very merry gumbo

I've been wanting to try my hand at gumbo forever.  I'm a huge soup/stew fan, but gumbo has always intimidated me a bit.  Roux is scary.  But, dear reader, I persevered yesterday and made my family a fine pot of gumbo.  It was KILLER.

But first, a little gumbo history, if you are interested.  From the Southern Foodways Alliance:

Of all the dishes in the realm of Louisiana cooking, gumbo is the most famous and, very likely, the most popular. Gumbo crosses all class barriers, appearing on the tables of the poor as well as the wealthy. Although ingredients might vary greatly from one cook to the next, and from one part of the state to another, a steaming bowl of fragrant gumbo is one of life’s cherished pleasures, as emblematic of Louisiana as chili is of Texas.

Gumbo is often cited as an example of the melting-pot nature of Louisiana cooking, but trying to sort out the origins and evolution of the dish is highly speculative. The name derives from a West African word for okra, suggesting that gumbo was originally made with okra. The use of filé (dried and ground sassafras leaves) was a contribution of the Choctaws and, possibly, other local tribes. Roux has its origin in French cuisine, although the roux used in gumbos is much darker than its Gallic cousins.

and from Foodreference.com:

Créole Gumbo is a stew-like dish made with brown roux, okra, filé powder, onions, green peppers, tomatoes and seafood, chicken and/or meat. Gumbo has an  incomparably rich flavor and texture, and derives from the cooking traditions of  the French, Spanish, Indian and African residents of the area. Ingredients can  vary widely (there are literally hundreds of different gumbos). Seafood (especially shrimp) is common to many gumbos. Gumbo should never be over spiced, it should have a subtle flavor. Tabasco sauce is always served with gumbo so those with a  penchant for spicy foods can be accommodated. Gumbo is always served with  rice.

So gumbo was my Sunday project yesterday.  I combined a few different recipes and here's how it went:

Prep a cup of coarsely chopped onion, celery and green peppers. Put them in the bowl of a cuisinart with a couple cloves of garlic and pulse a few times to finely chop them. If you don't have a cuisinart (shudder)  just chop them finely and set aside. 

 

Meanwhile, cook up some bacon because you need some grease for the roux.  Save the bacon for that spinach salad you're bringing to Sue's on Christmas day.  

Make sure your kids are sleeping so they don't eat it all.  

Heat up 3/4 cup bacon grease in a heavy pot or dutch oven.  I didn't have that much grease so just rounded it out with vegetable oil.  Probably a total gumbo sin but one must persevere.

Add a cup of flour to the hot grease

and then settle in because you're going to be there for a while. 

start whisking the mix over med/high heat, stirring constantly.

it starts out looking like this.  But you cannot, for a second, stop whisking, or it will burn the bottom and become disgusting and all that work will be for naught.  So put on your favorite music and stir. 

Enlist the help of your 14-year-old son who would NOT look at me for a picture.

And keep whisking until the above becomes the below, the color of melted milk chocolate. 

 It took about 25 minutes.

take the roux off the heat but keep whisking until it cools a bit.

add the celery/onion/pepper mixture (holy trinity, in cajunspeak) and cook until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes, at med/high heat. 

Then you add all kinds of amazing stuff:

3 quarts of  hot/boiling water, in which 4 beef bouillon cubes have been dissolved)

Stir until well mixed. 

 Add 2 TBSP tabasco

1/2 tsp cajun seasoning 

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 lg can stewed tomatoes

4 bay leaves

Then add some of the meat:

1 lb andouille sausage, diced large

2 large chicken breasts, diced into chunks.

Let simmer on med/low for an hour.

Add 2 tsp file powder - the secret ingredient of gumbo. 

 It's apparently pulverized sassafras and is a thickening agent used in gumbo.  

Stir well. 

Add 2 lbs peeled, deveined shrimp.  

Let simmer another 45 minutes.

Add 10-16 oz okra - I thawed one lg package and cut into large chunks.  

Simmer until all flavors are combined and okra is heated.  

Add 2 tsp worcestershire and  2 more tsp file powder.

Add salt or pepper if you so desire

Meanwhile, cook up some white rice and serve with a big scoop right in the gumbo.

Like this.  

But I cribbed this picture from the internet because, dear reader, I could not take the suspense any more and started to eat.  See?

This recipe feeds a ton - we had nine for dinner with a couple servings leftover.  

The fail of the evening?  I said, "how do you say bon apetit in french?"  Corey:  um, nailed it mom.

Enjoy the week, y'all!