Ingredients first, then pics n stuff.
Chicken stock-
1 whole chicken
1 giant yellow onion, the kind with the brownish paper/skin with the skin on (adds color)
4 celery stalks
2 fat carrots
cheesecloth filled with: thyme, peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, oregano
2 big cloves garlic, smashed but not chopped or minced, just smashed
some salt
enough water to cover
Put it all in a pot and boil it till it's yellow and yummy. About an hour and a half or till the bird is fully cooked. Remove all the vegetables, put that chicken aside (you can use it for other stuff, like stew it in spanish spices and make chicken tacos. mmmmm) and strain the liquid into a big pot. MMmm. Smells good. And you can prep all your other crap while you're making this.
Gumbo-
andouille sausage (i had 8 small ones)
about a pound of shrimp
3 or 4 ham hocks
tri colored peppers (i had one green 2 red 2 orange)
3 celery stalks
3 carrots
1 big yellow onion
okra (i didn't measure)
chopped tomatoes
1 15oz can of crushed tomatoes (i think. the big fat one)
a pot of chicken stock
spice blend- oregano, thyme, cayenne, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika bay leaves (2 or 3)
4 cloves garlic minced
spoonful of file powder (small spoon if using okra)
I think that's everything. Chop all veg and garlic, slice your sausage, clean your shrimp, mix your spice. Sweat the veg in a big pot till the onions are translucent, remove and set aside. Add sausage and brown. Remove and set aside. Add a cup of your stock to help scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of your pot then chuck in your veg, sausage and ham hocks. Add stock and the whole can of tomatoes with the juice and everything and your chopped fresh ones. Bring it all to a boil and then add your spices. Let this shit boil for about 30 minutes till all your veggies are soft and you can smell those smoky ham hocks. Then add your okra. Boil another 15 minutes or so or until the okra is cooked through. Then add shrimp. After about 8-10 minutes the shrimp should be done. So turn it off. Add your spoonful of file and stir. Remove ham hocks and bay leaves and eat this shit with rice.
Pics:
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130003.jpg)
stock spices
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130005.jpg)
stock veg
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130006.jpg)
lonely chicken
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130007.jpg)
chicken and friends
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130008.jpg)
gumbo veg. peppers, okra, out of pic is carrots, celery, onion and garlic
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130009.jpg)
veggies in the pot
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130010.jpg)
go chicken, go!
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130011.jpg)
mmmmmmmmm saaaaaaaausage
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130012.jpg)
veggies love sausage. they do
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130014.jpg)
oh boy. smoked pig knuckle joint finger part thingies
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130013.jpg)
stock. what a lovely yellow color it has. tastes like gramma's chicken soup
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130016.jpg)
added stock and tomatoes
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130017.jpg)
chopped 'maters
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130018.jpg)
spices
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130019.jpg)
okrer
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130020.jpg)
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130021.jpg)
shrimp want to join the party
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130022.jpg)
FILE! not easy to find here believe it or not
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f45/Squidoid667/food/P1130025.jpg)
serve it with rice or GTFO
Some people put their rice right into their gumbo, but I like to control the amount of rice I get. Sometimes I want a lot, sometimes just a little bit. So that's the way I do it. If you want rice in it, feel free to dump it in.
Also, add your tobasco, krystal, louisiana, sriracha or whatever hot sauce you like to use at the end.
EAT IT!
:mittens: :sotw: :mittens:
I'ma make me some gumbo tomorrow!
Oooooh
PS- it's better the second day. HOOOOOOO-OY!
That looks GOOD.
Question: when you use a whole chicken for your stock, does it still extract the collagen from the bones?
Quote from: LMNO on November 09, 2009, 03:41:02 PM
That looks GOOD.
Question: when you use a whole chicken for your stock, does it still extract the collagen from the bones?
I'm pretty sure it does. I mean the whole thing just kinda flops apart when it's done anyway.
But the bird didn't make any gelatin when I left it alone in another pot till it was cool enough to handle like they usually do.
I've been on the prowl for a good Gumbo Recipe! This looks really good, although I have one question.
Is it possible to make a gumbo without shrimp? I know it's heresy but I can't say I like the flavor. Like, will it fuck up the whole thing or what? I've never had the opportunity to ask someone about it because there's absolutely nobody in this area who MAKES Gumbo that I'm aware of. And I've yet to find a gumbo recipe without shrimp in it.
I think without shrimp it's just a cajun chicken soup.
You can use almost any seafood you like, so if you want to do it with crab, crawfish, or even scallops, that's fine.
I've even seen it with no seafood, so you're pretty much able to do what you want.
