"Creole sauce is a hallmark of New Orleans cooking and takes time and a bit of technique to get right. It’s usually mixed with shrimp and served over rice for shrimp Creole, but it can be used to braise anything from green beans to wild game.”"
1⁄4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced onion
1⁄2 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced okra
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 small bay leaf
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 quart Strong Shrimp Stock
1 tablespoon Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends Shrimp Magic or Home Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
To make the roux, heat the oil on high in a large, heavy-bottom pot. Whisk the flour into the hot oil and continue to whisk constantly. Use a large spoon to scrape the edge of the skillet the whisk won’t reach so that it cooks evenly.
When the color is approaching that of dark brown sugar, which should be 2 or 3 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bell pepper, onion, celery, okra, garlic, and bay leaf. The roux color will advance one shade. Cover and cook on very low heat for 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with juice, mashing them up with your hands into small pieces, and then add the stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a ladle or spoon to release any crusted bits. Season with the Shrimp Magic and salt.
Bring this to a simmer and cook on low boil for about an hour to reduce the liquid by about 40 percent. Skim off the fat by tilting the pan and allowing the grease to collect along the sides so it can easily be removed with a large spoon. Remove the bay leaf.
Note: It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for several months.