Roux The Day

[shouldazagged]

Inspired by the likes of Louisiana Joe and the Bayou Barrister, I'm making my first attempt at making gumbo today. Shrimp, chicken and hot smoked sausage (I didn't have any Andouille on hand, and can't afford oysters). So far so good.

With aching knees and feet, standing at the stove long enough to get the roux nice and dark without burning it was a challenge, but I think it's going to be worth it.

I didn't follow a recipe, just used ideas from things I've read and, more importantly, what I've eaten.

I'm told there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks in Louisiana, which seems to be just about everybody in the state. What do you put in yours?

 

[JcMack]

Don't that stuff come in cans or a frozen bag?

 

[Eaglestroker]

I'm a fan of chicken/sausage in my gumbo, heavy on tomatoes, corn, okra, don't forget a few bay leaves an onion or two (or a couple cans of rotel in a pinch) does me in pretty well. Some wild rice if you need it but usually pass on that myself unless I'm trying to stretch the pot.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[carpriver]

That sounds like wild game stew, some venison, rabbit, squirrel, some fish, trout, walleye, mushrat or beaver and bear, rice or beans, bay leaf, hot peppers in a pot of beer and if you have some a few brats. Serve it with some fry bread, That good eats.

 

[29aholic]

You can get a really good roux with Zatarrin's gumbo base.

 

[25elk]

It really doesn't matter what you put into it as long as you get the roux right. I have seen lots of shortcuts on making the roux including roasting the flour in the oven until brown and then using that in the roux. IMHO, after growing up in south LA, there just ain't no substitute for the stirring time at the stove. Good luck and if you ever get the chance, you should make wild duck gumbo. Beyond good!

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Sounds like you made a "3 beer" roux which is a dark roux-as opposed to a 2 beer or lighter roux ( a one beer roux is pretty much worthless unless you're making a bechamel sauce )
Trick to a roux is it gets dark not on a linear progression but on an exponential progression. In other words it takes forever to get it where you want it and then it goes from perfect to burnt in a nano second.
I like a good dark peanut butter color ans when it gets there-TURN OFF THE HEAT and to stop the cooking (because I KNOW you used cast iron) throw in your onions and other chopped seasoning vegetables. This cooks the vegetables and cools the roux enough to allow you to safely pour in the stock.
You want to see a nuclear explosion??? Throw cold water into a hot roux It's worse than throwing water into hot bacon grease. You are basically throwing water into something that is over 300 degrees.
of course they never tell you this stuff in the cookbook

Now how much water/stock do you put in??? Depends on how thick you want your gumbo. How much of what kind of meat do you put in-depends on what you want and how much of it.
The first time you cook one-you'll use a recipe but once you see how it goes together, the next one you'll be doing it on the fly with a beer in one hand just like the pros!
And it's gonna be good yea!

 

[jimmib]

you making enough for all of us and what time is dinner....

 

[OFT II]

You can get a really good roux with Zatarrin's gumbo base.

That's what my wife uses. Now, she's a West Texas girl, has never ate gumbo and will never eat gumbo but she makes it for me and uses Zatarrain's mix and it comes out just fine. I think that I'll mention that I haven't had any gumbo in quite a while.

 

[Cooter Brown]

Duck gumbo. Savoie's andouille from Opelousas is what they have at Publix. Batter and pan fry the duck before you add it to the pot. Sinful.

That's all I've got to say on the matter.

 

[boykinlp]

Like the ole saying goes, "without pictures, it never happened".

 

[shouldazagged]

No recipe, Caj. I spent much of yesterday simmering a high-def chicken stock with three huge leg quarters, carrots, celery, onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, plus a little country bacon and seasonings.

Used 6 cups of that plus a little white wine for the gumbo. One pound of hot smoked sausage, sliced and browned; all the meat from the chicken stock; a pound of raw shrimp. One green bell pepper and half a red bell, diced; a cup of diced celery; and one and a half sweet onions, diced, for the "trinity". Half a cup each of flour and oil for the roux, cooked a little darker than peanut butter then cooked further with the trinity to soften the vegetables--yes, used a cast-iron skillet, of course. A pound of cut okra, two 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, a little more diced country bacon. Two teaspoons Cajun seasoning, one teaspoon of cayenne (to start), thyme, bay leaves.

