Page 33 - Waves April

mans, Spanish, American Indians, and ty in taste to dark chocolate brown with
Afro-Caribbeans. an intense, almost chicory-like flavor.

For example, the word gumbo comes Chicken, duck, and pork fat all give a
from “guingombo:, an African word for good flavor, or you can use canola oil. It
okra. And, the filé used to season and works great because of its high smoke
thicken gumbo was borrowed from the point and its neutral flavor.
Choctaw Indians who ground the sas-
safras leaves for their dishes. From the Heat your oil or fat in the skillet or pot
Afro-Caribbeans, they adopted the hot over high heat until it almost reaches
peppers, cayenne, and sauce piquantes. the smoking point. Then add the flour
and listen to it. When you hear the flour
The preeminent Cajun ingredient is the sizzling, you know it’s cooking. Whisk
crawfish, so much a part of the cuisine it. Then lower the flame to medium or
it has become the icon of Cajun culture. medium-low and continue whisking. As
The use of Crawfish is an example of long as you’re whisking, your roux isn’t Shrimp and Okra Gumbo
how the Cajuns adopted the resources burning.
they found in southern Louisiana to
create hearty, simple dishes, such as Keep whisking until you’ve got a roux
gumbo, étouffée (just about anything that’s milk chocolate in color.
smothered), and jambalaya. Rice is
almost always incorporated in a Cajun Then add your onions only and stir
dish, which easily grew in the damp with a wooden spoon until the onions
climate of the Gulf Coast. caramelize and the roux turns a dark
chocolate color.
The sausages include andouille, made
with pork and garlic and smoked, often Note: If you add all the ingredients with
over pecan wood and sugar cane, and the onions, the water will prevent the
boudin, pork and rice stuffed into a cas- onions from caramelizing, and you will
ing; this is boudin blanc. Boudin rouge not get the deep dark color or flavor.
is a blood sausage. Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Now you got’da Roux!
There are many other dishes that today
are a fusion of the distinctly Cajun with
other influences such as Creole cooking Next M ont h
and New Orleans specialties. That pro-
cess of fusion has continued in Texas Next month I would like to dive into
so that among the many Cajun/Creole/ some of Daddy’s dishes that i grew up
Louisiana restaurants in the state, menus on and still cook for my family today.
include crawfish tamales and crawfish Its amazing the memories that a simple
étouffée enchiladas. taste and aroma from a pot of goodness
can bring back.
Thoughts on Roux Of course, I have sat down at quite a

few tables in Galveston that cook Cajun
A good roux is basic. Yet, there are so inspired dishes that make you wanna
many variations of the mixture; almost slap ya Mama so I would like to hear Jambalaya
a “ritualistic” practice from a lot of some cool methods that you guys have
folks. To whisk or not; wooden spoon as well to share in the magazine.
or metal whisk: adding the trinity all
at once or just the onions; so many Send them to me directly at
“rituals”. Personally, none of them are cbergeron@wavesgalveston.com or
wrong if you like the outcome in terms post them on the Cajun Corner page at
of consistency, aroma, and flavor. www.wavesgalveston.com.

I am still the “whisk it until the onions
go in” guy and then use the wooden Stay with me! See ya!
spoon to stir as the onions caramelize
and you get that dark-chocolate color.
Depending on how long you cook it, a
roux can be light brown and faintly nut- Good ‘ol Red Beans

Waves Magazine | May 2019 Issue | 33