Can one of you fine chefs help me out with a gumbo recipe? Doesn't have to be made with crappie, just looking for a good gumbo.
Thanks Kin
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Can one of you fine chefs help me out with a gumbo recipe? Doesn't have to be made with crappie, just looking for a good gumbo.
Thanks Kin
This recipe and instructions come from "The Cotton Country Collection", a renowned cookbook made by the Junior Charity League of Monroe Louisiana.
I have cooked it many times with great success. It may look alittle intimidating at first, but it sure taste great and can be a fun family project to boot. The seafood can also be replaced with chicken and sausage if you prefer.
Seafood Gumbo
5 lbs. Peeled shrimp, cut in thirds
2 cups okra, sliced thin
1 large white onion, chopped fine
3 cups minced green onions
2 cups celery, chopped fine
½ cup bell pepper, cut finely
2 or 3 garlic pods, mashed
1 cup Crisco Oil
½ cup flour
2 cans Chicken Broth
8 cups boiling water
2 Tablespoons salt
1 Teaspoon black pepper
1/3 Cup catsup
1 tablespoon Lea and Perrins
1 teaspoon McCormick Seafood Seasoning, season to taste
Crabmeat: 2 packages frozen Alaskan King Crab
or 2 cans fresh or frozen, lump crabmeat
First of all, Gumbo should be a two day affair. Peel and cut your shrimp and chop your vegetables one day, cover and refrigerate them. The next day, making the gumbo will be a happy thing.
Start with two heavy iron skillets. In one, start the roux by combining ½ cup Oil and ½ cup Flour over a low fire, KEEP THE FIRE LOW, and stir constantly. It usually takes an hour and fifteen minutes to make roux. Stir it until it becomes brown and flour sort of separates from the grease.
At the same time, in the other skillet, put in the other ½ cup of oil and saute’ the okra and white onions until they are wilted. Add the remaining vegetables with salt and pepper, and stir them until they are wilted and soft.
When the roux is brown, add it to the vegetables and mix well. Transfer all to a large soup pot. Add the chicken broth, boiling water, half of the peeled shrimp, and all of the remaining seasonings. Let this simmer for about an hour. Cook the remaining shrimp in a saucepan with ½ cup boiling water and 1 tablespoon salt until they are pink. Add shrimp and water to the gumbo. Remove from fire.
Last of all add the crabmeat, as much or as little, as you want. Serve over rice with chopped green onions.
Good Luck!!!
This is from my old and falling apart copy of Pirates Pantry from the Junior League of Lake Charles, LA
3/4 cup bacon drippings (I use margerine)
3/4 cup flour
2 packages frozen cut okra (or fresh if you have it)
2 onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 green onions and tops, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
4 bouillon cubes any flavor
8 cups water
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
2 pounds peeled medium shrimp or craw tails, raw
Make a roux in a heavy pot with the bacon drippngs and flour. Cook til it's dark brown. Add everything except the shrimp. Simmer with the lid cracked for 2 hours. Add shrimp or craw tails about ten minutes before serving.
Serve with French bread.
- Roberta
Ron's Gumbo
Chicken and Duck Gumbo
(You can use any meat, poultry, of fish)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 duck breasts
2 chicken breasts and 4 chicken wings
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of fresh garlic
2 cups Dark Brown Roux, see How to Roux, recipe follows
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers
2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
2 bay leaves
10 cups of chicken stock
2 cans 15 oz. Swanson Chicken Broth
2 cans 15 oz. Hunts Diced Tomatoes
3 pounds boneless chicken meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 teaspoons Sea Salt (coarse ground)
2 teaspoons Emeril's Bayou Blast, recipe follows**
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
1/2 cup chopped fresh okra
You can put 1-2 cups okra if you like
2-3 tablespoons of Tabasco Brand hot sauce (Amount determined by taste)
4 tablespoons of Pickapeppa Sauce (We purchased this brand from grocery)
Steamed Brown Rice, for serving
2 teaspoons of Zatarain's Gumbo FILE
**Creole Seasoning Recipe
Use only 2 teaspoons of this mixture and save the rest in an airtight container.
