Gumbo w/pics


 
Looks real good. I know it's in the link but I'm a little daft with this....what's the recipe? I'd love to give it a go! Thanks.

Clark
 
Clark, hit the arrow next to the picture bar to see more pics and explanations. But here is a more detailed version.

This version comes from my Acadian heritage in Breaux Bridge, La.....and no version is the absolute way.

Roux
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oil (I use about 2/3 of each for a thicker version)

follow the pics in the link to make the roux (it's a bit tricky and is easy to burn if you don't reduce the heat at the right time).

A hint for the roux is to get the oil hot enough so that the oil "shows" heat but isn't at a smoke point.

The first few minutes are key, as you'll need to turn the heat down once the roux starts to brown.

Then it's just the process of time and stirring.

4 skinless thighs
2 skinless breasts

season the chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper on both sides

one large onion (the pics had two med onions)
2 stalks celery
1 bell pepper (optional)

2 lbs of smoked sausage (one hot, one not)

1/2 cup curly parsley
4-5 cloves garlic

1 tbls of file
2 48 oz cans of chicken broth (or one can of water instead)

Note- I'll still add more water to fill to the rivets in the 8 qt stock pot once all of the meat has been added back for the boil.

1 tsp of thyme
1 small container of oysters (optional)

Brown most of the sausage in a separate skillet.

Make the roux in another 11-12 inch skillet.

brown the chicken in a tbl of oil in the stock pot

brown the extra sausage in the same pot

add the veggies and the garlic, stir

add a cup of white wine to release the fond, stir

add the roux and mix well, keep on med heat

as the roux and onions thicken, add some chicken broth (about 24 oz) and increase heat to med high

mix well and the roux and broth will get "chummy"

add the rest of the first can and bring to a rolling boil, stir frequently

add half of the next can, repeating the previous step. when the roux and broth bond add the second half of the second can

again bring to a rolling boil then add all of the meat

bring back to a boil, and top off with additional water or broth

stay near the pot and reduce the boil to a simmering boil, but DO NOT STIR

let the foam develop on the top (reduce heat if needed) and skim off the surface foam (you'll need a simmering boil to do this)

once the foam is mostly gone, reduce the heat to low or a simmer, and let the chicken cook for an hour.

remove the chicken to debone it, and safely hold it to be served on the side.

let the gumbo simmer for 2-3 hours.

add the thyme.

just before serving, add the parsley and oysters.

serve over rice.

hope I didn't leave anything out.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> When the weather gets cold it becomes time to make gumbo. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Only when it gets cold?
icon_biggrin.gif
It's always time for gumbo if it's good gumbo! In warmer weather, just add 2 more ingredients; cold beer and an extra napkin for the sweat (if too spicy).

Good looking gumbo; I envy your roux making skills.

Paul
 
never had gumbo, heard of it but I had no idea what it was

it looks and sounds great, thanks for the post!
 
[/QUOTE]
Only when it gets cold?
icon_biggrin.gif
It's always time for gumbo if it's good gumbo! [/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more. I cook chicken/ham/sausage gumbo at least once a month, and I live in Phoenix. Just as good when it is 110 outside as when its 40 degrees!
 
Haven't had it either so I googled b4 I paged down for your version.

I did come across this which I thought added some "common sense" to this operation:

<span class="ev_code_RED">The important thing to remember about roux is that you must cook it slowly over low heat.

Emeril Lagasse, TV chef and owner of 3 New Orleans restaurants says that a good roux takes 2 beers. “I put the flour in the oil and open the first beer. By the time I’ve finished the second one, the roux is just right”!</span>
 
If you're making gumbo for the first time (or the hundreth), an oven baked roux works fantastic. No, it's not really traditional, but it works quite well.
Alton Brown's shrimp gumbo using this method is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/rec...bo-recipe/index.html
I've used this method for other types of gumbo with awesome results....I find it much easier than babysitting a pot. Adjust the cooking time for the type of roux you're shooting for...light, dark, etc.
Notice the flour to fat ratio is by WEIGHT, not volume...this is important and often overlooked when making roux.
 
Roux tip: Use a heavy pot, like Le Creuset or other cast iron, and you can maintain low, EVEN heat that avoids the spikes (especially on electric burners) that can burn the roux.

I've used my 5.5 Qt. Le Creuset and a much larger black cast iron pot many times for gumbo, with no burned roux.
 
Though this may seem like it comes from a heretic, trust me -- I'm born and raised in New Orleans.

Many years ago I heard about making a roux in the microwave. It turns out great, no tending to speak of and as my sister-in-law says (who can't cook), "If you burn it, it's easy to start over."

Most recipes for roux use an equal amount of oil and flour. I go a bit heavier on the flour. But say you want to make a half cup of roux (you can refrigerate roux to add as a thickener to any meal you're making). Use 1/2 cup oil (we use bacon grease) and a half a cup of flour with maybe another 1/8 cup of flour thrown in. Put this mixture in a large (I use a 2-quart one) pyrex bowl and stir until blended. Then set on HIGH for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, stir the roux and put it back in for 30 seconds at a time. Again, stir and nuke for 30 seconds until roux is done -- I usually make it so it's the color of a copper penny. So much easier than stirring your life away and not a soul has ever dreamed that I didn't make the roux in the conventional way.

Hope this helps some of you!
 
