Makes 12 servings • Dutch oven
1 cup peanut oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions or scallions
10 garlic cloves, minced
4 pounds meat of your choice, cut in 11/2-inch chunks (deer or duck or seafood)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 can (14.75 ounces) chicken broth, plus more if needed
3 bay leaves
Dash of hot sauce (your choice)
Pinch of dried basil
Salt and black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Just Right White Rice, for serving
1. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is the color of a Hershey bar. (If you heat the oil first on medium heat to just short of smoking, then whisk in the flour, the roux will be ready quicker.) This should take about 20 minutes.
2. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, green onion, and garlic to the roux and cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are well coated and starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to let anything burn.
3. Stir the meat slowly into the roux and vegetables. If you are using seafood, don’t add it yet.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, bay leaves, hot sauce, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes if you added the meat, 1 hour if not, and add the seafood in the last 15 minutes. (Shrimp, crab meat, and crawfish cook quickly.)
5. Add the parsley. It should now look like a thick gravy. Add more broth if needed.
6. Remove the bay leaves before serving over rice.
A Note from Phil
Sauce Piquante is always served over rice. Remember: seafood cooks quickly, so don’t add it too early. You can really use this sauce with any type of meat. Check out the recipe on the previous page to guarantee that you get your rice “just right.”