"Birthday Gumbo" because of John Sp


 
Teddy J.

Teddy J.

TVWBB Pro
Literally. I saw his "Birthday Gumbo" post and said to myself, "I'm eating that for dinner". Grabbed the ingredients on lunch, and below was the outcome. Thanks for the steps, John!

Trinity, garlic. Chopped chicken thighs, andouille sausage, and mild Italian.

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1:1 ratio of rendered fat/vegetable oil, I used about 3/4 cup each.

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In goes the trinity and garlic. Added the chicken stock, about 6 cups. Some spice added (bay leaf, swamp fire, pepper, sea salt, Tony Chacheres). Simmer started.

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Simmered for about an hour, stirring occassionally. Frozen okra added. Shrimp parboiled. Simmered for another 50 minutes or so.

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Time to eat.

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I yearn for a bowl of dark, Cajun gumbo, and this recipe surely filled that void - even for a roux rookie like me that's never made one. Really loved the flavor, and this is going into my regular cooking rotation.

All the credit belongs to John, I just followed his instructions! Thanks for a great dinner, even if it's a bit involved for a weeknight, lol.
 
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Wow!!!!! Excellent play by play and pics to go along with it. The end result looks amazing. Rookie - I don't think so
 
For a roux rookie, you should be proud! Heck, even a vet would be happy w/that beautiful color - looks like a great meal, gumbo always a great addition to the cooking rotation. Keep up the good work
 
Teddy, you did great, pics tells it all. Looks like John has the right recipe for gumbo by what you did.
 
Thanks guys. The greatest thing about this board is the wealth of knowledge that everyone shares about various dishes. If anyone wants to give John's recipe a try and is curious on quantity, I used the following;

#8 dutch oven
2/3 of a green bell pepper
2/3 of an onion
About 5-6 celery hearts
6-7 cloves of garlic
2 chicken thighs
2 andouille sausage
2 mild Italian sausage
3/4 cup rendered fat/oil
3/4 cup AP flour
~6 cups chicken stock
1 bag of cut okra (frozen)
 
Roux looks perfect. I think that's the mystifying part for people and its really not that big of a deal. I do 1:1 vegetable oil to flour, typically a cup each. You can lower the heat if you wanna be safer about burning it. Pay more attention to center of the pot that is right over the flame. Cast Iron conducts heat really well. That's where it's going to burn if it does. Have everything ready so you don't have to stop stirring. Your last pic is about where I go though sometimes I chicken out at pic 3. That's fine too.

I was born in Beaumont, Tx which is close enough to Lousiana that you can get boudin on the side of the road. My grandmother and my dad always made gumbo. My dad will sometimes add a can of Rotel which sounds weird but adds a certain zing.

Very nice job, Teddy! You are already a master!
 
Great looking gumbo Teddy. Your roux looks like you have been doing it for years. That's all you dude! Dustin's advice is spot on. Good roux is a matter of time and patience but the key is to keep it moving. If you stop stirring it for even a few seconds it will burn (lower heat makes the roux more forgiving but also makes it take a lot longer). Reserving the chicken until later in the cook is also good advice. Leaving it in the whole time makes it disintegrate (makes it kind of like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars - still there but in a spiritual sense). Putting it in later leaves nice chunks of chicken. Anyway I'm glad you enjoyed your gumbo!

Regards,

John
 
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