Wanted: your best Gumbo recipe

[Tofer]

I have had the hankering for some good southern style gumbo..... post up your momma recipe if you have it....

[bamachem]

oh damn.

you'll need a gallon-sized pot for this.

first, good dark-brown roux.

1/4-cup oil on med to med-high heat. get it good and hot first. add flour a little at a time, about 1 cup or so total, and stir it constantly. if you have a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven, then use it because it will brown faster. stir it constantly - yes, i am repeating myself - until the flour turns a milk-chocolate brown color. cut the heat to the pan and then add about 1-1.5 cups of warm water, slowly, stirring it in as you pour. get the roux cooled down, stirring constantly until you're sure that it's not going to scorch and set it aside.


now brown some sausage (1-pound, cut in thin circles) and either (2lbs, pre-cooked and shredded) chicken or shrimp/crab (2lbs total, peeled and cooked) (or duck, etc, you get the point) in a big pot with about a tablespoon or so of canola or corn oil added. once the meat is lightly browned/cooked, add one whole head of fresh pressed garlic. yes, a HEAD, not a clove. then add about 3-cups of cut celery, two cups of chopped green bell pepper, two cups of VIDALIA onion - the TRINITY. add about 4-5 tablespoons of good olive oil (canola will work if that's all you have) and cook those w/ the meat for about 5-7 minutes. i also will cut up about 4-5 stalks of green onion and coarsely chop that and add it to the pot after the trinity has cooked a bit. then add about a quart or so of water. bring that to a simmer, then add a little italian seasioning (basil, parsley & oregano), some creole seasoning (generous here), and a dash or two of worchestershire. if you need to add water, do so now, but be careful, you don't want it runny. if it's runny, then you need more roux. it's ok to add another batch later if you need to.

i also like to add about one teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning, some fresh-ground black pepper, about a half-teaspoon of celery salt, and a half-dozen dashes of LOUISIANA or TEXAS PETE hot sauce at this point - NOT tabasco, YUK. add the roux to this mixture and simmer on med-low heat for at least an hour. check it every 10-15 minutes and stir it. you don't want it to cook too fast. from there, turn it down to low heat and cook it at least two or three hours to get all the flavors married together. about one hour before you're ready to eat, add some frozen chopped okra to the pot and put the lid back on. now it's time to cook your rice and let it sit a little so that it's ready to go.

now go cut your fresh loaf of french bread, add butter to it and toast it in the oven.

when you serve the gumbo, ladel the gumbo into a bowl, then top that w/ a few tablespoons of rice, then sprinkle some old bay seasoning and italian seasoning on top of that. make sure to save enough bread to wipe the bowl clean with... :D

[Tofer]

yumm that sounds really good!

[racer944]

Ok, I've got a project for the weekend now!!

[04 Rocko Taco]

mmmmmmmmm............

[Morphine]

bamachem = Excellent recipe. I made this for my fiancee over this past weekend and it was a hit. Reminded me of some of the home cooking I enjoyed from my friends families while I attended U of A at Tuscaloosa. Thanks!

-=Morphine=-