Fish/Seafood/ Soup

My Favorite Gumbo

What more is there to say than — GUMBO

I did not grow up eating gumbo. In fact, the only gumbo I ever heard of was Campbell’s Chicken GUMBO soup that my mother used to make her Sloppy Joes. (recipe)

There are so many different kinds of gumbo with different ingredients and ways of preparing it.  I like a really dark roux which I make in the microwave. Some use a lighter roux. Some use tomatoes (I do) which is creole version and no tomatoes would be cajun recipes. I love okra in my gumbo and I still use a little file powder at the end of cooking.

Do you put your rice on top or on the bottom? I personally like a shallow pasta type bowl with the rice in the middle and ladle the hot steaming gumbo around the rice. Do you like cornbread (me)? Or, do you like French bread? If it were homemade French bread I’d go for that but not the soft tasteless French breads from the grocery. I don’t think you can beat a good cornbread.

I’ve read some serve potato salad as a side to gumbo. I can’t actually get my head around that idea but it seems to be served often as a side dish. I really don’t want any side dishes other than some good cornbread and some white fluffy long grain rice.

As to ingredients, I think all recipes use onion, celery, garlic, and green bell peppers. Some recipes use seafood, some chicken, some sausage and some I’ve seen oysters (not for me). I like using shrimp, chicken and a good smoked sausage.  I also like starting with a rotisserie chicken and then I use the bones to boil with the celery and onion and pepper scraps to make some of the broth needed for the gumbo.

Okra is a must in my gumbo and if you put the okra (frozen or fresh) in a dry skillet and cook it some some of the sliminess (I never have really noticed that in my gumbo) will be cooked off.

The roux for gumbo can be made several ways. Dry skillet method is not my favorite because you have a lot of stirring to do to keep it from burning; same way with the oil/flour in skillet method and you have to really stir to keep it from burning. My favorite is to cook it in the microwave.  equal portions of oil and flour and stir every minute until you have the color of roux you are wanting.  I always have a jar of really dark roux I have bought at the grocery on hand in case my gumbo isn’t thick enough. I do not like watery gumbo and want a little smoothness to the broth part of the soup.

BLAST FROM THE PAST:  This Irish cream cheesecake would taste wonderful with your Thanksgiving dinner.

Start with a rotisserie chicken (how easy is that) and debone saving the carcass to make broth. Chop 2-3 cups of this chicken to add to the gumbo.

Slice the sausage and brown in skillet for several minutes on each side.

I use fresh garlic but always have a jar on hand in case I need more.

After a couple of minutes of microwaving.

Another couple of minutes.

I stopped here at 8 minutes of stirring. You can go darker if you want but I also have some really dark roux from the grocery that I keep on hand in case I need to make my gumbo thicker.

Cook the okra in a dry skillet for 5-6 minutes to get rid of some of the “slime” that okra produces.

Put your roux into the stockpot and add your onions, bell pepper and garlic, saute for 5-6 minutes. Then you will add your stock, sausage, chicken and seasoning. The shrimp will get added towards the end of simmering. Serve this over white fluffy rice. Use hot sauce to taste.

Yum and the leftovers are just as good.

My Favorite Gumbo

Ingredients

  • 1 rotisserie chicken deboned
  • 1 1/2 lb. Shrimp
  • 1 lb. Andouille sausage
  • 1 tsp. file powder added at end
  • 2 green peppers 1/2" dice
  • 1 c. onion 1/2" dice
  • 1 - 1 1/2 c. Celery sliced thin
  • 2 tomatoes peeled and chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
  • 12 c. chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp. thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen okra
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp. Tony Chachere
  • Roux:
  • 1 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 1/2 cup flour

Instructions

  1. To make roux: put the oil and flour in heatproof microwavable bowl/pyrex measuring cup and start heating one minute at a time, stir, then another minute, and so on until you have the darkness you want for your gumbo. Mine took 8 minutes. And I used 18 oz. of roux for 12 cups of stock. Set aside.
  2. Chop all the vegetables and set aside and then debone your chicken and chop in small pieces. You will not need all the chicken unless you want a really meaty gumbo. Shell and devein your shrimp (these will be the last to go in the pot).
  3. Put the thawed or fresh okra in a dry skillet and cook about 5-6 minutes to release some of the sickness that okra usually produces.
  4. Also in a dry skillet add your sliced andouille sausage and brown on both sides until it releases some of the grease. Set aside.
  5. Put your browned roux in a large stock pot and add in your peppers, onion, celery and garlic. Slowly sauté these until they are almost tender. Add in your chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, Tonys and salt and pepper to taste. Stir this until it starts to simmer and then add in your sausage and chicken. Simmer for about 30 minutes or so and then add in your raw, shelled, and denied shrimp. Add in the file powder. Simmer another 10-15 minutes and you are ready to serve over some white steamed rice.

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