Tryin gumbo from scratch

[Wolfdog91]

Got sick of the box store stuff and so far reckon it's coming along mighty fine !

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[Wolfdog91]

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[Parson]

I’m not much of a judge of food, can generally take it or leave it, but that looks very tempting.

[farmbif]

where's the like button?

[Mk42gunner]

Just about anything homemade is better than the boxed stuff from the store especially chili, gumbo, soups and stews.

Although I do like Zataran's Red Beans and Rice, suitably doctored of course.

Your gumbo looks good, where's the taste-o-vision?

Robert

[Wolfdog91]

Yep I ain't goin back ! Wish I had a chicken in the budget but this is fine eatin too !
287090

[358429]

Wooweee! That looks like a good food you cooking over there!

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[Stewbaby]

Looks great...can almost smell it. Always great to do it yourself!

Gumbo and jambalaya are two of my favorite things to fix and they’re not hard to make from scratch. Comfort food at its finest. No pictures handy of the gumbo but here some jambalaya (chicken, sausage, shrimp):

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210805/6d1ebf49b9028821187f865431169e3c.jpg

[ryanmattes]

Oh, man, that's a nice dark roux. I'm jealous.

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[brewer12345]

Heh, I tend to make gumbo out of whatever didn't run away fast enough. Planning a gumbo with jackrabbit and muskrat later this week.

[Walks]

I have to make Gumbo from scratch.
I'm allergic to bell pepper.
Found that out at 8yrs old. Ate dinner at a friend's home. Stuffed bell peppers sent me to the hospital within 15 minutes.

Considering that idiots put bell pepper in just about everything these days, I don't eat out much anymore.

[Thundarstick]

I thought gumbo had lots of okra and tomatoes?

[high standard 40]

I thought gumbo had lots of okra and tomatoes?


Never....ever...put tomatoes in gumbo. Okra is a standard though.

[Gator 45/70]

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Use a rotisserie chicken, Debone a chicken, Cut it up and add it to the mix, I pass on okra me, Hate the stuff, Tomatoes in gumbo...Don't be that guy !!!

[bedbugbilly]

I had to laugh as when I went to look at this thread, it was right above Wolfdog91's thread entitled - "Anyone like Raccoons?"

Sorry . . . . I don't think I have ever eaten Gumbo . . . . and it just got me to wondering . . . . :-)

[high standard 40]

Use a rotisserie chicken, Debone a chicken, Cut it up and add it to the mix, I pass on okra me, Hate the stuff, Tomatoes in gumbo...Don't be that guy !!!

Yeah Gator, actually I don't use okra either, but not because I don't like it. I'm allergic to it. Okra is actually the original ingredient in gumbo as a thickener.

[DougGuy]

The Indians taught the French settlers how to use sasafrass (sp?) as a thickener, we know it as gumbo file. There are certain flavors that define gumbo, and as Gator said, it's often what you leave out that matters. For me, a dark roux made in a well used cast iron skillet is the bedrock all of the other flavors rest on top of that, it is underlying, always there on the tongue, and I do like file and also okra. To me, the mark of a successful gumbo, besides the general silence once it is served, is to be able to pick out individual flavors like shrimp, oyster, crab, mussel, crawfish, even after it is frozen and reheated. That, is good gumbo!

[gwpercle]

where's the like button?

LIKE LIKE LIKE !!! Had to give it 3 likes ... Looking Good ! Well Done Wolfdog !

this is how I do a like ... all these computer whiz kids and updates and no one can come up with a stinking like button , They can probably get a like button put on their PID's and loading press but can't do a like button on the forum .
My "Like" is kinda Wonky ... but it's all I got .

Gary

[358429]

I had to laugh as when I went to look at this thread, it was right above Wolfdog91's thread entitled - "Anyone like Raccoons?"

Sorry . . . . I don't think I have ever eaten Gumbo . . . . and it just got me to wondering . . . . :-)I was wondering where is the secret ingredient[emoji3]

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[gwpercle]

Yep I ain't goin back ! Wish I had a chicken in the budget but this is fine eatin too !
287090

Coon makes a good gumbo ... just saying !

[cainttype]

Some Creole gumbos have tomatoes, even corn, etc… Some even look kinda like vegetable soup with assorted meats or seafood.
I’m in deep SW Louisiana, and no Cajun (“Coonass”, here) would think that tomato was normal. The light-to-medium rouxs common in Creole dishes would be frowned upon, too.
Cajun gumbo is dark roux with meats, mostly (Sausage, chicken, shrimp, crab, and oysters being common additions). Chopped onion, bell-pepper, and celery (The Trilogy) are standard and flavored with garlic, file’, bay leaves, salt/pepper (red & black) to suit the cook.
It’s not uncommon to see beer accompanying gumbo, in or out of doors, during both cooking and eating….

