Turnip Greens

Turnip greens are real Southern food.

And us Cajuns are also Southerners, so it’s no wonder we like our turnip greens.

No Cajun recipe collection would be complete without this southern cooking recipe.

You rarely see this great vegetable in restaurants, although some Southern based cafeterias like Piccadilly serve them. You can also get turnip greens on the plate lunches at Reeves grocery store in Baton Rouge.

Turnip greens are pretty much something you get at home, or don’t get at all.

How to Cook Turnip Greens

Ingredients needed to make Turnip Greens

1-2 bunches of turnip greens (washed in salty water, rinsed well and chopped)
2 medium-large size turnip roots (peeled and diced)
Seasoning ham or smoked pork sausage
4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Cajun Trinity (3 cups of onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic)
Salt and Cajun seasoning (1 teaspoon each)

Cooking Directions

Prepare all your ingredients in order to easily put together.

Using fresh turnip greens, soak the greens in salted water.

You will need to rinse and soak again a few times to make sure all the grit is removed.

Chop into small bite-size pieces.

(Hint: we found a 2 lb pre-washed pack at the supermarket – ready to go turnip greens.)

Cook your bacon, ham, or sausage in a skillet.

Drain, cut-up and set aside.

Turnip roots – peel the thick outer skin.

Cut-up into diced bite-size pieces.

Chop your onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic.

(Or, you can use frozen “season blend”)

Ready to Cook:

Begin by pouring 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or fat from the seasoning meat in a stock pot.

Saute the Cajun Trinity (or “season blend”) for 5 minutes.

Pour in 4-6 cups stock.

Add diced turnip roots.

Bring to a boil.

Cook for 15 minutes.

Add the turnip greens, seasoning meat, salt and Cajun seasoning.

Cover and lower the heat to medium #4.

Cook for 45 minutes.

Serve in a bowl with a good hot biscuit or cornbread for dipping the “pot licker”.

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is my favorite dessert, and we make it often during strawberry season around here.

I grew up in Springfield, right by Ponchatoula, Louisiana, the “strawberry capital of the world.” In fact, when I was in grade school through high school, many of my friends’ families had strawberry farms, and worked them during season.

(I love strawberries so much, that I have them with my breakfast almost every day.)

This strawberry shortcake recipe is not only great tasting, but it’s really easy to make also.

How to Make an Easy Strawberry Shortcake Dessert

Strawberry Shortcake Ingredients

1 – box Angel Food Cake mix
1 1/4 cup COLD water
1 lb fresh ripe strawberries
1/4 cup cane sugar
Honey
Whipped topping
Chocolate syrup

Equipment Needed:

Angel Food Cake Pan
Large mixing bowl
Electric mixer
Glass beer bottle
Long serrated knife
Cake plate
Cutting board
Paring knife

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees according to the directions on the cake mix.

Remove the middle rack from the oven leaving in the lowest oven rack.

(The cake rises quite a bit so you don’t want the cake to touch the burner elements.)

Mix the cake batter by placing the mix in a large glass mixing bowl. (I used an 8 cup measuring cup.)

Add 1 1/4 cup cold water.

Mix with the electric mixer for 1-2 minutes.

The batter will rise nearly to the top of the bowl.

Pour cake batter into an un-greased Angel Food Cake Pan.

Spread evenly and shake to settle.

Place in the oven on the lowest rake and bake for approximately 40 minutes.

Check the box for timing. 40 minutes was good for me.

While the cake is baking, wash and prepare strawberries.

Cut off the stems – you know that green part.

Then, slice the strawberries either lengthwise or into rounds. Doesn’t matter.

Place in a glass bowl.

Pour 1/4 cup cane sugar and stir.

Drizzle on about 2 teaspoons honey.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while the cake is baking and then cooling.

The sugar, honey and strawberries will mix to create a flavorful juice.

Once the cake is done, immediately remove from the oven and place the empty glass bottle in the middle of the pan and turn the cake up-side down balancing on the bottle.

I do not know the reasoning behind this – just following directions.

The cake cools in about an hour. Remove the bottle.

