New
Orleans Gumbo Recipes
Classic
Gumbos of New Orleans
You most certainly have often heard of,
that one should partake when visiting New
Orleans Mardi Gras.
Gumbo is
a spicy, hearty stew or soup, found typically
in the states on the Gulf of Mexico in the
United States, and very common in the southern
part of Louisiana. It is eaten year round,
but is usually found during the colder months.
This is due to the extended cooking time
required, as a large pot full Gumbo has
been called the greatest contribution of
Louisiana kitchens to American cuisine.
When the first French settlers came to Louisiana,
they brought their love for bouillabaisse,
a highly seasoned fish stew. Having none
of the usual ingredients necessary to make
a typical French bouillabaisse, they substituted
local ingredients.
Gumbo is
made in as many different ways as there
are parishes in Louisiana. Our gumbo is
dark and sultry. The andouille or smoked
sausage is the most important ingredient
in this dish.
After about a century,
with the Spanish, Africans, and Natives
of the region offering their contributions
of food, the stew was no longer recognizable
as bouillabaisse and became gumbo.
The dish
named gumbo usually consists of two components,
rice and broth, and is usually made in large
batches. Left-over broth is frozen for later
use. Rice is made fresh daily. The rice
is prepared separately from the broth, and
are mixed only in the serving bowl.
The gumbo
broth can contain seafood (typically crab
and shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico), fowl
(usually duck, quail, chicken), and other
meats, used as seasoning (smoked or fresh
sausage, tasso [Cajun smoked pork], andouille
[AHn-dOO-Ey] sausage [Cajun smoked sausage],
and other smoked or preserved meats). A
traditional lenten variety called gumbo
z'herbes (from the French gumbo aux herbes),
essentially a gumbo of smothered greens
thickened with roux, also exists.
The defining
characteristics of gumbo are the type of
stock used and the thickening agent used.
A second
characteristic, though not necessary, is
that the ingredients (base, roux, stock,
meat, etc.) are cooked separately, then
added together and allowed to simmer.
The stock
is always as rich as possible, made with
whatever complements the type of gumbo (seafood
stock for seafood gumbo, chicken stock for
chicken gumbo, etc.) This usually means
roasting bones with mirepoix in the oven
and then simmering in water for several
hours.
Common thickening
agents used are okra, filé powder
and roux. The classic recipes ask for okra
or filé powder. Roux may be added
to either, and nowadays it is quite common
for roux to be the sole thickening agent
itself. Okra is the most popular, especially
in restaurant kitchens. Mixing okra and
filé is considered a cardinal sin
in Louisianan cuisine, as filé was
originally an okra substitute when okra
was not in season.
How
To Make Real New Orleans Gumbo
Directions:
New
Orleans Okra Gumbo
4 bunches green onions, cleaned and chopped
2 fryers, boiled and deboned (reserve broth)
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 to 1 cup shortening or oil
3 (10 ounce) packages okra or about 2 pounds
fresh okra, cut up
3 cans stewed tomatoes
Gumbo file
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Melt shortening
in a cast iron Dutch oven. Add flour and
stir together over high heat until mixture
forms a thick, but stirrable paste. Brown
until mixture is a deep dark brown, almost
burning.
Add chicken
broth from boiled chickens and canned broth.
Let mixture come to a rolling boil; reduce
heat, then add deboned chicken, chopped
green onions and tomatoes.
In a skillet,
slowly fry okra in a little oil, until no
longer slimy, but not black. Add okra to
gumbo mixture in the Dutch oven. Bring to
a slow boil, stirring occasionally for about
20 minutes.
Turn off
heat. When mixture is no longer boiling,
sprinkle file over top and stir lightly.
Let stand about 15 minutes.
Serve over
rice.
Chicken
and Sausage Gumbo
1 pound hot smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch
slices
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/4 to 1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 quarts hot water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
Hot cooked rice
Gumbo filé (optional)
Brown sausage
in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove
to paper towels, leaving drippings in Dutch
oven. Brown chicken in drippings; remove
to paper towels, reserving drippings.
Measure drippings,
adding enough vegetable oil to measure 1/2
cup. Heat in Dutch oven over medium heat
until hot. Add flour to hot oil; cook, stirring
constantly, until roux is the color of chocolate
(about 30 minutes).
