April 11, 2011

{GUMBO}


 

Can you guess what this is?............It is the most important ingredient to one of my favorite meals. It is the aroma that takes me back to my childhood. It says love louder than any other food. It is roux! Gumbo is one of my favorites. It is cheap to make, last a long time and is very satisfying :) When I have company, this is usually what I make, because you can feed a crowd and still have leftovers for the next day. Which by the way...Gumbo is always better the next day. It makes for a great freezer meal.

There are a gazillion Gumbo recipes out there. I don't have a recipe. I just go by memory from watching my mom cook. I don't have measurements, so here is one that looks fairly close.

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
(i use smoked turkey or polish sausage, whatever is on sale:)

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 large garlic cloves finely diced
3 bay leaves
5 boneless chicken breast halves cut up into bite size pieces
3 cups andouille chopped (any lean smoked sausage will work)
1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (or 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
1 teaspoon Tabasco
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 Quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped green onion

Directions
Place oil and flour in a large heavy pot and make a dark brown roux.
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When roux is color of milk chocolate add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Saute' for 6-8 minutes until vegetables are soft.
You will need a pot of at least a 6 quart size to handle this volume. If your roux pot is not big enough you can transfer the roux to a large pot then add the rest of the ingredients.
Add heated chicken stock, stir well and bring to a slow boil. Turn down heat to low simmer, add bay leaves, andouille, Tony Chachere's seasoning, Tabasco and parsley. Allow this to simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Add chicken and simmer 1 more hour stirring every 15 minutes.

Note: This recipe is light on added salt since the chicken stock, chicken and andouille all contain salt. After cooking taste and add salt if needed.
Serve with rice and sprinkle chopped green onions as a garnish and to add flavor. Include a fresh garden salad with warm french bread. Will serve 10 to 12.

We serve with potato salad!

                                                            
   








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2 comments:

  1. Yum...thanks for sharing. I've never made gumbo, but Russ would be thrilled if I'd learn. I think I must give this a try!

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  2. I am excited to try this recipe! My husband is Cajun, but I haven't found a gumbo recipe to try yet. Thanks for sharing this one!

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