As a Louisiana native, I was thrilled at the news of this year's GoonCon being held in New Orleans. Now, to prepare you for the wonderful food you will experience if you are so inclined to attend our convention this year, I will demonstrate how to make a gumbo.
Now, while gumbo can be a delicacy in places, it's actually quite cheap to make. The catch is that it's quite an exercise in patience if you have not made it before. It takes practice and experimentation to get your recipe quite right. Like many other recipes, my gumbo is the product of an age-old traditional recipe handed down from my family, the Lafayette-native Domingues. While it's a four-generation-old recipe, feel free to tweak and modify until you get the results you want.
Now, on to the cooking.
MATERIALS
Big soup pot (a few gallons, I'm guessing)
Wisk
Skillet
An old penny (I will explain this later)
Wooden stirring spoon
Large plate or dish (to hold seasoned chicken before it goes into the gumbo)
Knife
Cutting board
INGREDIENTS: (All of these are measured relative to your tastes, but I'll post what I used)
Three cups vegetable oil
Four and a half cups flour
Water (more or less to taste; I used roughly 1.5 gallons)
Salt
Smoked sausage
Andouille (optional; I didn't find any here in Kansas)
Chicken (legs, thighs and quarters are preferred. The fewer the bones, the better, but I will explain why later on.)
Tony Chachere's seasoning (or red pepper and garlic salt)
Minced green onions and celery (about 2 cups)
Four eggs (optional)
Rice
My total cost for this whole pot of Gumbo: $15
Before I start, I have only helped make gumbo and observed it being made. This is my first gumbo all by myself, so I'm taking this journey with you.
Okay, here's the toughest part of making the gumbo - the roux. Now roux can be bought at some places in the south, but it's much better if you make your own. If you are duplicating my recipe, use three cups vegetable oil, four and a half of flour (a 2:3 ratio makes it easier.) Leftovers are usually expected, and can be used in many other dishes. For this recipe, I didn't have any leftovers.
Heat your oil in the skillet at the highest temperature, but DO NOT let it get too hot and catch fire. While you are waiting for the oil to heat, place your brown penny next to the skillet. When the roux is done, it will be the color of the penny. Add pinches of flour to the oil and, when it starts to bubble when put in, slowly add all of your flour, mixing CONSTANTLY with the wisk.
Roux takes constant stirring and mixing not to burn, so be sure to scrape the bottom, sides, and corners of the skillet. Do not stop stirring until your roux has turned the color of the penny. When it is the right color, take it off of the burner and let it cool.
Fill up your large pot with the water and let it set on a hot burner. In the meanwhile, dice up your veggies. Any crunchy vegetable will do, with the notable exception of carrots. Just try different things and see what you like. Also, set your chicken out on your plate and cover it in the Tony Chachere's (or garlic salt and red pepper). Not too much, though - you want it to season the gumbo, not overpower it. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch rounds and set aside. This will be added last. Our additives:
Now that your pot of water's steaming, it's time to add roux. I can't stress enough to add a little bit at a time; you can always put in more, but you will have to start over if you put too much. Put the roux in and stir until it dissolves. You want to add enough so that you can't see the bottom of a teaspoon of the water and roux mixture.
When you have this consistency, add 1/4 cup more and stir. Let this come to a boil, then add your veggies.
After 30 minutes of boiling, add your chicken, bones and all. Cover the pot and let cook (about 30 minutes) until the chicken is done. At this point, I remove all of the chicken and set it back on the plate to let it cool. Let the gumbo continue simemring in the pot. Stick the chicken in the freezer for ten minutes to cool down, then, by hand, remove the meat from the bone. Well-cooked chicken in gumbo will come right off of the bone. Add the meat to the gumbo. If you want to toss in a bone or two, go ahead; some say it adds flavor. I do this, mainly because it's how my family's always done it.
Let the mixture come to a boil again, then add your sausage. If you want to add eggs, crack them over the gumbo and drop them in without breaking the yolk. If you want to scramble them first, that's fine too. Let this all boil for (you guessed it) another 30 minutes. Once it has boiled this long, turn down the heat and let it simmer for about an hour. Start your rice cooking, too. The end result looks like this:
Serve it like soup over rice and enjoy. Now to taste test my creation...
...letting it cool off...
...the first taste...
...the verdict: a great first gumbo!
