can be kind of tricky if you are a beginner. Remember to always keep an eye on your pot or skillet and stir, stir, stir. Move your spoon constantly to prevent any of the flour from burning. Any burned flour in the roux, makes a very bitter taste and the roux must be discarded.
2. If this happens just start over from scratch. Stirring and timing are the secrets of a good roux. A word of caution; handle roux carefully. Hot roux can burn, if spilled or spattered. Paul Prudhomme has called roux, kitchen napalm!
3. Use a heavy bottomed pan with room to add some of the chopped vegetables when the roux is ready. Turn the heat to medium; add the oil and heat for a few minutes. Mix the flour into the oil and stir the roux mixture until it is smooth.
4. Over a low to moderate heat, continue stirring until the flour is the color you desire. Usually dark brown, the color of dark chocolate icing, is the preferred color for gumbo. Roux can be any color from tan to almost black; but never contains burned black flour.
5. While you are making the roux, already have your aromatic vegetables chopped and your stock heated for the gumbo. If you add roux to cold stock, it may ruin it, so have the stock hot when the roux is ready.
6. As soon as the roux is ready, stir in a portion of the chopped vegetables and stir until the mixture forms clumps and the pot or skillet is relatively clean then turn off the heat and transfer the roux-vegetable mixture to the boiling stock. The roux should go into solution with a little stirring of the stock.
7. Excessive oil may be removed from the gumbo's surface after the gumbo has cooked and allowed to set for a while.
8. Bon chance et bon appetit!
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