Happy Mardi Gras!

Anyone who knows me knows that, while I love learning about cultures from all over the globe, I am magnetized to the food, history and culture of New Orleans. I swear I must have lived there in a past life or something from the way I'm drawn to that place. So, in honor of today being Mardi Gras, I decided that a proper gumbo was in order. 

So, what is a proper gumbo? Well, after searching through my multitude of cookbooks, it seems that in order to be a gumbo, that thick, dark, rich soup containing vegetables, meat and/or seafood, a couple of things remain constant -  gumbo is served with/over rice, and it must be thickened with something. Generally, gumbos are twice thickened. First, with a roux. This traditional mixture is made by cooking flour in a fat. In order to get a nice dark roux, vegetable oil provides a fat with a high smoke point which stands up to the longer cooking times needed to get the rich nutty brown color. Then, it is thickened again with either okra or file powder, but according to true connoisseurs, never both. Otherwise, anything goes. From a sausage and chicken gumbo, to wild duck gumbo, to a light gumbo of squash and corn, and every other conceivable combination of ingredients to toss in the pot, all qualify as gumbo.

Using my variety of recipes, and their described methods, I concocted my own for tonight's dinner. No matter what you decide to do, I strongly recommend that you follow the professional kitchen technique of mise en place (pronounced meez on plas). This technique refers to organizing all ingredients and tools that you'll need before you start cooking a dish. Recipes are reviewed to check for necessary ingredients and equipment. Ingredients are measured out, washed, chopped, and placed in individual bowls. Because some of the action of this particular recipe happens pretty quickly and can go South on you before you know it, it is helpful to have everything planned out so you can easily add things without turning into a sweaty mess.

Seafood Gumbo (adapted from Louis Lambert & John Folse)

• 1 1/2 C yellow onions diced
• 1 C green bell pepper diced
• 1 C celery diced
• 2  bunches green onion, thinly sliced (both white and green parts)
• 2 Tbsp Creole seasoning (I used "Slap ya Mama")
• 2  bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 C vegetable oil
• 1 C all purpose flour
• 6 C shrimp or chicken stock
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 C flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 gumbo crabs 
• 1 pint shelled oysters with their liquor (juices)
• 1/2 lb crab meat, picked over for bits of shell
• 1/2 lb frozen sliced okra(or fresh if in season)
• 4 Cups cooked white rice
• Hot Sauce, for serving (We love Crystal)

You'll roux the day....

Nutty Brown and ready to go.

• In a large bowl, combine the onions, peppers, celery and half of the green onions (set aside rest of green onion for later). In a small bowl, mix together the creole seasoning, bay leaves, salt and cayenne to make spice mix.
• Pour the stock into a large soup pot or dutch oven, and begin heating it to a simmer. Meanwhile, heat oil in large, heavy sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir in the flour to make a smooth roux. Reduce heat to medium and cook roux, stirring constantly, until it turns a deep, nutty brown color. This will take a while(about 30 minutes) and you really cannot leave it once you start. If you see any flecks of black during this process, you've burned some of your flour which in essence ruins your roux. Dump it and start over.  
• Add the onion, bell pepper and celery mixture (aka the Holy Trinity) to the roux and stir to combine well. Cook an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and spice mixture and cook for another minute or so. (Ingredients will be a big clump.)
• Turn heat up to high under the stock and add the roux mixture to the soup pot in multiple additions. Whisk well between additions to make sure the roux smooths out and doesn't remain clumpy. Once all of the roux is in the stock, add the okra, and bring the gumbo to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the rest of the green onions, the parsley and the shrimp and crabs and cook for 3 minutes. In order to avoid overcooking the seafood, keep the mixture at a low simmer from this point on. Stir in the oysters and their liquor(juices) and continue cooking at low. Finally, stir in the crab meat.

• Serve immediately - ladling gumbo over cooked white rice and hot sauce on the table.

A Pot of Deliciousness!

Note: With the exception of the time it takes to make the roux, the rest of this dish really comes together quickly.

Happy Cooking!

sld

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