The Starving Artist :: How To Make Gumbo

:: A gumbo must always contain rice, and it must always be thickened with something.  Most gumbos are, in fact, double-thickened - first with a dark, oil-based roux (although Gumbo Z’Herbes is sometimes roux-less, as are some 19^th century recipes), and then using either okra or filé powder, but neither both, but never both (to connoisseurs, this as uncouth a practice as blending a Bordeaux with a Riesling). ::

- Stanley Dry, The Southern Gumbo Trail

A few weeks ago I shared my recipe for Shrimp Remoulade.  Today, I'm about to do something I've never done before - share my gumbo recipe!  I haven't even shared this with my children, and they started eating gumbo before they were out of diapers.  My sister and I can't recall a time without gumbo.  Mom liked to prepare chicken and sausage gumbo, while MaMere preferred seafood gumbo.  

The thing to keep in mind is that there are as many styles of gumbo as there are cooks in in the kitchen.  Whenever I went to a new Louisiana style restaurant in Austin, the first thing I would order is their gumbo.  If it was good, everything else of the menu was bound to be just as delicious.  From the Lake Charles, Louisiana style duck and andouille sausage at  Evageline Cafe in Austin, to the almost black roux prepared for chicken and okra gumbo at Nubian Queen Lola's Cajun Soul Food on the East side of Austin, gumbo always offers opportunity to be original.

Over the years I've added Gumbo Z'Herbes, a green gumbo just perfect for my vegetarian friends, a turkey gumbo after Thanksgiving takes care of leftovers, and a duck gumbo during hunting season.  I'll share with you my Gumbo Z'Hebes recipe and MaMere's King Cake, straight from France, just before Mardi Gras 2015.

I swear I should open a restaurant and art gallery!

BENNÉ’S CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO

Servings : 16 

Chicken & Sausage Preparation

• 2 pounds of the Italian sausage.  My preference is andouille but that was hard to find in Austin and impossible to locate in Mérida.
• 2 pounds of skinless chicken breast.
• Chop all the meat into 1" pieces.

Just know that you can't go wrong.  Unless you burn the roux, your gumbo is going to be identifiable as gumbo!  Every restaurant in New Orleans that serves gumbo, and that would be just about all of them, has a signature taste.  The underlying flavor, the roux, is what sets gumbo apart from soups and stews.  As impossible as it may sound, when one of my gal pals muled my pots down to me, someone with the airlines managed to crack my cast iron skillet in half.  Needless to say, this was the first time in my life I've prepared this portion of the dish in a stainless steel frying pan.  The meat browned just fine.  Once you have yours browned, put it into a deep slow cooker on low.  Add half of all the vegetables, one bay leaf, and one cup of chicken broth.  Add one cup of water to your fry pan.  Heat the pan up, loosen any bits of the meat left behind.  Add this to your slow cooker.  Allow all these ingredients to simmer in the slow cooker for 8 hours. 

Roux Preparation

• 2 cups of sifted flour
• 2 cups of cooking oil *Stay healthy, Ya'll!
• Black Pepper
• 1 smashed garlic toe
• 1 Tsp. of finely chopped onion
• Flour sifter

The roux took a bit longer in the stainless steel frying pan.  Surprisingly, the flavor was excellent, but I still prefer a cast iron skillet.  Pour the oil into the pan and place on low heat.  This was a bit tricky on my new stove as it has a very limited heat range control where low heat for simmer doesn't seem to exist.  As the oil is heating, sift the flour into the oil, taking time to mix the flour into the oil.  The trick with roux is to keep the oil and flour moving.  

The first photograph on the left is the oil and flour mixed.  Things that can go wrong are represented in the upper image on the left. Just lower the heat, or in my case, turn off the burner for a bit.  You don't want to burn the roux.  The third photograph shows you the color changes as the roux is progresses.  Just before I get to the dark chocolate phase I add black pepper, minced garlic, and chopped onions.

Vegetable Preparations

• 2 large white onions, chopped
• 2 large green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 cups of fresh chopped okra 
• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbls of dried oregano
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley

Liquids

• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 4 cups of water 
• a splash of vinegar ffom a jar of pepperoncini peppers. 

Now, let's mix it all together!  Grab you large stock pot and put in the remaining vegetables, herbs and liquid ingredients, except for the vinegar, turning your fire to simmer.  At first heat, add the roux and the chicken and sausage mixture.  Once it comes to a slow boil, add the vinegar to taste.  Serve over rice, sprinkled with chopped parsley.  Anyone have a great recipe for French Bread?

New Orleans welcome to  Mérida, your sister city in the Yucatan.  
Bon Appetite

Create the life you want!

The Broad

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