Using the long serrated knife, insert into the edge of the cake and saw around the edges going all the way around.

This loosens the cake from the pan.

Over a cake plate, turn the pan up-side down again and shake out the cake.

If it doesn’t easily come out, take the knife or a spatula and loosen it from the pan.

It should shake right out.

To cut the cake, gently saw back and forth.

You don’t want to just cut in a downward motion because it will squish your fluffy cake.

Place a hearty piece on a plate.

Top with fresh sliced strawberries and juice.

Drizzle on the chocolate syrup and top with whipping top.

And cher – that is some good Strawberry Shortcake.

And it is so easy – you got to try it.

Till next time – thanks for joining us at Cajun Cooking TV!

Broccoli Rice Casserole Recipe

Broccoli Rice Casserole is a favorite at the Stokes home, and tonight we have a guest cook to help us make it. We first became acquainted with this dish at a local Piccadilly cafeteria, and decided to make it at home.

We didn’t really have a starting recipe, so this Broccoli Rice Casserole recipe is the result of just an idea and knowing what we like. One thing is for sure, we knew we wanted more cheese in and on it!

This is a Cajun recipes side item that we make whenever the kids come over, because they all love it.

It’s really easy to make, you can use either fresh or frozen broccoli, and the little ones can help you grate the cheese.

How To Make Broccoli Rice Casserole

Essentials and Ingredients

RICE

1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter

BROCCOLI

You choice of 1 fresh bunch of broccoli crowns or a 1-pound bag of frozen broccoli crowns.
1 cup water

OTHER STUFF

6 cups sharp or extra sharp Cheddar cheese (finely shredded)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Essentials

2 medium saucepans
Deep casserole dish
Big mixing bowl
Cheese grater

Let’s get Cooking

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Start the rice by placing 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Stir in the rice.

Cover and lower the heat to #3.

Let cook for 20 minutes.

In another saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil.

Steam the broccoli crowns for 5-8 minutes.

Drain and set aside.

Once the rice and broccoli are done, place in a large mixing bowl.

Chop of the broccoli crowns into bit size pieces.

Mix together with 1 can mushroom soup, 1/4 cup milk, and 4 cups Cheddar cheese.

Pour into a greased casserole dish (spray casserole dish with cooking spray).

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover with additional 2 cups of cheddar cheese.

This recipe is so easy and taste so good.

Enjoy this wonderful comfort food!

Till next time,

Beryl

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below.

Grilled Chicken and Pasta Recipe

Grilled chicken and pasta, with broccoli or asparagus and a cheese sauce, is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. We have it at least one Sunday night a month, if not more often!

Although this chicken and pasta recipe calls for grilled chicken, you can certainly bake it, broil it, or even fry it if that is more convenient for you. The real secret to this recipe (at least this is what my husband would tell you) is the cheddar cheese sauce. This cheddar cheese sauce recipe is so good you could pour it over cardboard and you’d have a great tasting meal.

Anyway, the cheese sauce recipe is included in the video, and although this isn’t a specifically Cajun cooking Cajun recipe, we Cajun’s just plain love all good food, so we’ve included this in our Cajun recipes collection, under “other recipes”. We hope you enjoy our grilled chicken and pasta as much as we do.

How to Make Grilled Chicken and Pasta

Grilled Chicken and Pasta Ingredients

– 2 Chicken breasts – skin on

– 2 cups finely grated Cheddar cheese (we used Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Seaside White Cheddar Cheese)

– 2 cups milk

– 2 tablespoon butter

– 1/4 cup flour

-2-3 cups rotini pasta or bow-tie pasta

– Steamed broccoli crowns or fresh asparagus

– Cajun Creole Seasoning (like Tony’s)

– Garlic powder

– Sea salt

– Chopped green onions for garnish

To begin – prepare your charcoal grill.

(For details on grilling, please see our 10 Grilling Tips).

Wash chicken breasts and pat dry with a paper towel.

On a platter, season the chicken breasts on both sides with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and sea salt.

After the chicken has been cooking for about 30 mins, start the cooking inside.

