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So, you have bought some filé powder. What do you do with it? This article will provide some background, some pointers, and some recipes.
Filé powder (pronounced "fee-lay") is a cajún spice made from dried Sassafras leaves. Sassafras grows wild throughout Missouri and the filé we sell is wild harvested in the Ozarks. We use the dried leaves for filé, the roots to make old fashioned root beer, and the bark for sassafras tea. We thin out clumps of young trees to let older ones grow up.
Filé has a taste which is hot and earthy. The easiest way to use filé is as a condiment. Put it in a shaker at the table and let folks add as they will. Once you get used to the spice, you can start adding it a small amount at a time to your recipes. Any cajún or creole dish will do. If you do not know any cajun or creole recipes, we will give you some places to start. The important thing to note is always add filé at the end of cooking. Boiling filé will make your sauce stringy and unappetizing.
First of all, if you cannot get to New Orleans, go to your local grocery store and pick up a few items made by Zatarain's, possibly starting with their Red Beans and Rice. Zatarain's products are the closest I have found to Cajun outside of New Orleans itself. Their rice products are easy to doctor to suit your own dishes.
When you want to try making cajun or creole cuisine from scratch, try this recipe for gumbo or this for dirty rice. Jambalaya is one of my favorite dishes.
All cajun dishes can be modified to suit what you have available. Cajun was a style of necessity practiced by refugees. So, if you do not have andouille sausage, substitute a different kind, or add crawdads, or chicken, or leftover pork, or what you have to hand. Above all, experiment and enjoy.
Copyright © 2006 The Misty Manor, Mercers
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