Add onion,
green pepper and celery; cook until vegetables
are tender, stirring often. Gradually stir
in water; bring to a boil. Return chicken
breasts to Dutch oven; add garlic and next
5 ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered,
1 hour.
Remove chicken;
let cool. Return sausage to Dutch oven;
cook gumbo, uncovered, 30 minutes. Stir
in scallions; cook, uncovered, an additional
30 minutes. Add salt, if desired. Bone chicken
breasts and cut into strips. Add to gumbo
and cook until thoroughly heated. Remove
bay leaves.
Serve gumbo
over rice. Sprinkle with gumbo file, if
desired.
New
Orleans Crawfish Gumbo
1 1/2 cups crawfish tails
2 tablespoons butter
Crawfish fat and water to make 3 1/2 pints
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon green onion tops
1 tablespoon gumbo file
Make a golden
roux. Take pot off heat. Add onion, garlic
and celery, stir and cook 4 minutes. Return
to heat. Add tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add fat,
water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce
heat and simmer and add salt and pepper.
Simmer for 40 minutes.
In another
skillet, fry in butter over low heat, green
onions and tails, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add
to gumbo. Put in file.
Creole
Gumbo
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (16 ounce) cut up tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces crab meat
3 tablespoons flour
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup sliced okra
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 cups water
1 pound cooked, cleaned shrimp
1 tablespoon file powder
Mix flour
and butter and brown flour. Stir in the
onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender,
but not brown.
Stir in tomatoes,
oregano, green pepper, okra, bay leaves,
thyme and Tabasco sauce. Add water and salt.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer
covered, for about 20 minutes.
Remove bay
leaves. Stir in shrimp and crab meat and
heat through. Remove from heat.
Blend moderate
amount of hot gumbo into the file powder.
Add to gumbo. Serve over rice.
New
Orleans Gumbo
2 tablespoons shortening
2 green onions, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fine parsley
1 quart cut-up okra
1/2 can tomato paste
1 tomato paste can of water
1 (18 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 pound crabmeat
1 pound shrimp
1 cup diced cooked ham
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1 jar oysters (optional)
In a 10-inch
frying pan melt the shortening. Add the
onions, celery and peppers. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add parsley and cook for 2 minutes. Add
okra, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Pour all
frying pan ingredients into a Dutch oven
and add tomato paste and water, stirring
frequently. Add 4 cups water and the tomatoes
and cook for 30 minutes.
Add all the
meats and cook for 20 to 25 minutes more,
stirring frequently. Serve over hot, cooked
rice.
Cowboy
Gumbo
1/4 cup butter, margarine or oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cups water
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (16 ounce) package fresh or frozen fish
1 pound okra, sliced
2 to 2 1/2 pounds peeled, de-veined shrimp,
crabmeat or crayfish
3 cups hot cooked rice
File powder (optional)
Combine flour
and fat in a heavy saucepot or dutch oven
and cook low heat stirring constantly 10
to 15 minutes or until the mixture is light
brown (roux). Add garlic, onion and peppers.
Cook until tender.
Stir in water,
undrained cut up tomatoes, paste and seasonings
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook
covered for 30 minutes.
Add okra
and seafood and return to boil. then reduce
heat to a simmer and cook another 10 to
15 minutes until heated through. Remove
bay leaf.
Serve with
rice and sprinkle with file powder.
Hoodoo
Gumbo
1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut into
serving pieces and floured
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 quart chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound okra
1 tablespoon flour, mixed with 1/4 cup water
Brown chicken
pieces in hot oil in stew pot. Add onions,
tomatoes, bouillon, salt and cayenne. Simmer
covered until chicken is tender.
Wash okra;
snip off ends and cut into rounds. Add okra
and simmer uncovered until tender. Thicken
with flour.
Variation
Substitute 2 pounds washed, shelled and
deveined shrimp or prawns for chicken
Sea
Food Gumbo
1/4 cup roux
2 large onions, chopped
3 cups okra, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts water
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
6 to 8 green onions, finely chopped
2 pounds shrimp
1 cup oysters
1 cup crab meat
crab claws
hot cooked rice
Add shrimp
to roux and cook for a few minutes. Set
aside. Cook okra and onions in hot oil.