[ryanmattes]

A few years ago I took my then-fiance to New Orleans, because she hadn't been. We avoided the busy season and rented a place down in the quarter, and she scheduled a bunch of walking tours.

I've been going to New Orleans on a regular basis since I was underage. I was a musician for 30 years, which is what brought me there first, and I have friends there. So I never took any tours before. I know the city pretty well, know where the best food and music is, etc, so I never even thought to take a tour.

So we did a cemetery tour, which was interesting, and a swamp tour, which was kind of fun, but the absolute best was the culinary tour. Basically, a woman walked us around to all the oldest and best restaurants in the quarter, we got to go into the kitchen, and she gave us a history lesson about how the food developed over time, and some of the food to try. This part is french, this part is Spanish, this part is Afro-Cuban, etc. The Trinity in french cooking is mirepoix: onions, carrots, and celery. But you can't grow carrots in a swamp, so the french settlers substituted bell peppers. When the Spanish owned the city they couldn't make paella, so they substituted local ingredients and you get jambalaya. She also told us the history of the restaurants, and the families who started them. It was a fantastic tour, I highly recommend it.

Anyway, there was a family in our tour group that was from Lake Charles, visiting NO. They took us to Antoine's and explained about the different kinds of roux, and then gave us some proper creole gumbo to try. It had a blonde roux. From the back of the room, I heard one of that family's kids say "Momma? This ain't gumbo!"

It was pretty funny. Antoine's is famous, continuously operating since something like 1840, and is world-renowned for being the template for Louisiana food. To be perfectly honest, though, I'd probably like momma's gumbo better than the one at Antoine's, regardless of how famous it is.

But I do recommend the cuisine tour, if you have the chance and can stand the walking.

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[gwpercle]

Think of it like this , Creole Cooking is Big City cooking more fancy and refined than Cajun ...Cajun Cooking is like country cooking .
Creole Gumbo will usually be made with a lighter roux and it's normal to have fresh seafood and tomatoes , along with okra . New Orleans has the French Market and lots of fresh seafood .

The Cajun Gumbo usually has a dark roux and features smoked sausage , chicken and or anything that flies or any wild game ... county folks will survive . They don't usually have access to fresh seafood and might use dried shrimp or boiled eggs .
With the Cajuns ...okra and tomato are optional , depend on what the cook likes and whats growing in the garden .
Personally I like all Gumbo , fix it with whatever I have in freezer or garden , I like okra and tomatoes and use them when the mood strikes me .
I consider it ...not so much a fixed , set in stone , recipe that must be followed ....but a way to cook whatever you have on hand , in season or easy to get and with a little rice and bread have a great meal . One thing I do enjoy with my Gumbo is ... Potato Salad ! Sounds weird but it's good ... I think this is more a Cajun thing , like boiled eggs , to make a hearty meal !

Jeeze ... now I'm going to have make some gumbo and get some potato salad !
Gary

[Gator 45/70]

Think of it like this , Creole Cooking is Big City cooking more fancy and refined than Cajun ...Cajun Cooking is like country cooking .
Creole Gumbo will usually be made with a lighter roux and it's normal to have fresh seafood and tomatoes , along with okra . New Orleans has the French Market and lots of fresh seafood .

The Cajun Gumbo usually has a dark roux and features smoked sausage , chicken and or anything that flies or any wild game ... county folks will survive . They don't usually have access to fresh seafood and might use dried shrimp or boiled eggs .
With the Cajuns ...okra and tomato are optional , depend on what the cook likes and whats growing in the garden .
Personally I like all Gumbo , fix it with whatever I have in freezer or garden , I like okra and tomatoes and use them when the mood strikes me .
I consider it ...not so much a fixed , set in stone , recipe that must be followed ....but a way to cook whatever you have on hand , in season or easy to get and with a little rice and bread have a great meal . One thing I do enjoy with my Gumbo is ... Potato Salad ! Sounds weird but it's good ... I think this is more a Cajun thing , like boiled eggs , to make a hearty meal !

Jeeze ... now I'm going to have make some gumbo and get some potato salad !
Gary

Only if you use the potatoes left over from the shrimp boil...lol

[GhostHawk]

gwpercle nailed it IMO. My granda's gumbo (NO bred, born and raised) had tomatoes.

I make at least one batch a year in honor of her. I like to use as wide of assortment of seafood in there as I can.
Okra is a must, I can take or leave the bell pepper. The real key to getting the taste right since Fila is no longer to be found. (Sassafras is a carcinogen) is lots of Oregano.

I have used chicken but prefer anything off the list I can find.

A Mussels
B Shrimp
C Crab
D Artificial crab
E Oysters
F Bay Scallops

I like to buy the Aldi's deveined frozen uncooked jumbo shrimp at 6-8$ a 12 oz bag, boil for 3 min, peel, then cut into 3 or 4 nice bite sized pieces.
Makes it stretch farther. And those bite size nuggets are toothsome to chew.

