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Title: Microwave Roux
Categories: Ethnic Misc
Yield: 1 Servings
| 2/3 | c | Oil |
| 2/3 | c | Flour |
| 2 | c | Onion, chopped |
| 1 | c | Celery, chopped |
| 1/2 | c | Green bell pepper, chopped |
| 4 | Cloves garlic, minced | |
| 1/4 | c | Parsley, chopped |
| 1/4 | c | Green onion tops, chopped Approximately 1/4 cup hot water |
While we are both good at whipping up perfect rouxs as needed, we have found this to be a very easy and excellent method which is one fast way to start a gumbo or sauce piquant or other concoction. This is tricky only in that you must adjust it to your individual microwave and utensils for proper timing. With this quantity of oil in a microwave, it gets hotter than you realize very fast and can't be easily stopped. It will go from pale to burnt quickly if you are not careful but it didn't take us long to master. Cooking the greens this way is equivalent to how we would likely start a gumbo in a black pot on the stovetop. Try it and you may never worry about the standard method. Local experts have not detected any taste differences.
MICRO-ROUX
ROUX is an equal mixture of oil and flour that is browned and used as a thickening base for many of the South Louisiana dishes such as stews, gumbos, etouffes and sauce piquantes. It not only thickens, but it also gives a different, quite distinct flavor due to the browning of the flour.
Cooking Time: 12 minutes Utensil: 4-cup glass measuring cup Makes 4 cups
1. Mix oil and flour together in a 4-cup measure. Microwave uncovered on HIGH 6-7 MINUTES. Stir at 6 minutes - Roux will be a light brown at this time and will need to cook 30 seconds to 1 minute longer to reach the dark brown color so important in making Louisiana gumbos and stews. The Roux will be very hot, but usually the handle on your glass measuring cup will stay cool enough to touch.
2. Add onion, celery and bell pepper to Roux in measuring cup. Stir and return to Microwave. Saute, on HIGH 3 MINUTES.
3. Add garlic, parsley and green onion to Roux, stir and return to Microwave. Saute on HIGH 2 MINUTES. You should have about 3-3/4 cups of Roux now. If any oil has risen to the top, pour this off.
4. Slowly add enough hot tap water to bring Roux to the 4 cup mark. Stir and you will have a smooth dark Roux in only 12 minutes.
Roux freezes very well and you are ready at any time to put together a delicious gumbo or stew. From: Bill Birner Date: 22 Mar 94
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