Add tomatoes and garlic when okra is almost
done. Cook a few minutes longer, then add
water, salt and pepper.
Black-Eyed
Pea Gumbo
4 cups black-eyed peas
1/2 pound salt pork
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 pound okra, cut up
1 quart or 2 cans tomatoes
2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 pound popcorn shrimp *
3 tablespoons margarine
Salt and pepper to taste
Soak peas overnight.
Add salt
pork; start cooking. Sauté onions,
celery, bell pepper and garlic. Add to peas
with shrimp. Add both the regular canned
tomatoes and the Ro-Tel tomatoes and simmer
until done.
*Substitute
with your favorite meat, thinly sliced chicken,
round steak or hamburger meat.
Catfish
Gumbo
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, undrained and
chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried whole thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pounds farm-raised catfish fillets
1 (10 ounce) package frozen sliced okra,
thawed
Hot cooked rice
Sauté
green pepper, celery, onion and garlic in
hot oil in a Dutch oven until tender. Stir
in broth and next 6 ingredients; bring to
a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30
minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cut catfish
into 1-inch pieces; add to gumbo and simmer
10 minutes. Stir in okra; cook an additional
5 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
Serve over
rice.
Bayou
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery (optional)
1 pound andouille or smoked sausage (cut
crosswise into 1/2-inch slices)
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
6 to 7 cups water
2 pounds white/dark chicken meat
1 tablespoon file powder
Combine oil
and flour in large cast-iron or heavy-duty
pot over medium heat. Stir constantly while
browning. The roux will take approximately
25 minutes to cook. It will become dark
brown. If small chips develop, stop and
start over. Stir continuously and watch
the heat.
Add onions,
peppers and cook until they are translucent.
Add the sausage and the seasonings and bay
leaves. Continue cooking for 5 minutes,
stirring often.
Add the water.
Stir until all ingredients are well combined.
Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat
to simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour.
Season chicken
and add to pot and simmer for 2 hours. Add
filé powder. Skim any fat that rises
to the top.
Serve over
steamed rice and garnish with a little chopped
parsley.
Duck
Gumbo
4 large ducks, cut up
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups fresh okra, cut up
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 quarts water
Gumbo filé
Salt and pepper, to taste
Place ducks
in Dutch oven with water, celery salt, salt
and pepper and boil until tender. Remove
ducks and set aside.
Fry fresh
okra in oil about 10 minutes.
Make a roux
using the stick of butter and 4 tablespoons
flour, until the roux is chocolate brown.
Add cut-up ducks and 3 quarts of water.
Bring all to a boil and simmer 2 to 3 hours.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with
a little rice in soup bowls and garnish
with the filé and chopped scallions.
New
Orleans Restaurant Chicken Gumbo
1 chicken
4 links hot sausage
5 onions
5 to 6 ribs celery
1 bunch green onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/3 bunch fresh parsley
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 to 6 chicken bouillon cubes
8 quarts water
Boil the
chicken in the 8 quarts of water, remove,
cool and bone the chicken. Be sure to save
the broth. Cut sausage into rings and brown
either in the oven or in pot. Chop all the
veggies.
Now make
your roux (see below). When it gets to the
right color, immediately add celery and
onions and cook until wilted, stirring constantly.
Slowly add broth, stirring continuously.
When this is all together, add chicken,
sausage and other ingredients and cook for
about 3 hours over medium to low heat.
Serve over
hot rice topped with fresh green onions.
In Louisiana, they like to serve potato
salad as a side dish and, of course, hot-toasted
French bread.
Roux
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
Heat the
oil to hot, add flour, stirring constantly,
cook over medium heat until the color of
dark chocolate. You must stir it continuously.
Shrimp
and Oyster Gumbo
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 to 5 medium onions, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (16 ounce) cans tomatoes
4 cups fish or chicken stock
2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon seafood seasoning
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen okra
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 to 2 pints oysters, undrained
1 tablespoon gumbo file
Cooked rice
Heat oil
in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium
heat; add flour very slowly, stirring constantly
with a wooden spoon until flour is very
brown.
Add onion
and garlic; cook until onion is soft but
not brown.
Add tomatoes,
fish stock, shrimp and bay leaves; simmer
for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add seafood
seasonings; simmer for 45 minutes.