Note: We sometimes purchase already grilled chicken breast at out meat market.

Cheese Sauce, Pasta, and Vegetable.

Begin to bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.

Cook 2-3 cups pasta according to package directions.

In a deep skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons butter.

Once bubbly and hot, gradually add in the flour and whisk well.

Gradually add in warmed milk and whisk to incorporate with flour mixture.

Continuously stir for 8-10 minutes.

The white sauce should be thick and creamy.

Lower the heat and mix in the finely shredded cheese.

Keep on low until ready to serve.

Meanwhile in another saucepan, put a small amount of water and steam the broccoli or asparagus for 5-8 minutes.

The chicken breasts should be about done.

With a meat thermometer, check the chicken’s internal temperature by placing the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.

If it reads at least 160 degrees, that chicken is ready to eat.

If not, you best leave on the grill a bit longer.

To Serve:

In a deep plate, place a spoonful of pasta.

Add cut-up chicken breast and vegetable.

Spoon on the creamy cheddar cheese sauce.

Top with chopped green onions.

I hope you enjoy it. Bon Apetite!

‘Till next time,

Beryl

Hoppin’ John

I was born and raised in Louisiana Cajun cooking country, and my husband is a “cracker” from north Florida transplanted to Cajun country, and neither of us had ever heard of Hoppin John when a subscriber of our Cajun recipes emailed us and asked us to make it and publish it on our Cajun Cooking blog.

So, not wanting to disappoint a loyal reader, I went to Google to see just what in the world Hoppin’ John was.

Black eyed peas is what I found out, laugh out loud.

We call Hoppin’ John black-eyed peas around here, and sure I know how to cook black-eyed peas!

We’ve since asked around, and found that plenty of our friends and relatives knew what Hoppin’ John was, they just didn’t call it that.

Hoppin’ John is more of a “low country” of South Carolina and Georgia southern food term than a Cajun recipe term.

Anyway, I may be prejudiced, but I do think we make Hoppin” John, or black eyed peas, whichever you prefer to call it, pretty darn good.

So, here’s our Hoppin’ John recipe, hope you enjoy it.

Hoppin John Ingredients

1 (1 pound) package dry or frozen black eyed peas

Seasoning meat like ham, thick bacon or sausage – cooked

1 medium diced onion (1 cup)
1 bell pepper (1 cup)
3 stalks diced celery
1 jalapeno (diced & no seeds)
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (like Tony’s)
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4-6 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
Chopped green onions for garnish
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups cooked long grain white rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 20 minutes on low heat)

Putting it all together…

The night before cooking Hoppin John, soak the dry black eyed peas in a bowl of water.

Cover and set aside until you are ready to cook.

Then drain the peas in a colander.

Prepare all of your ingredients – chopping, dicing and measuring.

In a 6 quart pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of canola oil on medium high heat (#6).

Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic and celery.

Add the 4-6 cups vegetable or chicken stock.

Add the Rotel tomatoes, seasonings, jalapeno, black eye peas, and cut up seasoning meat.

(We slowly cooked 3 links of sausage on the grill the night before. You can also saute in a skillet.)

Make sure the mixture is covered with water.

Add water if needed.

Bring to a boil.

Cover and lower the heat to medium low (#3).

Simmer for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.

In the last 1/2 hour, cook the rice according to package directions.

About ready to serve – spoon out a couple spoonfuls of black eye peas in a bowl.

Smash with a fork. (This will act as a thickener for the Black Eye Peas gravy.)

Pour back in the pot and stir.

Spoon out some rice in a deep bowl.

Ladle on the Hoppin John and ENJOY!

This is a great dish for New Years Day or anytime of year.

What a great comfort food.

Also see our recipe for Turnip Greens that we cooked the same night.

Here is another recipe for black-eyed peas the way Mike cooks them –

https://www.cajuncookingtv.com/black-eyed-peas-recipe

Hope you enjoy!

Beryl

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

P.S.S. – You can get these recipes emailed to you once
every two weeks by joining our FREE Cajun Recipe Club.

