Gumbo

We've had a cold wet Spring here.  We even had snowflakes in the air this morning.  So a hearty, spicy meal like gumbo would hit the spot.

So I asked our neighbor, Annie, for her recipe for gumbo because we really enjoyed it when she served it to us a few years ago. I was surprised to see it was a Paula Deen recipe.  Paula is Southern, but she's not Cajun.

Nevertheless I decided to go with it. It called for chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp and frozen okra.

Shopping during the pandemic can be challenging, as we all know.

I grabbed the andouille sausage when I spotted the D'Artagnan brand in the meat department.  It is really good, and much better than any other brand I have tried before. 

Had to buy chicken thighs because the breasts were all gone.   The shrimp we had in the freezer.

But frozen okra? Hunted through all of the frozen vegetables shelves looking for the elusive frozen okra.  Finally, I found an empty slot with a label for it.  Every week when I'd shop I'd look for it but it must not be an essential veggie, or someone is hoarding it.

I was ready to give up on gumbo, when I happened to see fresh okra in the produce department.

Now I could finally make it!  So, time to do some research.

I have made jambalaya and other Cajun inspired dishes over the years, but never gumbo.

So, I looked for my Emeril Lagasse cookbook, but I must have given it away when I edited out the Food TV chefs like him and and other marketeers.  Sorry Emeril,  I was once a fan.

Luckily, I have a Cajun friend, Wal'Dean, who was born in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, and her family goes way, way back to the Acadian French who emigrated there from Canada, so I texted her to ask her how she makes hers.

The main thing she said was that the roux should be the color of a Hershey chocolate bar, which was very helpful advice.  That's what I was most concerned about --- how dark should the roux be --- I have seen a range from lighter blonde versions and to almost black versions that look burnt.

Also, she reassured me that there isn't only one way to make gumbo.  It is up to the cook.

Wal'Dean says that she makes hers with chicken and shrimp, the trinity (onion, pepper, celery) and stewed tomatoes.  Only adds andouille when her sons visit because they like it.  And doesn't use okra very often due to the seeds bothering her stomach.  She said okra is often used with just shrimp in a lighter roux for Lent. 

I also asked if I should use the Tony Chachere's seasoning I had purchased in Texas when I last visited her.  (She had made me Crawfish Etoufee, and Tony Chachere's is what she uses in her cooking.)

So, I decided to go ahead with the Paula Deen recipe as my starting point  --- but adapt it.   The first change would be the beef stock.  That did not make sense to me.  I used chicken stock instead.

I kept the Worcestershire sauce in which probably isn't traditional either, but I have to say it made a very interesting background flavoring to the sauce,  along with my Hershey-colored roux.

Had to watch an Okra 101 youtube video from Clean & Delicious to learn about fresh okra and to see how to prep it.  (The host of this channel, Dani Spies, does a very good job.  And has good recipes.)

Now is when I have to admit that I hated okra as a child.  And have avoided it as an adult. My mother would make it with stewed tomatoes because she loved it but I thought it was slimy and disgusting.  

I did some research about how to avoid this texture, and learned that the longer okra cooks, the more the gelatinous seeds will break down and thicken the gumbo.  I decided to put my okra in at the beginning, and let it cook for the full 1 hour 45 minutes, unlike many recipes that add it just at the end with the shrimp.

This isn't hard to make, but it takes a long time, and you have to be at the stove, stirring the roux, so it isn't a "dump and run" dish.  But the flavors you will get will be worth it.

When I texted Wal'Dean some photos, she said looked it looked great:   "I usually make if for a crowd and send it home with my kids.  Try freezing. I don't put everything you did in mine but it should freeze well.  Proud of you."

And thanks to Annie for her recipe.  Annie says cornbread also goes well with this gumbo.

---Barbara


Gumbo
(adapted from a Paula Deen recipe)

Serves 8

2 T. olive oil
1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, patted dry
12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced 1/4" crosswise
6 T. butter, cut into 4 T. and 2 T. pieces
1/2 cup Wondra flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, orange or red, chopped
3 stalks of celery, cut into crescents
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
4 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
1/4 cup fresh chopped chervil (or parsley) plus 1 T. dried
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. cajun seasoning
2 cups fresh okra, tops trimmed, cut into wheels
16 large raw shrimp, defrosted, cleaned and tails removed
salt and pepper
grated lemon rind, for garnish
hot sauce to serve at the table

In a large pot with a tight fitting lid, heat the oil to medium-high, add the chicken and brown on both sides, and remove.  Add the sliced andouille sausage, brown, and remove with a slotted spoon.

Lower the heat, melt 4 T. of the butter, then sprinkle the flour over the foaming butter and start stirring....for 10 minutes...until the roux is the color of a Hershey chocolate bar.

Turn off the heat and let the roux cool.

Preparing the Trinity

Get everything ready:  Chop the onions, peppers and celery.  Smash the garlic.  Measure out 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce.

Open the can of stewed tomatoes, measure out 4 cups of chicken stock, have the chervil chopped and the dry ready to go, plus the bay leaf.  Chop the okra.

Turn the heat on medium to low, melt the remaining 2 T. of butter, then add the garlic, onion, pepper, celery and a pinch of salt.  Stir and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables soften.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes to coat all the veggies.

Using a whisk, start stirring and adding the chicken stock in a stream, to create a smooth sauce.  Scrape up as much of the brown bits as you can from the bottom of the pot as you whisk.

Add chicken thighs, sausage and bring to a boil.

Then turn down the heat to a simmer, add the okra,

 and stewed tomatoes.

Add the spices and bay leaf.

Cook, covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes on low heat, just a simmer.

5 minutes before serving, add the shrimp and cook until it turns pink.

Serve over basmati rice in a deep bowl or plate.

Grate lemon rind over the top.  (My addition. It is cuts the heaviness of the dish.)

Offer hot sauce at the table.

B