Add okra,
salt and pepper; continue to simmer for
5 minutes.
Add oysters
and simmer 10 minutes or until edges of
oysters curl. Just before serving, stir
in gumbo file.
Serve over
rice.
New
Orleans Voodoo Gumbo
2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups flour
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups chopped green onions
3 gallons water
1 pound fresh or frozen okra
1 (28 ounce) can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes or
2 (10 ounce) cans
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 ounces crab boil
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
8 dashes Louisiana hot sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 ounce Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic seasonings
1 ounce Cajun seasoning
1 ounce dried basil
1 ounce dried thyme
3 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp (70
to 90 count)
1 pound claw crab meat
2 whole crabs, cleaned and halved
1 pint fresh oysters
1 ounce file or to taste
First, you
make a roux. In large, heavy stock pot on
medium heat, add 2 cups vegetable oil and
bring to temperature. Add flour gradually.
It will sizzle when it is at the right temperature.
Using a whisk, stir roux constantly. Stir
until it reaches a peanut butter color.
When it reaches the desired color, add the
onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and
1 cup of green onions (in that order) until
all ingredients are cooked down or caramelized.
Next, add
water, okra, Ro-Tel tomatoes, seasonings
and bring to boil. After it reaches boiling,
reduce heat to low and let simmer for at
least an hour. Add seafood and continue
to cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20
minutes.
Taste for
seasoning and texture. Add file to thicken.
Stir in the remaining green onions and simmer
for a few more minutes. Serve as a soup
with a little steamed rice. Makes about
8 to 10 gallons of gumbo. Can cut recipe
in half to reduce.
Rabbit
Gumbo
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 dressed rabbit (about 3 pounds), cut into
pieces
1/2 pound smoked sausage, halved and cut
into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sliced okra
Hot cooked rice
In a Dutch
oven, sauté onion and green pepper
in oil until tender. Add rabbit and enough
water to cover. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2
to 2 hours or until meat is very tender.
Add sausage,
salt, thyme, pepper and cayenne. Simmer,
uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove
rabbit; cool.
Debone and
cut rabbit into bite-size pieces; return
to pan. Stir in okra; bring to a boil. Serve
in bowls over rice.
Yields 4
to 6 servings.
Ham
Gumbo
2 cups cooked ham, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 (10 ounce) package sliced okra
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup uncooked rice
Combine all
ingredients except rice in a large, cast
iron skillet; bring to a boil. Cover and
simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in rice
and simmer tightly covered, 20 minutes longer,
or until rice is tender.
Shrimp
and Okra Gumbo
1 pound okra
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter
2 large onions
2 green bell peppers
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (1 pound 12 ounce) can tomatoes
2 (13 3/4 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon leaf thyme, crunched
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound shrimp (or more)
Hot, cooked rice
Gumbo file, as desired
Heat oil
and butter in heavy saucepan over medium
heat. Sauté okra, onions and green
peppers for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with
flour. Stir until flour becomes golden brown.
Add remaining
ingredients, except shrimp, rice and gumbo
file. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Add shrimp.
Cook 5 minutes longer. Season with gumbo
file.
Serve over
rice.
Mojo's
Gumbo
Source: Mojo & the Bayou Gypsies
1 (4- to
6-pound chicken
1 to 2 pounds smoked sausage (hotter the
better)
1 or 2 smoked turkey legs or wings
1/8 pound tasso (optional)
1 big onion, sliced or chopped
1 green bell pepper (optional)
1/2 cup green onion tops (bottoms ok, too)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 1/2 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pickled cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon pepper vinegar (optional)
1 to 3 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
1 cup Roux
Boil the
water, then slowly add and dissolve the
Roux (take your time to make sure it dissolves).
Add remaining ingredients. Boil slowly with
pot cover open slightly for 2 hours. Taste
and season during the last hour of boiling.
You may add 1 pound sliced okra during last
30 minutes (optional).
Serve over
fresh rice in a big bowl. Serves about 15
to 20 average people, or 4 to 5 Cajuns,
Creoles or musicians.
Roux
1/4 cup oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
Heat oil
in cast iron skillet over medium flame.
Slowly add flour, stirring constantly. Brown
flour slowly (allow 20 minutes) until the
color of caramel. Scoop all into a jar or
cup.