Simply enter your first name and email and click “submit”
on the form in the upper right hand corner of this page.

Cajun Potato Salad

Potato Salad must be one of America’s favorite dishes, and when it comes to Cajun cooking, potato salad fits right in. Cajun’s add a little flair to everything they cook, and Cajun Potato Salad is right up our alley.

You already know that potato salad is a must for parties and all holiday meals, but did you know that many Cajuns add a scoop of potato salad to their bowl of gumbo?

Anyway, this potato salad recipe is one my husband perfected at his fishing camp out of Golden Meadow, Louisiana. Mike and his buddies would fish and shrimp and catch speckled trout and redfish and come in mighty hungry after a day on the water. There’s be a feast at supper time, with boiled shrimp and crabs, fried trout and redfish, and rounded out with Mike’s famous camp-style Cajun potato salad.

So here’s the recipe, published for the first time right here on Cajun Cooking TV.

Serves 6-8 people…

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Equipment Needed to Make Cajun Potato Salad –

•Large pot

•Small saucepan

•Large mixing bowl

•Medium mixing bowl

•Cutting board

•Knife

•Colander

•Mixing spoons

Cajun Potato Salad Ingredients –

•8 medium sized red potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)

•1 cup mayonnaise

•1/2 cup yellow mustard

•1/2 cup sweet pickle relish (dill is okay too)

•1/2 cup chopped green olives

•1 cup finely diced purple onion

•4 stalks chopped green onions

•1 cup finely dices celery stalks

•4 eggs

•Cajun Seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)

•Salt

Shrimp and Crab Boil or substitute a teaspoon of cayenne pepper

•1 Bay leaf

How to Make Cajun Potato Salad

Prepare all your vegetables: peeling, chopping and dicing and have ready to go at mixing time.

Fill the small saucepan with water (enough to cover eggs).

Place the 4 eggs in the pan and turn your stove on High.

Once your water is boiling, put the lid on the pot and turn your stove on low (#3 or #4).

Cook for 20 minuntes undisturbed.

Meanwhile, rinse your peeled and cubed potatoes in a colander.

Pour the potatoes into the large pot and fill with water (enough to fully cover the potatoes).

Turn your stove on High.

Bring the water to a boil.

Turn stove down to #7 or #8 to prevent water boiling over.

Cook for only 10 minutes.

Drain in a colander and set aside for later.

The eggs should be done now.

Pour out the hot water and refill with cold water.

Add a few ice cubes to help cool the eggs enough for you to peel.

Peel your eggs by holding an egg upright on the larger bottom side tap on the counter to release the bubble and the egg with peel easily.

Place back in your cool water to wash off any small shell left.

Next, cut the eggs in half and remove the yolks.

Place the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl.

Chop the egg whites for use in the blended process.

Putting It All Together:

With a small wisk or a fork chop up the egg yolks.

Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard.

Add one by one all the chopped celery, onions, olives, relish and egg whites.

Mix well.

Pour the cooked and drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Using a large wisk, chop up the potatoes to your desired consistency.

We like the potatoes chopped well leaving small lumps.

Some people like a chunky potato salad.

So whatever you like.

Now mix in the egg and vegetable mixture.

You’ll need a big spoon.

Man that is looking good enough to eat – cher!

Pour into a serving bowl and enjoy.

Using 8 medium potatoes will feed about 6-8 people.

If you need more, just double the recipe.

Also remember – food with mayonnaise and eggs should stay out no longer than 1 hour.

Refrigerate promptly after everyone has eaten.

Now wasn’t that easy. Bon Apetite!

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Top 10 Grilling Tips

How to grill on a charcoal fire is one of the questions we get most often, so we’ve put together a Grilling Tips video for you.

There’s nothing like grilling on charcoal, your food is so much better than if it was cooked on a gas grill that there’s no comparison at all.

Charcoal grilling is the real thing!

We’ve listed 10 grilling tips that should make you the envy of your neighborhood when it comes to barbecuing and you’ll surely be invited to everyone’s cookout for your grilling skills.