EDIT - Serve with french bread and some nice tater salad. The real Cajuns eat the tater salad in their gumbo broth.
Now, while gumbo can be a delicacy in places, it's actually quite cheap to make. The catch is that it's quite an exercise in patience if you have not made it before. It takes practice and experimentation to get your recipe quite right. Like many other recipes, my gumbo is the product of an age-old traditional recipe handed down from my family, the Lafayette-native Domingues. While it's a four-generation-old recipe, feel free to tweak and modify until you get the results you want.
Now, on to the cooking.
MATERIALS
Big soup pot (a few gallons, I'm guessing)
Wisk
Skillet
An old penny (I will explain this later)
Wooden stirring spoon
Large plate or dish (to hold seasoned chicken before it goes into the gumbo)
Knife
Cutting board
INGREDIENTS: (All of these are measured relative to your tastes, but I'll post what I used)
Three cups vegetable oil
Four and a half cups flour
Water (more or less to taste; I used roughly 1.5 gallons)
Salt
Smoked sausage
Andouille (optional; I didn't find any here in Kansas)
Chicken (legs, thighs and quarters are preferred. The fewer the bones, the better, but I will explain why later on.)
Tony Chachere's seasoning (or red pepper and garlic salt)
Minced green onions and celery (about 2 cups)
Four eggs (optional)
Rice
My total cost for this whole pot of Gumbo: $15
Before I start, I have only helped make gumbo and observed it being made. This is my first gumbo all by myself, so I'm taking this journey with you.
Okay, here's the toughest part of making the gumbo - the roux. Now roux can be bought at some places in the south, but it's much better if you make your own. If you are duplicating my recipe, use three cups vegetable oil, four and a half of flour (a 2:3 ratio makes it easier.) Leftovers are usually expected, and can be used in many other dishes. For this recipe, I didn't have any leftovers.
Heat your oil in the skillet at the highest temperature, but DO NOT let it get too hot and catch fire. While you are waiting for the oil to heat, place your brown penny next to the skillet. When the roux is done, it will be the color of the penny. Add pinches of flour to the oil and, when it starts to bubble when put in, slowly add all of your flour, mixing CONSTANTLY with the wisk.
Roux takes constant stirring and mixing not to burn, so be sure to scrape the bottom, sides, and corners of the skillet. Do not stop stirring until your roux has turned the color of the penny. When it is the right color, take it off of the burner and let it cool.
Fill up your large pot with the water and let it set on a hot burner. In the meanwhile, dice up your veggies. Any crunchy vegetable will do, with the notable exception of carrots. Just try different things and see what you like. Also, set your chicken out on your plate and cover it in the Tony Chachere's (or garlic salt and red pepper). Not too much, though - you want it to season the gumbo, not overpower it. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch rounds and set aside. This will be added last. Our additives:
Now that your pot of water's steaming, it's time to add roux. I can't stress enough to add a little bit at a time; you can always put in more, but you will have to start over if you put too much. Put the roux in and stir until it dissolves. You want to add enough so that you can't see the bottom of a teaspoon of the water and roux mixture.
When you have this consistency, add 1/4 cup more and stir. Let this come to a boil, then add your veggies.
After 30 minutes of boiling, add your chicken, bones and all. Cover the pot and let cook (about 30 minutes) until the chicken is done. At this point, I remove all of the chicken and set it back on the plate to let it cool. Let the gumbo continue simemring in the pot. Stick the chicken in the freezer for ten minutes to cool down, then, by hand, remove the meat from the bone. Well-cooked chicken in gumbo will come right off of the bone. Add the meat to the gumbo. If you want to toss in a bone or two, go ahead; some say it adds flavor. I do this, mainly because it's how my family's always done it.
Let the mixture come to a boil again, then add your sausage. If you want to add eggs, crack them over the gumbo and drop them in without breaking the yolk. If you want to scramble them first, that's fine too. Let this all boil for (you guessed it) another 30 minutes. Once it has boiled this long, turn down the heat and let it simmer for about an hour. Start your rice cooking, too. The end result looks like this:
Serve it like soup over rice and enjoy. Now to taste test my creation...
...letting it cool off...
...the first taste...
...the verdict: a great first gumbo!
EDIT - Serve with french bread and some nice tater salad. The real Cajuns eat the tater salad in their gumbo broth.
ClownSuitCowboy fucked around with this message at Apr 30, 2005 around 22:07