Roux ExplainedThrough Gumbo

When making gumbo, the roux is the most important part.  A roux by definition is a mixture of fat and flour.  It is used to thicken sauces and soups.  It can be a blond roux or a dark roux depending upon the flavor profile of the dish you are preparing.  When making gumbo, a dark roux is preferred.

The Gumbo Ya Ya recipe I use calls for a mahogany roux and clearly states it may take an hour to achieve.  When I made this recipe, I made half a batch.  The roux took a good 45 minutes.  Here are the stages:

When it first started to cook it was a bit lumpy and light colored.

After about 15 minutes, it started to thin a bit and get just a bit darker.

At about 25 minutes, thinner and darker…but not there yet!

At about 4o minutes, just about there.  Be careful, the mixture is HOT!  The vegetables will sear when they are added.

The change I made to the recipe is that I add okra.  And this time, I used Italian sausage instead of andouille sausage, cause that is what I had on hand.