These tips are for beginners and long time veterans of the back yard barbecue, so let’s get started with our top 10 grilling tips …

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Grilling Tip #1: Purchase a quality charcoal grill. We recommend an Old Smokey Charcoal Grill. They are available in three sizes: small, medium and large. We also purchased the optional long legs to help make the grill high off the ground.

Grilling Tip #2: Charcoal is an essential part of grilling. We are using real hardwood charcoal instead of the regular square briquettes. Real hardwood charcoal is actually made from real wood.

We purchase a bag from Whole Foods that is made from scrap wood from furniture makers. Do you even know what charcoal briquettes are made of? I don’t want chemical laden products cooking my food.

Grilling Tip #3: Charcoal Chimney – is a cylinder made of sheet metal with a grate a couple of inches from the bottom to hold the charcoal. You actually start the charcoal by placing one or two sheets of newspaper loosely crumpled in the bottom of the chimney. Then, light the newspaper.

The charcoal ignites and begins to smoke and heat up. Imagine not using chemical laden charcoal lighter fluid – you know a lighter form of gasoline.

Grilling Tip #4: Smoking Chips give grilled beef, poultry and fish a great flavor unlike just grilling with only the charcoal. There are many varieties of wood chips or chunks: hickory, mesquite, cherry and apple are just to name a few.

We soak a handful of chips in a bowl of water. Once charcoal is ready, we drain the chips and toss evenly over the fire. Soaking the chips prevents them from burning up too fast.

Grilling Tips #5: Spray the Grill. Spraying the grill with a cooking spray oil like Pam helps prevent your meat from sticking. Never spray the grill placed directly over the fire. Remove the grill and spray away from the fire.

Grilling Tip #6: Meat Preparation and Seasoning – place your raw meat on a platter lined with wax paper. We sprinkle on all our meats: sea salt, Tony’s Creole Seasoning and granulated garlic powder.

Grilling Tip #7: To Grill or To Smoke? That is the question. We grill steaks and hamburgers by place the charcoal evenly in the pit. We smoke pork tenderloin and chicken by placing the charcoal on one side of the pit and the meat on the other. Smoking enables a longer, slower cook.

Grilling Tip #8: Use tongs or a flipper; not a fork – tongs allow you to turn meat without piercing the meat and letting the natural juices escape. So use tongs or a flipper to protect your flavorful meats.

Grilling Tip #9: Meat Thermometer – invest in a good quality meat thermometer. There is nothing worse than serving undercooked meat at a dinner party. Meat should at least be 150 to 160 degrees. Eating undercooked meat can be dangerous and unhealthy.

Grilling Tip #10: Let meat sit when done – once you bring in the meat on a clean platter, let it sit for 5-10 minutes in order to seal in the juices. Then slice and serve. Yummy!

How To Make Crawfish Pie

This crawfish pie recipe was a divine inspiration when we had some crawfish etouffee left over after supper.

(Which doesn’t happen often enough to have much experience with leftovers!).

We call that lagniappe (pronounced “lan-yap”) here in Louisiana – something “extra”.

So, with a little leftover crawfish etouffee, we created a dish that was even more awesome than the original dish!

So watch the video and you can make this fast and easy dish and amaze your family and friends.

This is a Cajun recipe that you’ll want to remember, so be sure to bookmark this website.

Or better yet, subscribe in the box to the right, and you’ll get an email every time we publish a new Cajun recipe like this crawfish pie recipe.

What You Need to Make Crawfish Pie

2-3 cups Crawfish Etouffee
1 cup cooked rice
2 prepared pie shells – thawed

Paring knife
Fork
Wax paper

Preheat your oven 375 degrees.

Take one of the pie shells and carefully cut around the inside edge to remove the thick outer crust.

Remove crust and discard.

Turn the shell over onto a piece of wax paper.

If it doesn’t fall out, carefully pull out and place flat on the wax paper.

Set aside.

Mix together the Crawfish Etouffee and the rice.

Pour the mixture into the second pie shell.

Spread around.

Take the top shell and place on top of the etouffee mixture.

