It was a cold, rainy day today, so I decided to make my wife's favorite: Gumbo.
This recipe was created by reading, of all things, a theory paper on how gumbo should be. My grandpa is a retired navy captain and gourmet chef, and after having heard that I was interested in learning how to make gumbo, he gave me a large stack of papers that turned out to be some guy's musings on what goes into a good gumbo. There were generally few directions and no measurements, with references to possible and preferred ingredients. So I adapted this, through trial and error, into my own homemade gumbo. What makes it different from others? Mine is a bit less thick because I don't care for the okra flavor in most gumbos (used as a thickening agent), though longer cooking will thicken it just fine if you're a real stickler but also don't care for the okra. Without the okra, however, mine also has a brighter palate with more distinct individual flavors within the flavor medley. As well, without the okra mine also has more diverse color instead of being a sort of thick green. I also use jalapeno in mine, though I doubt that's so uncommon. I use olive oil instead of butter for the roux (a much healthier fat) and I always include tomato in mine, though it's very common for tomato to be omitted in most gumbo recipes. The only real problem I come across when printing this recipe is that it's mostly in my head. I've only ever written it down for my brother-in-law. Here goes:
Roux consists of equal parts fat and flour. Heat the fat in a large pot and once a bit of flour dropped into the oil starts to sizzle, stir in with a wire whisk the remaining flour. I usually use 1/2 cup of each. You must constantly stir this for roughly 10 minutes. A finished roux should be somewhere between the color of a rusted penny and chocolate peanut butter. The darker the roux, the stronger the flavor.
Add vegetables:
Prepare these and collect in a single bowl before you start making the roux.
1 large onion, diced
1 elbow celery heart, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp ground thyme
2 tsp ground black pepper
1- 2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
The spice measurements aren't exact; I'm basically guessing at how much I put in. Add these vegetables and spices to the finished roux. Note those first three ingredients on the list: in Louisiana cooking they're called "the trinity." Coat the vegetables and spices evenly with the roux (it will smell amazing when you first drop them in) and cook for 7-9 minutes until the vegetables soften.
For the broth:
The only important thing about the broth is that it be room temperature. If the broth is hot or cold, the broth will disrupt the roux and cause the oil and flour to separate and your gumbo with be strange and lumpy. I usually use chicken broth for flavor. If you were to do a seafood gumbo you might try fish stock and clam juice. If doing beef use beef broth, etc. Really, you can't go wrong with chicken. Add about 3 cans of broth, or 4 and 1/2 cups. Bring this to a boil. As it boils, scum may rise to the top. You may choose to or not to remove that. Despite the name "scum," there's nothing wrong with leaving it in.
For the meat:
I use about 4-5 ounces of chicken breast and 6 ounces of andouille sausage. Some say you can't have gumbo without andouille sausage because without it it's just not gumbo. I have no idea if that's a purist definition, but honestly andouille sausage is synonymous with Louisiana cooking. It can, however, be hard to find. I was in the Provo area a few years ago, planning to make this for family, and couldn't find it anywhere. My grandpa had to bring some from Ogden. Otherwise, I've found them most reliably at Albertson's. The andouille is generally precooked, so your concern is to cook the diced chicken in the gumbo. Regardless drop both meats into the pot. Commonly I've added a half pound of shrimp, but there was no need for the calories.
Finishing the dish:
Once you've combined the previous ingredients, add some diced tomatoes. Fresh is best. Probably about a cup to a cup and a half. You've added these so late because tomatoes are so much softer than everything else. Allow these ingredients to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. The longer the better for the flavors to combine. Traditionally, gumbo is served with rice on top, not the other way around, and often with a slice of cornbread, as I served mine in the picture above. Gumbo is amazing and once you get past the learning curve, it's relatively simple to make. Enjoy! This recipe will make about 10 1 cup servings at about 178 calories per serving (not including rice and cornbread).
Total Calorie Count for the Day: 948
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