Ninth
Ward Gumbo
1 1/2 cups crab meat
2 pounds shrimp, in shells
3 quarts water
2 bay leaves
2 slices lemon
2 slices onion
Salt
Red and black pepper
Parsley
2 pounds okra, sliced
6 tablespoons bacon grease, divided
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
2 red pepper pods, finely chopped
4 tablespoons brown roux
Reserved shrimp stock
Salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, to taste
Hot boiled rice
In a large
Dutch oven boil the water with bay leaves,
lemon, the 2 slices of onion, and judicious
amounts of salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley.
Wash shrimp and add to pot; boil for 2 minutes.
Peel shrimp and return shells to the stock
for later use. Set shrimp and crab meat
aside.
Sauté
okra slices in 3 tablespoons bacon grease
in large cast iron skillet. The okra will
turn darker and lose some of its stickiness
as it cooks. When soft, transfer to a stew
pot and add tomatoes. Stir and mix together
well. Clean skillet and heat 3 tablespoons
bacon grease in it. Sauté the finely
chopped onion, green pepper, and red pepper
pods. When soft, add these ingredients to
the stew pot.
In a saucepan,
warm the roux; strain and stir in 2 cups
of the shrimp stock. When well-blended,
add to the large stew pot with the other
ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer
for 2 hours, adding more strained stock
if needed for consistency. Adjust seasonings
with the salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley.
When it has simmered for at least 3 to 4
hours and the flavors have begun to blend,
add the shrimp and crab meat and cook for
15 more minutes.
Serve with
fresh boiled rice in soup bowls.
Green
Gumbo
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
4 cups coarsely chopped spinach leaves
4 cups coarsely chopped mustard greens
3 cups shredded green cabbage
2 cups coarsely chopped watercress
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
4 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
8 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 celery stalks, chopped fine
2 green bell peppers, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
12 cup cooked rice
Bottled pepper sauce
In 8-quart
saucepan, combine kale, spinach, mustard
greens, cabbage, watercress, parsley, onions,
bay leaves, and water. Bring to boil, reduce
heat, and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.
While greens
are simmering, heat 2 tablespoons olive
oil to medium heat. Add celery, green pepper
and garlic. Sauté over medium heat
for 10 minutes. Add to saucepan. Add hot
pepper sauce and spices, then simmer all
for 40 minutes.
Remove bay
leaves. Remove 2 cups of vegetables and
set aside.
In blender
or food processor, purée remaining
vegetables (in batches) and return to saucepan.
Sauté
optional mushrooms in optional olive oil
10 minutes. Add to saucepan.
In skillet,
brown flour to light golden rue. Gradually
stir in 2 cups reserved vegetables, stirring
constantly until mixture thickens. Return
mixture to saucepan and bring all to boiling.
To serve,
mound 1 cup rice per serving in center of
bowl. Carefully surround with gumbo, then
serve.
Place bottled
pepper sauce and remaining rice on table
to be added as desired.
Roux
A roux begins by mixing oil and flour in
a pot. The roux is always made from oil
or sometimes lard, not butter, since a much
darker color can be achieved with the high
flashpoint of oil (butter based roux is
typically very light colored). This mixture
is stirred constantly until the desired
color is reached. That color can range from
a light yellow-brown, to very nearly black.
The exact color of roux for a perfect gumbo
is a point of contention. If roux is the
sole thickening agent, it should be almost
black, but not burnt. If okra is used, a
lighter color may be desired, as the flavor
of a dark roux is quite overpowering. Every
family has its own taste. A roux based gumbo
will also use "the trinity" of
onion, celery, and bell pepper — sometimes
cooked in the hot roux itself before added
to the stock. The roux based gumbo will
use nearly any type of fowl, shellfish,
or processed meat.
Filé
Filé consists of dried and ground
sassafras leaves, generally made into filé
powder, and may be sprinkled (very sparingly)
over the rice and gumbo by the individual
in the serving bowl, never in the pot. Originally
filé was used as a substitute thickening
agent when okra was not in season, a practice
borrowed from the Choctaw Indians. Its use
as such is not particularly common anymore.
Instead, filé may be added to a roux-based
gumbo at the table. Not all present-day
recipes for filé use sassafras leaves,
for health reasons: see the filé
powder article for details.
