Every corner of the world seems to have its own kink of stew. From Louisiana we get gumbo.
As with other recipes every cook has a personal version. Mine is offered as seven versions.
But first the definition of gumbo: It starts with a dark roux, uses the “trinity” – onion, green pepper, and celery – and uses okra. I use unsalted chicken broth as the liquid and for seasoning garlic, thyme and Tony’s No Salt Seasoning. In addition there typically is a “protein”. Take a look at my ingredients.
Ingredients
- 6 Tsp flour
- 4 Tsp (half a stick) unsalted butter
- 2 Tsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper
- 2 stalks celery
- A package (12 oz) okra
- 2 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 2 Tsp garlic powder (fresh garlic would work well)
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp thyme powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Tony’s No Salt Seasoning
- 3 or 4 Chick-fil-A chicken strips (quite high in salt, half the meat from a rotisserie chicken is a alternate option)
- or 1 package (12 oz) Holmes sliced andouille sausage (medium salt, this is mild in seasoning)
- or 1 package (12 oz) shrimp. I like the Florida Pink Shrimp from Publix (the least amount of salt of the three options shown here)
This gives the three basic versions.
- Chicken gumbo
- Andouille sausage gumbo
- Shrimp gumbo
Next you can make three combo versions.
- Chicken and andouille sausage gumbo
- Andouille sausage and shrimp gumbo
- Shrimp and chicken gumbo
Finally, the super gumbo:
- Chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp gumbo.
There are the seven versions – one for every day of the week.
For gumbo I dice the vegetables fairly small. The okra is sliced thin.
With the veggies prepped we are ready to start the cooking.
First comes the roux. For gumbo a darker roux is desirable. This requires a good deal of time and patience. Start with the butter and oil and the heat set to low. Add the flour and stir continuously for 20 to 30 minutes. Yes, it is tiring, and you can buy ready roux mix at the grocery store to save this half hour.
At first the mixture will be light and color and bubble. After about ten minutes the bubbling will have stopped, and the color is still very light. Finally, after some twenty minutes the roux begins to get dark. I like to cook it to the color of milk chocolate. People say the darker the roux the better will be the gumbo.
Next add the trinity – the onion, pepper and celery. Cook for about ten minutes.
Add the chicken broth, the okra and the spices.
Turn the heat low and simmer for an hour or more, stirring occasionally. It is said that the gumbo gets better the longer it is cooked.
Traditionally gumbo is served over rice.
For the rice proceed as follows
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup rice, rinsed
Bring the water to a boil. Add the rice. Stir. Turn the heat down to very low. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 more minutes. The rice will be softer than most people like. We aim for easy to chew, easy to swallow dishes.
A nice baguette complements the gumbo well.
Enjoy!