This foundational sauce is the heart of traditional Louisiana cooking, providing a deep, nutty flavor base for gumbos, jambalayas, and picquant stews. The secret lies in the careful cooking of flour in fat to create a dark roux, which is then enriched with a massive amount of finely chopped onions, celery, and bell peppers. These vegetables are slowly cooked down until they dissolve into a thick, aromatic pulp, melding seamlessly with the roux. The addition of garlic, lemon zest, bay leaves, and a blend of spices like thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco adds complex layers of savory, herbal, and spicy notes. This versatile sauce can be made in large batches and frozen for future use, ensuring you always have a head start on authentic Creole and Cajun dishes.
Sen. Ellender’S Basic Sauce
Description
This foundational sauce is the heart of traditional Louisiana cooking, providing a deep, nutty flavor base for gumbos, jambalayas, and picquant stews. The secret lies in the careful cooking of flour in fat to create a dark roux, which is then enriched with a massive amount of finely chopped onions, celery, and bell peppers. These vegetables are slowly cooked down until they dissolve into a thick, aromatic pulp, melding seamlessly with the roux. The addition of garlic, lemon zest, bay leaves, and a blend of spices like thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco adds complex layers of savory, herbal, and spicy notes. This versatile sauce can be made in large batches and frozen for future use, ensuring you always have a head start on authentic Creole and Cajun dishes.Ingredients
Directions
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Melt the fat in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
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Add the flour to the hot fat and stir constantly to create a roux, cooking until it reaches a dark, scorchy-brown color.
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Add the finely chopped onions and fry slowly, stirring frequently, until they are thoroughly browned and reduced to a pulp.
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Add the chopped celery, bell pepper, garlic, lemon rind and pulp, bay leaves, salt, thyme, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and Season-All all at once.
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Continue to cook the mixture slowly, stirring often, for at least 30 to 45 minutes until the vegetables break down and the sauce thickens.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 1
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 451.1kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 5.7g9%
- Saturated Fat 1.0g5%
- Cholesterol 0.9mg1%
- Sodium 99370.9mg4141%
- Total Carbohydrate 101.9g34%
- Dietary Fiber 24.7g99%
- Sugars 14.9g
- Protein 15.3g31%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
This basic sauce serves as the foundation for Sen. Ellender's shrimp creole, jambalaya, chicken sauce piccante, courtbouillon, and gumbo.
For a thicker sauce, increase the amount of flour used in the roux to 2 to 4 tablespoons instead of one.
Make a large batch of this sauce and freeze individual portions for quick future use.
