Cowboy Cookin'

What is a roux? A roux (pronounced, roo) is the base of most soups, stews, gravies, and sauces. It is simple to make because it has only two ingredients; flour and a fat. Roux (n) a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a thickening agent in a soup or a sauce You can use any type of fat, such as butter, bacon grease, sausage grease, oils, and shortening. I primarily use the first three types of fat in almost every dish I make simply because of the flavor I want to impart. I keep separate containers for bacon grease and sausage grease in the refrigerator. The sausage grease comes from cooking spicy (hot) sausage and is great for adding that extra bite to whatever you are cooking. A roux is used to thicken what you are cooking, similar to a slurry of corn starch and water. I prefer the roux over the slurry because of the taste. Corn starch has no flavor and is good in cooking Asian dishes. You can alter the flavor of your roux simply by how long you cook it. A roux is commonly referred to as white, blonde, or brown. The white roux is cooked the least amount of time and provides the most thickening to a dish. Blonde and brown roux are cooked longer but won't thincken as much. Instructions A roux is made in either a cast iron skillet or cast iron pot, depending on the quantity you need for the dish you are making. You can use other types of skillets, but there is just something about foods cooked in cast iron that nothing else will match. If you are new to making a roux, start over low heat. The hotter the skillet the faster your roux will cook and the faster it will turn blonde or brown. Use equal amounts of flour and fat for the amount you require. Start a cast iron skillet over low heat. Remember, the higher the heat the faster it will cook. Add your fat to the skillet and let it warm up. Sprinkle the flour into the warm grease.  Whisk the flour and fat until all the flour is incorporated. You don't want to leave any uncooked globs of flour in your roux, or it will taste like flour.  Your roux is finished when it is both the desired color (white, blonde, or brown) and has the consistency of paste. Note: You can use seasoned flour, like that used for breading chicken fried steak, in your roux for additional flavor. You can save any unused roux in the refrigerator up to a couple of weeks. TIP: Whisk milk into your cast iron skillet roux mix to make a white gravy like you would serve with chicken fried steak. Salt and pepper to taste.

Onion Flavors I have found that the general shape of an onion determines it's flavor; Sweet or bitter. Y'all will notice the three onions pictured above are more rounded in shape, with the red onion slightly elongated. Round onions, and those that are somewhat elongated, tend to taste more bitter. Onions that have a slightly squashed appearance (such as Vidalia and 1015 onions) tend to be more sweet. You can find these sqashed onions in red, yellow, and white varieties.  When I cook chili, I prefer to use a rounded onion because I want the onion taste to be stronger. When I cook Italian dishes, I'll choose the sweeter, squashed onions to help offset the acidicy of the tomatos. It all comes down to personal taste and what you may have on hand.