Quote:
Originally Posted by KC911
My roux turned out great...just as you describe, but I probably spent over an hour getting it to that point. I had my heat on low (2 ish), and never stopped stirring the whole time. I'd just like to expedite that time a bit. I did the chicken (2 breasts and a pack of drumsticks) in a pot for stock, and browned some Andouille, put onion and celery in (didn't have bell pepper on hand), and then some fresh (and some frozen) okra in. Didn't have any file powder on hand...is that critical? Let it all sit in the fridge overnight, and then brought it back to life before serving, but I'm still missing "something", but don't quite know what. I used some of my own "Cajun spice" blend that I had made up some time back, and also added some "Tony Chachere's Creole" seasoning, along with plenty of Crystal hot sauce. I KNOW you know your stuff (from other threads). I've been to 'Nawlins a bunch over the years, so I know what it's supposed to taste like...I'm just not quite there yet...help a Pelican brother out! I reckon it's like chile...I've never made a "bad" batch, sometimes it's just better and I've never done it the same way twice  . |
You need a recipe. Especially for the spices. Get the Prudhomme book. You can find it on Amazon for under $10 used. File is not necessary at all for most gumbos. Also, for doing the roux, put your stove on HOT, as hot as it gets and stir like a fool with a big metal whisk with a long handle. Shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes. If you overdo it and think it tastes bitter, let it boil for a few hours and add a dash of tomato paste, the flower and bitter taste will get absorbed. As it was mentioned, use your vegetables and dump them in the roux to cool it off immediately.
HTH!
G