Ever go out to dinner only to be disappointed by the meal and the subsequent bill and tip?
Well that is what inspired Chef Escor Pius to create a Cajun blackening spice for the everyman. Pius, whose family originally hails from Romania, first became a foodie on a family trip to New Orleans.
Pius, a young man with a mane of hair that Fabio would be envious of, is known for his enthusiasm.”The smell and sites of Bourbon Street are like no other in the world!” His chest heaves with excitement and then falls. “Yet when I left the French Quarter I could not find that ‘Je ne sais quoi’ if you will. So I found myself experimenting until I came-up with what I think is the perfect seasoning.”
Pius named his seasoning rougarou, a bastardization of the French word for “wolf-man”, loup-garou. The rou-garou is a sort-of Bigfoot like monster of the Louisiana bayou.
“I thought of the mysterious monster of Creole legend and thought it an apropos name for my Cajun spice.” says Pius.
“Cajun”, the word itself is an abbreviation of the word “Acadian” referring to French settler from Acadia, Canada who settled in Louisiana in the mid to late 1700’s.
“Cajun”, not to be confused with “Creole” which originally referred to anyone of European descent born in the Americas. Creole later came to mean anyone of mixed descent with many Creoles having European, African and Native American ancestry. Now a days the words are used interchangeably with each other.
Chef Pius’ recipe is perfect on literally everything.
“I use it on beef, chicken, and fish. It is great on vegetables, salads and hard-boiled eggs. I put it on everything!” the Chef exclaims.
Pius claims his sauce is so versatile that the seasoning itself is a sort of secret ingredient in such key Cajun/Creole dishes as remolade (a sort of spicy tartar sauce) and the quintessential French Quarter foods like gumbo & jambalaya. Gumbo, a roux based soup containing the vegetable known as okra. Jambalaya, another bastardized word thought to mean “jamon (ham) paella”, a rice-dish of Spanish origin.
Chef Pius does not bottle nor sell his seasoning. Instead he makes the recipe available to all online for free.
“Cooking and eating should be community based activities, and each community has its own likes and dislikes.” Chef Pius states with confidence. “I like to leave it up to the individual to adapt the spice to their own unique tastes.”
Rougarou #9
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Basil
1 Teaspoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Thyme