With the fork, smash the top crust to the bottom shell to seal.

You may need a little bit of warm water to seal.

Go all the way around.

Important Tip: You should cover the crust (the thick edge of the pie shell) with either folded aluminum foil or place the empty pie tin on top of the Crawfish Pie to prevent the crust from burning faster than the pie bakes.

Place in the oven on a baking sheet in case of spillage.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Remove and let set 5 minutes.

Cut into wedges and enjoy.

Um Um – now that’s some good stuff cher!

Serves 6

Great with a green salad.

Beryl

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

P.S.S. – You can get these recipes emailed to you once
every two weeks by joining our FREE Cajun Recipe Club.

Simply enter your first name and email and click “submit”

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How To Make The Cajun Trinity

The Cajun Trinity is a mixture of chopped onion, bell pepper and celery.

Most Cajuns also add garlic and parsley too.

You can’t hardly cook anything Cajun without the “Holy Trinity” of Cajun cooking.

It is a basic ingredient to just about every Cajun dish.

Cajuns don’t say, “Add onion, bell pepper and celery”…

They say, “Add a cup of “the trinity”.

The Cajun Trinity is also a basic ingredient in spaghetti sauce, stews, and many more recipes.

Cajun Trinity Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
6-8 stalks celery
5 gloves garlic
2 handfuls of fresh parsley tops

Note: Any color bell pepper will do, using different colored bell peppers just makes your Cajun Trinity prettier.

Wash bell peppers, celery and parsley thoroughly and pat with paper towels to remove excess water.

Slice them up.

Dice them up.

Chop them up.

Mince them up.

Throw it all in a large mixing bowl and stir to mix evenly.

Four cups of the Cajun Trinity mixture is sufficient for a stew, gumbo or etouffee.

To store for later use, place four cups mixture in freezer safe zipper bags and label with the date prepared.

Place flat in the freezer.

P.S. – If you have a question or comment about this recipe
(or any other recipe) please post your question or comment
in the “Comments” or “Leave a Reply” section below this
recipe.

P.S.S. – You can get these recipes emailed to you once
every two weeks by joining our FREE Cajun Recipe Club.

Simply enter your first name and email and click “submit”
on the form in the upper right hand corner of this page.

How To Make a Roux

“First you make a roux.”

A roux is the foundation of many Cajun recipes. The roux can make or break your gumbo, etouffee, bisque and any number of Cajun delicacies.

Making a roux is an art, and you just need to do it a few times to get it down. This easy to follow recipe and step by step video presentation by renowned Cajun cook Beryl Stokes is all you need to make a perfect roux the first time!

With this easy to follow foundation, now you can be doing some great Cajun cooking too.

Stuff Needed to Make a Roux :

• 1 deep stainless steel skillet (or cast iron pot)

• 1 flat edge wooden utensil or spatula

• Butter or oil

• All-purpose flour

For this demonstration, let’s use a ½ stick of butter and ¼ cup flour.

However much you use, you will want to use equal parts flour and butter.

Cut up the butter.

Turn your skillet on medium (#6).

Melt the butter until bubbling hot.

Gradually, add the flour and begin to stir constantly.

It should be smooth with no lumps.

You must keep stirring to keep from burning or scorching.

Be careful not to splatter on yourself. The Roux is really HOT.

The flour and butter will quickly begin to change colors from a golden butter to light caramel to a darker mud color.

Depending on the recipe you are making, depends on what color you want in a roux.

• For macaroni & cheese sauce or a cream based soup, you want a white roux. Cooking the roux only a minute or two.

• For a Crawfish Etouffee or Shrimp Creole, I like a caramel colored Roux. Cooking the Roux for 3 to 5 minutes.

• For Gumbo, I like a much darker rich colored Roux. Cooking the Roux for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remember to always keep stirring! A burnt Roux tastes terrible.

Some cooks like to pour the Cajun Trinity into the Roux, which is fine.

I typically, sauté the Cajun Trinity and pour the Roux into the Cajun Trinity because that’s the pot I’ll be cooking in.

Don’t be afraid of the Roux – Bon Appetite!