It's a thick soup which I'll serve over rice.

So far it tastes pretty good. I'll let you know how it finally turns out, but be gentle with me--I'm a Tennessee boy, so I'm probably guilty of wall-to-wall heresies in this undertaking. Besides, my Nomex suit is in the wash.

 

[RonJ]

Talk about heresies

The only gumbo I've ever tasted is Progresso Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Soup. I don't know what real gumbo tastes like but the soup is pretty good. Never tasted jambalaya either but I'd sure like to.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

No recipe, Caj. I spent much of yesterday simmering a high-def chicken stock with three huge leg quarters, carrots, celery, onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, plus a little country bacon and seasonings.

Used 6 cups of that plus a little white wine for the gumbo. One pound of hot smoked sausage, sliced and browned; all the meat from the chicken stock; a pound of raw shrimp. One green bell pepper and half a red bell, diced; a cup of diced celery; and one and a half sweet onions, diced, for the "trinity". Half a cup each of flour and oil for the roux, cooked a little darker than peanut butter then cooked further with the trinity to soften the vegetables--yes, used a cast-iron skillet, of course. A pound of cut okra, two 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, a little more diced country bacon. Two teaspoons Cajun seasoning, one teaspoon of cayenne (to start), thyme, bay leaves.

It's a thick soup which I'll serve over rice.

So far it tastes pretty good. I'll let you know how it finally turns out, but be gentle with me--I'm a Tennessee boy, so I'm probably guilty of wall-to-wall heresies in this undertaking. Besides, my Nomex suit is in the wash.

If you like it-that's all that counts. Period!
Course I NEVER EVER used tomaters in my gumbo no.
There are two types of gumbo creole (city) and country. Raised in New Orleans I was brought up with seafood gumbo thickened with okra and loved it.
When I moved down here I was exposed to the cajun (or country) style gumbo with the roux and chicken/duck/ and sausage. Again great. Two totally different styles.
That's half the fun of making a gumbo-making it with a twist that makes it uniquely yours. Lots of people use tomatoes in their gumbo(it's kinda like the "beans-no beans" in chili argument) Don't you never back down neither as gumbos are like ********, everyone has their own and dey all stink 'ceptin' yours!
PS you need to serve it with 'tater salad and french bread

One time I was at a camp and I noticed that the gumbo was a mite thick-the cook looked at me and said it wasn't gumbo it was Stewgo. I asked what the difference was and he said...................................a little more water makes it a gumbo

 

[shouldazagged]

Well, further experimentation should be fun. Need to get some Andouille next time.

Years ago I was looking for a pasta machine or custom pasta manufacturer to make little semolina double kitchen sinks. When people said, "Hey, this dish tastes good! What's in it?", I could say, "Everything including..."

 

[Andy Griffith]

I remember when Boudreaux and Thibideaux wanted to go help out after the oil spill down yonder in Louisiana.

They volunteered to help clean the birds...

Thibideaux cleaned the birds, while Boudreaux made the roux.

Now I'm hungry.

 

[armenius]

Years ago I had a Cajun patient who was talking about food.I asked for recipes and next visit he brought in a few typed up.One for jambayala suggested starting with 3 pounds EACH of pork,chicken and sausage,then many other ingredients.At the end he suggested,"serve with French bread,crisp salad and beer- SO GOOD IT SERVES TWO". I made it and he was right!

 

[Old TexMex]

Gumbo is a swahili word for okra. Slaves brought the seeds with them, in little bag around their neck. Like a survival kit.
So remember, if it ain't got okra in it, there's no way it's gumbo.

 

[Kinman]

My fellow Yankees can find just about anything they would need to cook some of the fine foods from Louisiana by shopping at "The Cajun Grocer". If you ever eat anything from down there it will be unlike anything you have eaten before and as I found will leave you hankering for it enough to take the trip back down or figure out how to cook it yourself. I got hungry for gator and ordered it up from CG, it came in a styro box with dry ice inside...I cooked it up on a grill with a nice dippin sauce at a friends BarBQue and it was the hit of the day, the little kids especially loved it...they all acted like they had grown big teeth overnight, beggin for more of that gator.

 

[MikeyB]

In Texas we like Doves and sausage in our gumbo, and sometimes shrimp.