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield 2/3 cup. Use only 2 teaspoons of this mixture. Save
in a airtight container.
*How to Make Roux:
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
(1.) Make chicken broth using 2 chicken breasts and 4 chicken wings with 11 cups of water and 1 can of Swanson's chicken broth. Add one stalk of celery and 1/2 onion, garlic and salt and pepper. Season to taste. Once broth is made strain it and de-bone the chicken. Set aside.
(2.) While broth is cooking, make your Roux. In a large black cast iron skillet, pour 1 1/2 c. vegetable oil and slowly add 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour to the warmed oil. Stir constantly until it becomes copper color. This takes about an hour.
(3.) Transfer roux to a casserole dish, use black skillet to saute duck breasts that have been cut into 1-inch cubes in Olive Oil with 1/2 onion and 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste. (You may use vegetable oil, we preferred Olive Oil.)
(4.) Place the roux in a 10 quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. When the roux is hot, add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables. are wilted. Add the browned duck, cayenne, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Continue to cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock in a slow stream, whisking until incorporated. Add 2 cans of 15 oz. diced tomatoes along with 1 can of chicken broth. At this time add 2 teaspoons of Zatarain's Gumbo File as well as the 2 teaspoons of Pickapeppa Sauce and Tabasco Hot Sauce.
(5.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes to an hour. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Season the chicken that was set aside with Creole seasoning and add to the pot. Return the gumbo to a simmer and cook an additional 45 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and green onions. Remove bay leaves.
Serve in warmed bowls with steamed white (we used brown) rice. Pass the hot sauce at the table, if desired.
Yield 6-7 Qts.
if you cannot find the roux in the store you can make your own
1 cup cooking oil
1 cup flower
cook in iron skillet on medium high heat you must stir constantly until mixture gets a little bit darker than carmel color then take out of skillet it will still cook while out of skillet and give it a darker color
ooooooooweeeeeee! dat shtuff shounds gwat!
Be sure to send me a bowl, I'll give you my address!
The Roux is the hard part. Everything else is easy. My wife is from a little town between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Her family and everyone she knows from down there make Roux by browning flour with dry seasoning in a cast iron skilet without oil. You sit and stir until you arm falls off. Takes 1.5-2.5 hours. Turn away for a minute, burn it, and start over. People back home make large batches and freeze it. They give it for Christmans presents and it is a very welcome gift. Her brother has perfected a microwave version but I don't know how well it works. Juston Wilson and many other self proclamed experts use oil and flour but Wilson was a fake in the end.
Lisa wouldn't want you to know but now she uses Zatarans, New Orleans style Gumbo base. Its is as real as it comes and just as good. I say that since she dosen't read this fourm. She has never let anyone see her use it though. I honestly don't think you can make anything better and why try. Just don't let anyone know..............................Seeya, Don
http://www.zatarain.com/
roux is not roux unless you cook it with oil. 1 cup flour to 1 cup oil. thats the olny way to make a true gumbo
If you have the time, a trick I learned is to make your roux in the oven instead of the stove top.
Mix equal parts of oil and flour in a cast iron skillet and place it in a 325 degree oven until it is deep brown color.
Doing it in the oven takes a little longer than the stove top but, you don't have to worry about burning it and constantly stirring it.
Once you have your roux done, move it back to the stove top and stir in your okra, celery, onion and bell pepper.
Cook the them until the okra starts gooo'ing and then transfer to a large stock pot.
Add chicken broth and water to equal 4-6 qts. and season with pepper, paprika, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, orageno, a couple shots of tobasco, salt or whatever you want to make it taste good.
Simmer till its good and melded to gether and add some blucrab (or canned), a pint of oysters with the liquor and 2 lbs of peeled shrimp and or crawtails.
