October 12 , 2023 To day is National Gumbo Day - Post Your Favorite Gumbo Recipe

[gwpercle]

Got a treasured Gumbo Recipe , one handed down from your Momma or your Maw-Maw . Lets see em ... I need some new / old recipes !

Gary

[HWooldridge]

This isn't a particular recipe but some of my basic techniques to make my gumbo come out the way it does, which most folks think is pretty good. For the record, I got most of this info from an old man I used to hunt ducks with, who was from Lake Charles.

- I make my roux ahead of time, using butter and flour. I can focus on the level of browning and not worry about anything else. After finishing, I chill the roux enough to solidify then break it up and freeze in a ziploc. I tend to make 3 colors of roux: a light cream color (I stop the cooking once the moisture is boiled away), plus a peanut butter hue, and chocolate colored. The lightest color is used with white seafoods and shellfish, the peanut butter with red fleshed or strong tasting fish, and the dark roux is used with duck.
- I put most of the veggies through a food processor. Exception is okra - it gets cut up into chunks.
- I start the gumbo by boiling the seasonings, okra, veggies and bay leaves in chicken stock for at least 4 hours - then I run that soup through a blender (after removing the bay leaves). The stock is returned to the pot and brought back to a simmer.
- The frozen roux is added, along with file powder and all is allowed to thicken.
- The meat or seafood is added last and allowed to cook until done. Shrimp take the shortest time; duck is the longest - usually at least two to three more hours.

The guy I learned from would cook his gumbo (which was usually duck) for at least 12 hours total - then serve over plain white rice with Tabasco on the side.

[SciFiJim]

Gumbo has a recipe? Other than a roux and the trinity, (onions, celery, bell pepper) it's pretty much whatever you have on hand, plus spices that you like.
Gumbo was a dish for poor people that could turn a few veggies (trinity) and any protein available into a filling and nutritious meal. Served over rice, a pot could feed a large family.

I had never heard of HWooldridge's method of running it through a blender before, but sounds workable to me. I like discernable pieces in my gumbo, so I wouldn't, but I can see it working for others.

The thing that my Momma taught me about gumbo is to prep all of your ingredients before you start your roux and then give the roux your undivided attention because it goes from just right to burnt in seconds.

[BLAHUT]

Gumbo has a recipe? Other than a roux and the trinity, (onions, celery, bell pepper) it's pretty much whatever you have on hand, plus spices that you like.
Gumbo was a dish for poor people that could turn a few veggies (trinity) and any protein available into a filling and nutritious meal. Served over rice, a pot could feed a large family.

I had never heard of HWooldridge's method of running it through a blender before, but sounds workable to me. I like discernable pieces in my gumbo, so I wouldn't, but I can see it working for others.

The thing that my Momma taught me about gumbo is to prep all of your ingredients before you start your roux and then give the roux your undivided attention because it goes from just right to burnt in seconds.

Up north it is just called stew; some call it lumberjack stew, big chunks of meat and veges; seams all about the same, less the okra; veges, meat, rue, by itself or over rice, or toast....

[Wag]

All of the above. There are a gazillion recipes because, well, there are a gazillion ingredients. Make it how you like it and use the spices you want. If you use cajun or creole spices, it's Gumbo!

--Wag--

[gwpercle]

Gumbo brings back a lot of memories for me ... mainly Big Family gatherings , lots of Love and Ladies hugging you (distant Aunts you were kin to but wasn't quite sure who's momma's they were) I had so many couisins I lost track of who their Mom (my Aunt) and Dad (my Uncle) were sometimes .

The good thing about a big pot of Gumbo is it can easily feed a crowd .
For a big pot we would use a large Crawfish Boiling pot and the gas jet burner for heat , easy to make 20 gallons of gumbo , that will feed a crowd !

The recipe I'm going to post is one of my favorites , but sized for cooking on top the stove and feeding 8 to 10 people .

Smoked Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

1 lb Andouille Sausage - the large diameter Andouille , not the stuff that they call andouille but looks like regular sausage . Slice it 1/2 inch thick then cut the rounds into halves then quarters ...bite sized pieces ,

2 Smoked Ducks - 2-3 lbs. each , debone and cut into bite sized pieces . Save duck fat to render out 1/2 cup total .
If you are smoking your own ducks , go ahead and use an extra duck or two ,
extra smoked duck meat never hurt a gumbo .

1/2 cup Flour, use with 1/2 cup rendered duck fat for your roux

1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper , chopped
2 Tablespoons Parsley , finely minced
2 cups Onion , chopped
1 Tablespoon Garlic , chopped fine
2 quarts cold Chicken Stock (made with bones)
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons Thyme
3 crushed Sweet Bay leaves (crush but leave intact for removal)
3 Tablespoons File' (you say it ...fee-lay powder... secrete Cajun Gumbo ingredient)
Hank Williams Sr. wrote a song about Jambalaya & Fee-Lay Gumbo ! Good Stuff !

In a large heavy bottomed pot , brown all the andouille sausage .
Remove the andouille and add the smoked duck and brown in excess fat .
Remove the duck . Make a Roux by adding flour to the excess fat left in pot from duck and andouille , there should be about 1/2 cup of fat , add more if needed .
Stir roux constantly until a medium brown roux is formed .
Now - add back to pot ... Andouille , Duck , Onion , Green Bell Pepper , Parsley and Garlic ... cook 10 minutes , while stirring . Add 1/4 cup cold water (to deglaze the pan) and add all seasonings, except File' .
Mix throughly , scraping the bottom clean and gradually add cold Chicken Stock , stirring constantly . Bring to a rolling boil , reduce heat to a slow simmer for two hours covered , stir often while cooking . Remove from heat and remove bay leaves , then stir in File' (fee-lay) powder , stir well and let stand 15 mins. and skim off any excess oil/fat that may rise to the surface .

Gumbo is better the next day and it freezes well !

The smoked Duck Fat used in making the Roux gives this gumbo a deep level of fantastic flavor and does the Andouille Sausage .
Serve with a scoop of your favorite Potato Salad in the bowl instead of rice for a real Cajun twist on this dish .

Other wise serve over white rice with French bread.
Gary

[DougGuy]

Just reading this thread invokes the sensory memory of the smell and taste of roux. That nearly burnt flavor that permeates anything you use it in, gumbo, etouffee, it carries the underside of all the other flavors.

Used to be I wouldn't even start on a pot of seafood gumbo if I didn't have $100 worth of seafood to put in it. 7 kinds of shellfish and 2 kinds of white fish, and my favorite part about it is even after freezing and re-heating you could still distinguish each of the shellfish flavors amidst the roux and all the other flavors going on.