Cajun Alligator Sauce Piquant

Season alligator meat with salt and black pepper. In a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, make roux as directed, cooking until mahogany-colored. Add seasoned meat; cook quickly, stirring until lightly browned. Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, celery, and tomatoes. Stir until vegtables are slightly wilted and transparent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, chili powder, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Stir in wine and stock or broth. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until meat is tender and liquid is thick and rich, 1-1/2 hours. Stir in green onions and parsley; remove from heat. Serve over rice. Yield: 4 to 6 servings. Roux 1 cup lard 1 cup all-purpose flour Melt lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When lard is hot, add flour all at once; stir or whisk to combine flour and lard. If neces- sary, use back of wooden spoon to smooth out any lumps of flour. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring or whisking constantly, until roux is desired color and has a nut like smell. Cook about 45 minutes for a peanut-butter colored roux or 55 minutes for the dark mahogany-colored roux. The process should not be rushed. If small black or dark brown flecks apperar in roux, it has been burned and must be discarded. A burned roux will impart a bitter and scorched taste to any dish in which it is used. To stop the cooking process, either add the vegtables called for in the recipe or immediately pour finished roux into a metal bowl. Stir or whisk 10 minutes in bowl. To make ahead, cover and refrigerate 2 days. Or freeze up to 6 months. Yield: 1 cup Variations: Subsitute vegtable oil for lard, if desired. However, the taste of the finished dish will not be as good as the one prepared with a lard based roux. Substitute another fat, such as rendered duck fat or a combination of duck fat and lard.