What's a roux?

No, a roux is not Australian slang for a kangaroo.  Simply put, a “roux” is flour cooked in a fat, typically butter or oil (today preferably extra virgin olive oil, historically lard).  Some roux is cooked only until light golden blond, others until it is a deep, expresso- brown.  The darker the roux the deeper the flavor.  Its variations are the base for two Louisiana dishes … gumbo and étouffée … each of which can be enjoyed in virtually infinite variation … depends upon who makes it and what they use.  Then there’s that third Louisiana dish, jambalaya.

What’s the difference between gumbo, jambalaya and étouffée?

Gumbo is a meat and vegetable stew from Louisiana’s Creole heritage, typically thickened by roux, okra or filé powder (usually not both roux and filé together).  Filé is the dried and powdered leaves of the North American sassafras tree used for flavoring and thickening (buy from Zatarain’s of New Orleans), and is added at the end of the cooking process.  Gumbo is traditionally served over rice, hot, long-grain white rice.

The term “Creole” is today a melting pot that evolved over time starting from the children of first-generation French and Spanish immigrants who lived in the Louisiana Territory to today including African-Americans, Native Americans, Caribbean natives, and other settlers, a mélange of cultures.  The exact origin of  the word “gumbo” is unknown.  Some believe its name is derived from the West African Bantu word for “okra,” which is “ki  ngombo.”  Others believe the name is derived from the Choctaw word for filé, which is “kombo.”

[The roots and bark of the sassafras tree were the original base for root beer.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the commercial use of sassafras in 1976 based on 1960s studies showing a chemical in sassafras, safrole, caused cancer in rats … rats drinking 32 bottles of root beer per day.  This is why commercial root beers of today taste flat, not like the root beers of my childhood.]

Jambalaya is a one-pot rice dish that traces its origins to Spanish settlers in New Orleans trying to re-create paella using local ingredients in place of saffron, typically tomatoes.  The basic jambalaya recipe adds uncooked rice into a stock of meat and vegetables.  Creole jambalaya, also known as red jambalaya, contains tomatoes, while Cajun or brown jambalaya does not.  Creole jambalaya is often referred to as “City Jambalaya” and Cajun or brown jambalaya as “Rural Jambalaya.”  Historians define Cajuns as the descendants of Acadian (French Canadian) immigrants.

Étouffée, which means smothered in French, is a viscous stew thicker than gumbo that generally focuses on one meat, typically crayfish or shrimp.  Like gumbo it is served with rice.  The fat of crayfish is essential for making crayfish étouffée.

The flavor base of Cajun and Creole cooking is the “holy trinity” … equal parts onion, celery and bell pepper.  The holy trinity evolved from the French mirepoix, carrots, celery and onions, but since carrots do not grow well in bayou country, they were replaced with bell pepper.

What are the traditional gumbos?  The classic is chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo with lots of okra.  Seafood gumbo includes virtually any shellfish, shrimp, crawfish, crab, and sometimes oysters and red fish.  Some people, like us, go all the way with chicken, shrimp and sausage, and sometimes with Louisiana Hot Sausage instead of Andouille.  If you truly want go all the way add Tasso ham, a southern Louisiana specialty.  There’s even a vegetarian Gumbo z’Herbes for lent made of vegetables and lots of greens, mustard, collard, turnip, etc.  It is also known as “green gumbo.”

Traditional Creole gumbo is tomato-based and somewhat soupy; Cajun gumbo does not include tomatoes and is a thick stew.  Creole gumbo follows the French tradition of making a roux from butter and flour; Cajun roux uses lard or oil.

Cajun and Creole jambalaya share commonalities but are different in flavor and preparation.  Creole jambalaya starts with sautéing the holy trinity in butter or oil.  Added next are meats, fowl and seafood to be simmered before adding tomatoes, stock (beef, chicken or seafood), and rice.  The mixture is brought to a boil and simmered until the rice absorbs the stock. Creole seasonings include oregano, bay leaf, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and paprika; reminiscent of herbes de Provence.

Cajun jambalaya starts by browning the meats.  Once the meet caramelizes, the holy trinity is added and sautéed.  Rice and stock are added, brought to a boil, and then simmered until the rice absorbs the stock.  Cajun seasoning contains paprika, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Étouffée is basically a Louisiana fricassee, a sauce, a roux in which meat or fish are cooked, not as long as a braise or stew and not as short as a sauté.  The roux for étouffée is termed a “blond roux,” flour and oil or lard cooked without deep color.  The essence of étouffée is a single protein, most usually shrimp or crayfish.

How to make simple and easy crawfish étouffée:  Melt butter and sauté vegetables.  Sprinkle flour over veggie mixture and stir.  Add tomato paste and chicken broth, and stir.  Add the remaining seasoning and diced tomatoes, and simmer 6-8 minutes, until slightly thickened.  Add the crawfish tails and simmer 5 minutes more.

Whence garlic?  Garlic is not a typical ingredient in Louisiana-style cooking.  However, if you want to add garlic to your dish, sauté it with the holy trinity.

What to serve with your gumbo, jambalaya or étouffée?  For the soupier gumbo, the classic accompaniment is crusty French bread for mopping up the broth.  There are two traditional Louisiana-style hot pepper sauces, Tabasco and Crystal. Although you will find both Tabasco and Crystal on most tables, Big Easy chefs take offense when customers add hot sauce to their gumbo, so avoid this faux pas when dining in New Orleans.

Enough talking; let’s get cooking.

Make a Cajun seasoning blend you can use with meats, stews or soups that need a kick.

Cajun Seasoning

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon white pepper

2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons paprika (more at your discretion)

3 tablespoons salt

Combine; store in an airtight container.

Easy Shrimp and Sausage Creole or Is It Cajun?

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped bell pepper (use multicolored bell peppers for a more dramatic presentation)

You can increase the holy trinity amounts depending upon your taste, just keep the relative proportions the same.

4-6 cloves minced garlic (if you want to add garlic)

1 lb. Andouille or Louisiana Hot Sausage

2 teaspoons sugar

2 28 oz. cans of tomatoes with liquid; tomatoes cut into chunks (or use cans of crushed tomatoes)

1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce

16 oz. stock (chicken stock, shrimp or crayfish stock, or beef stock)

2 bay leaves

3-5 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

2 lbs. medium shrimp

1 lb. okra (frozen or fresh)

1½ cup uncooked rice

Heat oil in Dutch oven on medium heat.  Add flour and stir continuously until the desired roux color is achieved (a short time for blond and a much longer time for expresso-colored; color determined more by when your arm gives out).

In a separate pan sauté the sausage, if not already cooked through.  Drain on paper towels.  If precooked, the sausage may be added directly.

Add the holy trinity (celery, onion and bell pepper) and sauté until the onions are translucent and the celery has softened.  Include the garlic here if you intend to use it.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, bay leaves, stock, sausage and Cajan seasoning. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the rice following its instructions.  1½ cups uncooked rice needs 3 cups water. You can add a tablespoon of butter if so desired.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until all of the water is absorbed by the rice.  Fluff with a fork.

You have two choices on how to prepare the shrimp.  Approximately 15 minutes before serving, add the shrimp to the Dutch oven mixture.  You may have to turn up the heat to ensure the mixture is bubbling but not burning.  Add the okra at this time as well.  Alternatively, separately sauté the shrimp in butter, and add atop Dutch oven mixture when serving.

Place rice in a shallow bowl, add Dutch oven mixture and shrimp if sautéed separately.

Serve with truly crusty French bread, and a German off-dry Riesling.  A lager beer also works great instead of wine.  Bon appétit à la Louisiane!