Serve over rice.
you can leave out the orageno bay leaves and parsley. you start putting to much seasonings you change the gumbo taste. stick to the basics red pepper,salt,and garlic but wait till after you put the chicken in till you add to much salt chiken will make it taste salty
Mack, Thanks I gave this to my wife and we both agree we are going to try it this weekend... Thanks again sound good.
Gumbo is one of those pretty liberal dishes as far as what goes in it. I was
taught gumbo by authentic Cajun folks and I agree that roux is made with oil and flour, period. And to my way of thinking no gumbo can be gumbo without okra, and to a lesser extent gumbo file', which is nothing more than ground sassafras leaves. Good luck and enjoy.
Jeff
Mack, I tried and it was outstanding Two Thumbs Up.... Thank You.
you got the right idea horseshoer
Fish_detective...thank you..but the credit goes to the Junior Charity League...the cookbook is a MUST have..and can be found at alot of sources for purchase...get you one..you'll love it.
Gents,
Gumbo is one of my favorite things to cook on a cold day. I started out with a recipe from an internet sight that I have changes so much since then that it wouldn't look anything like it any more. The good thing about gumbo is that their are so many different kinds so your always changing it. I had my buddy from outside Lake Charles and his cajun wife give me their blessing on it so I think you'll like it. Anyhow, here it is.
Ingredients:
Flour
Olive Oil ( I use extra virgin Bertoli)
3-4 Large Yellow Onions
4 Large Green Peppers
1 full celery package
1-1/2-2 lbs of Okra
1 full head of Cilantro
5-6 Thyme stems
5-6 Bay Leaves
Cayenne Pepper
Dry Thyme
1 Stick real butter
2 Large cans Gold brand whole peeled tomatoes (You know, the ones in the big yellow and red cans.)
3 cans of vegetable stock
Andoullie Sausage (3-4 large strands)
Process
1. Start by making your roux with the flour and Olive Oil. Done when you get the nutty smell and carmel looking color out of it.
2. Add all of you onions, gr.peppers, and celery along with the stick of butter and some more olive oil to soften them up while stirring them all up to get teh roux well distributed. (Usuall takes around 15 minutes).
3. Add your cut okra at this point into the sauteed onions etc. and mix around repeatedly until the okra starts to release its gell and seeds. This doesn't take very long.
4. Add your whole peeled tomatoes and your finely chopped cilantro. Keep this heating until you get it nice an dmixed up at which point you can take your spatula and mush apart the tomatoes.
5. Add your vegatable stock and all of you spices. I use alot of the dry thyme and cayenne. (Your going to have to try this on your own since I never use any measuring devices.)
6. Take your sausage and lightly brown it in a side skillet and then add it to your pot.
7. Bring all to a boil for 10-15 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
8. Now some people will eat this right away with some rice. I like to let it cool down overnight and then heat it up the next day. For some reason I just think it tastes better this way. (It would have nothing to do with the amount of beer consumed while preparing!)
9. Eat and be merry!
Hope everyone likes it.
If you are going to make it from scratch then use the other recipes if you want a good quick gumbo try this.
Get a box or 2 of zaratains gumbo mix, a bottle of clam juice, chicken, dungeonous crap, hot links, shrimp, bay leaf, and can of clams.
I getting hungry for a gumbo myself now.
Gumbo and crappie this weekend at Joe's place.
Anyway
With the zaratains mix, only use the powder NOT THE RICE, so you have to separate the rice.
This has all the other ingredients from the other receipes. I do not measure out my meats and seafoods because its really about how much I can afford when I want a gumbo can be $30 -100.
The crap is expensive.
I have tried it with other type of crab but dugeonous is the best to me.
If you want HOT gumbo brown your chicken in red pepper.
Brown chicken and links.
Combine the zaratains mix with amount of water on back of box.
Add clam juice
Add two cups of water
add chicken, links, seafood
Vegetables are optional
boil for about 30min.
Season to taste
Add water as needed
Remeber this is my quick gumbo. I have been making this for the pase 8yrs and have not had one complaint.
