Before discussing our favorite recipes, let’s discuss what Cajun cuisine actually is. It is a style of ‘rustic’ cooking, which means preparing the meal in a simple manner using locally available ingredients.
Contrary to popular belief, Cajun food is not hot and spicy, however it is very well seasoned and full of flavor. Most (Louisiana-style) Cajun recipes begin with the ‘holy trinity’ which is the combination of roughly chopped fresh onions, green bell peppers, and celery all seasoned with cayenne pepper, also bay leaf and parsley as additional seasonings, along with an appropriate roux to go along with whatever type of meat or seafood is being used. Now here’s your first hint about this type of cooking, the one ingredient that most Cajun cooks like to keep secret is the file powder, which is the powdered leaves of the Sassafras tree. File acts as a thickening agent, as does roux which is a combination of equal amounts of fat (such as butter or oil) and flour, which is slow cooked for about an hour until it is extremely thick and the color of chocolate. Roux and the ‘trinity’ are the base of many Cajun dishes.
Achieving a nice balance of flavors without going to excess on spiciness, is the basis of Cajun flavor. Preparing a traditional Cajun dish is really very simple. There is a lot of flexibility in Cajun cooking, since mostly what is used are the vegetables, meats, and seafood that happens to be in season at the time. However there are a few elements that remain pretty consistent. Tradition calls for the combination of onions, celery, and bell peppers, along with cayenne pepper, rice in some form, and of course caring hands to prepare the meal.
Some of the most popular traditional Cajun dishes include jambalaya, gumbo, and étouffée. You’ll note that a lot of the ingredients are the same, and the primary difference comes in the way that the food is prepared.
Jambalaya is as varied as the cooks that prepare it, and usually combines rice, vegetables including onions, celery, green peppers, sometimes tomatoes, and some sort of meat, poultry or shellfish. Generally, the vegetables and meat (or seafood) are cooked together to create a full flavored stock, then the uncooked rice is added to that same pot with all the other ingredients and absorbs the flavor as it cooks.
Gumbo is my personal favorite. It is sort of like a very thick stew, which is served over rice. All gumbos start with a dark roux, which adds a delicious, unmistakable, rich flavor. Almost always okra is used, it adds a nice flavor but also serves to thicken the gumbo. Experiment with different meats and vegetables until you find a combination that suits your taste, a good starting point would be onions, celery, bell peppers, okra, chicken, and sausage (or seafood if you prefer). Usually file powder is added in just before serving.
Étouffée is a very thick and spicy stew, traditionally made of seafood such as crawfish, shrimp, or crab. Similar to gumbo in that it begins with a dark roux, and is served over a bed of ‘dirty’ rice (rice cooked in seafood stock).
Successful dishes are dependent upon having good quality fresh ingredients, and time enough to prepare without being rushed.
Mary LLewellyn is interested in cooking, specifically Cajun cuisine.
