Soups & Sauces » Gumbo

Replay Video
Play
1609 views
0:00 |
Volume
Full Screen
Gumbo
Gumbo <p>When <a href="/videos/profiles/about-allen">Allen</a> says that you stir that roux until it's the color of Mississippi mud, he ain't kidding. It's an absolutely critical part of the process, though, to get that great smoky flavor that a true Gumbo must have. A labor of love, Gumbo is worth every bit of energy that goes into it. Besides, it feeds an army and freezes well so you can have it on hand whenever you get a craving for a nice big bowl of spicy goodness.</p>

Watch this video! Get Adobe Flash Player

Tags:

andouille sausage, chicken stew, creole, gumbo, southern, southern, stew

When Allen says that you stir that roux until it's the color of Mississippi mud, he ain't kidding. It's an absolutely critical part of the process, though, to get that great smoky flavor that a true Gumbo must have. A labor of love, Gumbo is worth every bit of energy that goes into it. Besides, it feeds an army and freezes well so you can have it on hand whenever you get a craving for a nice big bowl of spicy goodness.

Ingredients

Creole Seasoning

  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp paprika

Gumbo

  • 1 lb andouille sausage (Portuguese linguica or Italian sausage can be substituted)
  • 4 whole chicken breasts (boneless)
  • 2 cups okra, chopped
  • 3 quarts chicken broth (stock)
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1-½ cups flour
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons filé powder (ground sassafras)
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 2 cups diced onions
  • 1 cup diced bell pepper
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • vermouth for deglazing
  • parsley & scallions for garnish

How-to

Serves 10-12

Prepare the Chicken

  1. Season chicken with Creole seasoning and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes
  2. In cast-iron skillet, add olive oil
  3. Coat bite-size pieces of seasoned chicken with flour and add to skillet
  4. Brown chicken only and remove from heat - it will continue to cook when added to the gumbo 

Prepare the Roux
To the hot cast-iron skillet add:

  1. 1 cup of canola oil (stands up to heat)
  2. Add sifted flour, bit by bit, and whisk in
  3. Cook flour in oil, stirring constantly for 30-50 minutes, look for chocolate/ebony color
  4. Add onion, green bell pepper, celery (the "Trinity") to the roux
  5. Add chicken broth

Add Chicken to the Roux

  1. Transfer roux and vegetables to stock pot
  2. Add chicken stock a little at a time
  3. Deglaze skillet with vermouth and add mixture to stock pot
  4. Continue to add chicken stock
  5. Add chicken
  6. Add remainder of chicken stock, cover and let come to a boil, about 30 minutes

Final Ingredients

  1. Add sausage, okra, chopped garlic, filé powder
  2. Stir well and cook for another 30 minutes to syrupy consistency
  3. Season to taste

Plate the Gumbo

Serve over white rice topped with chopped parsley and scallions

Comments (1)

  • Posted Monday, July 14, 2008, at 2:50 pm by Lynne:
    if you want to make gumbo the true authentic way, follow allen. he knows all. killer recipe!

Add a Comment / Rate this Video

You must be logged in to comment!