Each addition adds its own flavor. I cut the artificial crab chunks up into thin slices. You get these little red and white slices of goodness floating throughout.

I don't cook my Roue as dark as I used to. My stomach and my wife both complain less if I settle for milk chocolate color.

[abunaitoo]

Before gout, I used to really like gumbo.
The one with shrimp, oysters, sausage, and whatever else the cook wants to add to it.

[cainttype]

…The real key to getting the taste right since Fila is no longer to be found. (Sassafras is a carcinogen) is lots of Oregano.



Zatarains still makes and sells File’… You can order it from Amazon or Walmart if you don’t see it locally.

[high standard 40]

Before gout, I used to really like gumbo.
The one with shrimp, oysters, sausage, and whatever else the cook wants to add to it.

File' is made from sassafras leaves. The roots and bark of sassafras is where the concentration of safrole is, which is the carcinogen. I'm not really sure about the leaves, but you can still buy File'.

[cainttype]

“File’ powder”, as per Wiki…
“Safrole and sassafras oil have been banned by the FDA as a carcinogen since 1960 and cannot be used in food manufacture for this reason. According to a study published in 1997, sassafras leaves (from which filé is produced), do not contain detectable amounts of safrole.“

[waksupi]

I like cajun food, but many of the ingredients aren't available here locally. My Justin Wilson cookbooks are doing me no good. They need a new home!

[cainttype]

I like cajun food, but many of the ingredients aren't available here locally. My Justin Wilson cookbooks are doing me no good. They need a new home!

You can send them here, it’ll be like a home-coming! Lol

[ryanmattes]

I like cajun food, but many of the ingredients aren't available here locally. My Justin Wilson cookbooks are doing me no good. They need a new home!Onions, bell peppers, and celery shouldn't be a problem. Flour, oil, butter, and rice should be easy to get. Tony Chachere's you can order online, and file too if you need it. Most of the rest of the ingredients in almost all Cajun cooking is "whatever meat I can catch." Duck and sausage gumbo is awesome, and I'll bet boar would be great too. I know they use nutria and other small game too. You can put etouffee on any white meat or seafood (frozen shrimp, chicken, or pork works). It's almost all base sauces with rice and either seafood or game.

The whole concept behind Cajun cooking was taking whatever was available and making it good.

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[Wolfdog91]

Don't need much. This is the video I used

https://youtu.be/FqUOBaSVHZE

[cainttype]

There was a time most Cajun men learned to cook outdoors, in the field… Those times are changing.
It’s why some dishes are one-pot recipes, having often evolved around campfires… Gumbo and Jambalaya, for instance. A second rice pot goes with E’toufees, Court Bouillons, Sauce Picante, and meats and gravies… Pretty much covering most camp-outs as well, or better, than many eat at home.
Simple preparation and fresh ingredients for great food without great fuss.

[Gator 45/70]

Don't need much. This is the video I used

https://youtu.be/FqUOBaSVHZE

Throw in a half dozen boiled eggs in that gumbo.

[gwpercle]

Zatarains still makes and sells File’… You can order it from Amazon or Walmart if you don’t see it locally.

Not only Zataran's ... but also Bolner Fiesta brand , Monterey Bay bran , Burma Spice Co. , Tony Chachere's brand , Savory Spice Co. , Louisiana Fish Fry Products brand , and if you live in the Baton Rouge / New Orleans area ... Uncle Bill's Hand Made Creole File', he a real Creole with Choctaw Indian roots and you can watch him make it by hand with a large wooden mortar and pestle , pounding the leaves to a fine powder , then screen and bottle the jars for sale ... He used to sell his File' at The French Market in New Orleans , BR Farmers Market and Fairs and Festivals ...
I haven't seen him since the ...you know . My last little jar has www.unclebillspices.com
hand made by Lionel Key jr since 1904 . I think Uncle Bill was his granfather .
I tried to reach his web site but my computer is acting weird ... I can't get there from here...
I hope Mr Lionel is Okay ... he was a very nice man and I think his File' is the best .
If File' causes cancer ... I ain't going to worry about it ... something's going to get you so I'm going out well fed !
Gary

[David2011]

Some of the best gumbo I ever had was while I was seeing a woman from Cocodrie. If you aren't familiar with Louisiana, that's as far as you can go by road into the delta. There's no telling what I ate in it but it was tasty. Pretty sure it had nutria in it.

[458mag]

Yep I ain't goin back ! Wish I had a chicken in the budget but this is fine eatin too !
287090

Dat gumbo need sum okra in it or it aint gumbo it a cajun stew. No seriously. Where okra came from was an area in africa and their word for it in their language is GUMBO. The dish was brought over to America by slavers of course along with other forms and types of creole cooking.