Basically follow the directions on the back of the zaratains box, add the clam juice, and other ingredients and there you go.
Serve over white rice
Peace
There are as many Gumbo recipes is there are kitchens in Louisians and they are all good. Basicly you start with a rue, celery, bell peppers and onions and go from there.
True dat. Those are some good lookin recipes however. I agree with 2 cast iron skillets and drinking atleast a 6 pack of Frostie Root Beer while making the roux. The beauty of gumbo is that there really are no rules. If you like a light roux or dark roux, make it. If you happen to have some sweet corn or lima beans or like tomatoes-toss em in. Find a cpl cayenne peppers or a jalapeno sneakin around the house, toss em in.Quote:
Originally Posted by WhitePerchJerker
I had my first up-close encounter with real Cajuns in the form of new clients back in TX. I had a cpl horses to trim on a 4 P.M. appointment. The ol lady rode with. After meeting the entire 25-30 Thibideauxs clanned up and carryin on, I was invited to go check their mudbug pots with them. Yep, piroques in the back of pick-ups. Then the cookin commenced-they had yesterdays crawdads already purged & ready. Holy crap, it was 11 PM before we got outta there and I had met 25-30 new friends. I decided right then to learn Cajun cooking and for a Yankee white boy, I have done my best to honor what I have been shown.
Lassaiz bon temps rouler!
Mack,Quote:
Originally Posted by Mack
Can you hook me up with contact to purchase a cookbook? If I missed it in the thread I am sorry, I kinda scanned over but mighta missed it.
My favorite is chicken/okra or seafood/okra gumbo.
Start with a Hvy deep pot, bottom covered with oil, med heat. Add Okra & a good pinch of salt, cook down, stirring often (okra will stick if not stirred often) till most all slime is gone. Then add water (1/2-3/4 pot full) & bring to a boil, then add roux (amount depends on my taste that day, hvy or Lt). Stir often till roux is disolved. Add chopped yellow Onion (amount depends on pot size? at least 2) Add Chicken & good smoked (La.) sausage cut in 1/4" pieces. If making seafood just add sausage now. You can now add 2 or 3 spoons of salt & black pepper & a few cloves of chopped garlic as well (to your taste). Place lid on pot & bring to a boil, then turn fire down low to a slow boil. Stir every now and then to prevent roux from sticking to bottom. Add water also if needed. While this is cooking chop a handful of green onions and parsley together. Save till later.
If cooking seafood: Once onion & okra has cooked an hr or so (onion is clear & tender), add cleaned raw shrimp, lump crab meat (we also like the whole crab claws when can get). Bring back to a boil & then turn down to a simmer. Cook until shrimp are done (30 min max) and turn off the fire. Then add green onion & parsley & stir, check for salt/pepper needed if any? place lid on pot and let sit 30 minutes to absorb flavors. Now add Tbl spoon or so of Filet' and cayane pepper if desire and stir. Bring back to serving temp if needed.
For chicken: Cook until chicken is near tender (slow boil) then add green onions & parsley as above, stir & let sit for 30 or more minutes also with fire off. After sit add Filet' and bring back to serving temp if needed.
Notes: If can find, use old hens (young cook too quick & fall off bone) good with squirrel or duck also.
Also I like to add a can of rotel tomatoes in my seafood gumbo when I add the water, is to your taste though? Gumbo is what ever you have or want that day.
Also, we hardly ever eat Gumbo without a side of potato salad & crackers.
Man, I might have to do that today !!!
Do a google for the folloeing title. This cookbook comes as close to true cajun cooking that you can get nest to the real thing.
Cajun Cuisine: Authentic Cajun Recipes from Louisiana's Bayou Country :D
For a ready made roux uses Savoie’s Dark Roux it comes in a jar and is made with just oil and flower i uses it when i don't have time to make a roux from scratch. As far as putting okra in it is all up to the taste of the cook i personaly don't like okra so i never put it in My famly on the other hand love shrimp and okra gumbo.