It is virtually imposable to consider cooking Cajun food without knowing how to make a proper cooked roux.  It is an absolute necessity for thickening sauces, gravies, soups, stews and gumbos in the Cajun style.  In Cajun cooking, a roux almost always refers to this cooked style as opposed to the more commonly used uncooked roux consisting of raw flour and butter creamed together of a flour and water slurry.  All three are used as thickeners.  In this recipe I use olive oil as the fat source.  In traditional Cajun cuisine it would be rendered lard or drippings.  This olive oil version does little to diminish the quality of the dish and certainly makes your arteries a lot happier.  You may easily double or triple the recipe if you want to keep cooked roux in the fridge.  As it sits it will separate.  Don’t worry.  Just let it come to room temperature and stir it back to together before using.

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of flour

Combine together in a heavy skillet and over a low heat, cook, stirring all the while until the mixture is a dark brown and has a nutlike aroma.  This may take as much as 30 minutes.  It is important not to hasten the process or your roux may have a scorched taste.  The roux may then be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks to be used as needed to thicken stews, gumbos, soups and sauces.