I love to make Gumbo and/or ettoufe... as far a roux goes, I was told and have done this, skip the roux and browning of meat and do that LAST... Start with your broth and then saute veggies, add to broth, and then saute meat and and to the gumbo and then make roux, ONLY when the broth is BOILING.. Add roux a LITTLE at a time, quite volatile.. I really dont know why this makes a difference, but you can tell... Just my two cents in... I may have to make a smoked turkey and sausage gumbo later on... I have a carcass in the freezer and some kielbasa, I know, ANDOUILLE...
 
I typically make my roux in a cast iron skillet or cast iron dutch oven depending on how much gumbo I'm making. It typically takes 45 minutes to make the roux. I like it dark but don't push it too hard. One bit of burnt flour and ITS RUINED! I don't believe in any other way. Part of it is the love you put in it. For a seafood gumbo I usually use equal parts flour and clarified butter. For chicken and sausage flour and vegetable oil.

To kick it up a notch I usually make a stock the night before. I've got a gas stove and like to get whatever chicken parts I can, sometimes I'll buy necks, and put that and my mirapoix in a stockpot with water and get that up to a simmer. In fact I don't want that water boiling at all. Then I cook that almost all night leaching every bit of goodness from those bones possible the reducing the stock. I like a very hearty stock. It's almost like it's own meat in the pot. For extra points make a dark stock by roasting the veggies and carcasses.

One cheat is get a 2 rotisserie chickens that havn't been seasoned too crazy and you can take all the meat and use the carcasses for the stock, refrigerate the meat and then throw it back in once you've got everything put together..

Andouille makes all the difference in the world. You don't really have to brown it, just cut it up and throw it in. Or you can throw it in when you saute the veggies in the roux. Other sausages just aren't right. I can't really explain it.

Lot of cajun seasoning is key. I usually serve with some Tony Chachere's and file.

There's a lot of ways to make it but with a really rich stock you can send it though the roof.
 
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You can just buy roux.....thats what most people do to cut time off of cooking routinely.

Making roux is extremely simple if you're making it light to medium brown.

It gets dicey when you want it really dark. Go slow, have a absolutely flat skillet surface that and tool that you can scrape completely clean with to make sure nothing's Left behind as you stir. Slow, as in it's going to take you at least an hour maybe more. The darker it gets the slower you have to go not to burn something. People take orbital sanders to the inside of their cast iron skillets to smooth them and get rid of the texture before they season them. I find a heavy stainless pot works just as well, I err heavy on the oil side...keep the roux fluid and stirable so it doesn't burn.....Then let it sit and separate afterwards and decant the extra oil. that doesn't work if you're putting it all into a single pot but if you're making a batch to use in the future it works great.

A buddy of mine from Bayou Pigeon, mom made the best roux i've ever had. Extremely dark , almost black. Squirrel stew to die for. In college she would make it, freeze, and give it to us frozen to use for cooking. His grandparents didn't even speak English, only French. Never asked what it was made from but it was probably bacon grease judging by how much better it was than normal roux.
 
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Haven't had it either so I googled b4 I paged down for your version.

I did come across this which I thought added some "common sense" to this operation:

<span class="ev_code_RED">The important thing to remember about roux is that you must cook it slowly over low heat.

Emeril Lagasse, TV chef and owner of 3 New Orleans restaurants says that a good roux takes 2 beers. “I put the flour in the oil and open the first beer. By the time I’ve finished the second one, the roux is just right”!</span>

I beg to differ. While Emeril has had a huge influence on restaurant food served in NOLA, so did Paul Prudhomme. I found this:

Prudhomme perfected a technique of making black roux rapidly over high heat, and he notes that it takes practice not to scorch the flour. He uses equal parts oil and flour, and he waits until the oil is smoking hot before gradually whisking the flour in with a long handled whisk. ("Cooked roux is called Cajun napalm in my restaurant's kitchen," he notes. "so be very careful to avoid splashing it on you.") He whisks the blended mixture constantly until it goes from chocolate brown to black, which only takes about four minutes. Then, he removes the pot from the heat, adds all the vegetables at once, and stirs until the roux stops getting darker.

I'm in the Prudhomme school of roux in that I make mine over high heat; however, I'm willing to make whatever color roux suits the dish best, from very blond to very brown. It doesn't take long and it's easy to do, but you must do nothing else while you're making roux if you use high heat. Stay focused, stir constantly, and do NOT splash it on your skin. It really is like napalm. Use a heavy pot or skillet and remember that the residual heat will continue to cook the roux after you take it off the heat. Adding vegetables at the right time will also have an influence on the final roux. Be prepared. The high heat method leaves no room for hesitation.

Keep in mind, the darker the roux the more flavor it imparts but it also loses its thickening power. Some argue that authentic gumbo is really a soup. Others, like me, prefer a darker roux and a consistency more like a stew. It depends on what you like unless one is a food snob and then it depends on what you claim is "authentic". :cool:
 
I think if you made roux all the time you can make it in 4 minutes, but for us mere mortals I'm not risking it. I probably only get mine a medium brown but I find it's delicious. It's interesting to me that people actually from the area are way more willing to take shortcuts with store bought roux and pre-packaged trinity, etc. It's probably because it's food they are more used to eating regularly. For me, it's more of a special occasion. It's something I grew up with because my grandmother made it. I'm from Beaumont, TX which is just kind of Louisiana adjacent. Close enough to get boudin on the side of the road, I guess, but not really Cajun. So my idea of authentic is not going to be someone else's and is probably flat wrong. I've had people berate me for not using okra. On the other extreme, I've had "gumbo" from around here in North Texas where they didn't even use roux.
 

 

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