Coffee With Pat Ministries

A little history. I was born in Louisiana, but, married a good old boy from North Carolina, 40 years ago.

I hope to share some favorite recipes with you.

Of course my first one will be from Louisiana.

When You Cook Cajun Remember

~”First You Make a Roux”~

(pronounced roo)

When asked a recipe, the first words out of a Cajun cooks’ mouth will be… “First you make a Roux” Roux (pronounced roo) is the basic ingredient of gumbo, etoufee, sauce piquante and stew. It contains an equal mixture of oil and flour that is browned and used as a thickening base for many Cajun dishes. It not only thickens, but also accounts for the different and quite distinct flavor of the dish. All of the recipes on this home page that require a roux are best prepared using this formula. 1cup of flour 1 cup of oil
Heat the oil in a heavy, thick pot or skillet. Add flour and stir constantly over a low heat until dark brown. The trick is to get it dark brown (color of a Hershey’s chocolate bar) but not burned. If it burns, (it will smell scorched) throw it out and start over. Warning: The roux will be extremely hot and can cause a serious burn. Please be careful when handling it and try not to get any on you.

And then add what we call the holy trinity.

The holy trinity of Cajun cooking is made up of onion, celery, and bell pepper. This combination is the base of most savory dishes, more often than not added to roux as the beginning of stew, soup, sauce, jambalaya, sauce piquant or almost any other Cajun main dish.

A Sign of Importance and Respect

The importance of these three vegetables is indicated by the reference to the “holy trinity.” The mostly Catholic French Cajuns’ mean this allusion as a sign of the respect due to the place of onion, celery, and bell pepper in Cajun cookery. Garlic is sometimes added to the trinity, and green onions and parsley are generally sprinkled on top of a finished dish.

I hope you have fun trying out some of my favorite recipes.

Please look in the recipe section, under Categories.

Blessings, Prayers and Love,

Pastor Pat