Roux that doesn't make you rue the day

Roux, how I love you. You take plain ol' white flour and oil and turn it into a deep brown well of flavor and texture that cannot be matched.

But what I don't love is the time it takes to make you, the attention that you crave, and your ability to turn, after a long session of fretting and whisking, into a burnt mess with no warning. And now, I've found a way, although far from foolproof, to keep my schedule intact and my right arm from repetitive strain injury and still make a mighty fine roux.

I read where you could make roux in a microwave. Unfortunately, the person who posted the instructions had a much fancier microwave than mine, which has only one power setting, so my first batch came out of the first 6-minute cook time with a telltale black bubble that of course ruined the roux. Tried again, this time for 4 minutes, then adding 30 seconds, stirring after each round, until it came out as dark as I dared make it. And I was able to do it in a glass measuring cup, which made it easy to pour back into a cast-iron skillet, bring it to smoking and add the Cajun Trinity (chopped onion, green pepper and celery) for a surprisingly quick gumbo.

By the way, roux also makes the best turkey gravy in the world, and you can use the fat rendered off the cooked turkey instead of the oil, if you can separate it without getting any broth in the fat. Use the fatless drippings along with broth to make the gravy.

Lori's cheap and quick gumbo

Serves at least 10

Ingredients
2 cups onion, medium dice

1½ cups green pepper, medium dice

1 cup celery, finely diced

2 whole bay leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (can leave out if using andouille sausage or tasso)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon ground oregano

¾ cup flour

¾ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

6 cups chicken broth

1 pound andouille sausage or tasso, or a good smoked sausage like kolbassa, sliced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked and sliced

3 cups of hot cooked rice (1 cup of uncooked rice)

Filé (dried powdered sassafrass leaves)

Instructions
Prep the vegetables, put together in a bowl and set aside. Mix the bay leaves, salt, three kinds of pepper, thyme and oregano, put in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix the flour and oil, with a whisk until there are no lumps, in a glass 4-cup measure. Microwave at 100% power for 4 minutes, remove and stir. Continue cooking in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until it turns a deep red-brown. If any black specks appear, it is burnt and you will need to start over. Do not get any of this on your skin; it's called Cajun napalm for a reason.

Pour the roux into a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium heat until lightly smoking. Add the vegetables and the garlic and cook until they are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Mix in the seasoning mixture from the small bowl until well combined and set aside.

Put the broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the roux to the broth by spoonfuls, whisking until each addition is dissolved. When it all is combined, add the meats. Cook at least 30 minutes.

To serve, put about ¼ cup of rice in a bowl, then sprinkle a teaspoon of filé over it. Ladle the gumbo over.