Hell, you could even make gumbo z'herbes, which is the Lent version, and has no meat at all.
what that guy said
of course I'll look at ya funny, but I'm gonna do that anyway... it's just mah face.
WANT.
Quote from: Richter on November 09, 2009, 05:57:43 PM
WANT.
Ditto! I haven't haven't had a good gumbo in a very very long time.
Next time I might do the roux/rue. I didn't want to use it cause I haven't been eating heavy foods and I wanted to keep it kind of light. I know. I said kinda.
I just didn't want to be laying around wallowing in fat and hurt all night.
YUM YUM YUM
Gumbo is one of my favorite dishes!
Quote from: Squid on November 10, 2009, 06:52:31 AM
Next time I might do the roux/rue. I didn't want to use it cause I haven't been eating heavy foods and I wanted to keep it kind of light. I know. I said kinda.
I just didn't want to be laying around wallowing in fat and hurt all night.
As far as I remember, if you're using okra and file powder, you really don't need a roux. There's plenty of thickening agent without it.
Quote from: LMNO on November 10, 2009, 01:48:46 PM
Quote from: Squid on November 10, 2009, 06:52:31 AM
Next time I might do the roux/rue. I didn't want to use it cause I haven't been eating heavy foods and I wanted to keep it kind of light. I know. I said kinda.
I just didn't want to be laying around wallowing in fat and hurt all night.
As far as I remember, if you're using okra and file powder, you really don't need a roux. There's plenty of thickening agent without it.
yeah. some people don't use file if they use okra, some use both and some people use all three or not roux with the other two. it's really kid of a "who's grandpa/granma used to do what" type of thing.
I've always used dark roux when making Gumbo, but that's because file is impossible to find north of the mason-dixon line and even fresh okra can be a challenge.
also, Crab gumbo is seriously tits. try it.
Quote from: Rip City Hustle on November 10, 2009, 06:36:49 PM
I've always used dark roux when making Gumbo, but that's because file is impossible to find north of the mason-dixon line and even fresh okra can be a challenge.
also, Crab gumbo is seriously tits. try it.
This is the correct culinary term, by the way. I read it in the first Julia Child cookbook.
I'm one of those whiney giney's that doesn't like crab in soup.
sorry. i leave it out.
If someone else makes it I'll taste it though.
I like to use a duck fat roux and fresh okra, no file.
My preferred technique is having a god damn kitchen to cook things in. It's been a while; I really should get back to doing that.
Sorry, micro-rant. That looks pretty freaking good, Squid. Also, question to all: I hear very mixed opinions about okra. What's it like?
it's delicious
i like it in soup, pickled and fried.
those are my favs
also, you could make this with a big pot and an electric heating element. it's soup.
hell, i bet you could make it with a cast iron dutch oven and a grill. gas or charcoal
Quote from: Cainad on November 11, 2009, 02:05:15 AM
My preferred technique is having a god damn kitchen to cook things in. It's been a while; I really should get back to doing that.
Sorry, micro-rant. That looks pretty freaking good, Squid. Also, question to all: I hear very mixed opinions about okra. What's it like?
Crunchy and a bit of a viscous mouth feel. Tastes green. Quite good actually.
that looks GOOD
too bad a pound of shrimp would be kinda expensive here, although, you get a LARGE pot of gumbo.
Isn't cleaning a pound of shrimp a fuckload of work? Oh and is it a pound before yuo throw away the shells and stuff?
I wonder if I can find file powder somewhere in the foreign spices shops and market stands. Where does it come from? I mean, what country/continent is it originally from?
Also, I really like the taste of okrah, it kind of reminds me of sugar snaps, sort of. But I really dislike their slimyness, though I guess that's kind of the point in this dish.
Quote from: Triple Zero on November 14, 2009, 06:01:47 PM
Isn't cleaning a pound of shrimp a fuckload of work?
Not if you don't mind eating tiny bits of shrimp shit, it isn't!
Quote from: Triple Zero on November 14, 2009, 06:01:47 PM
that looks GOOD
too bad a pound of shrimp would be kinda expensive here, although, you get a LARGE pot of gumbo.
Isn't cleaning a pound of shrimp a fuckload of work? Oh and is it a pound before yuo throw away the shells and stuff?
I wonder if I can find file powder somewhere in the foreign spices shops and market stands. Where does it come from? I mean, what country/continent is it originally from?
Also, I really like the taste of okrah, it kind of reminds me of sugar snaps, sort of. But I really dislike their slimyness, though I guess that's kind of the point in this dish.
You know, I thought it would put me off of okra, too. I usually hate slimy things, that's why I have to scramble the shit out of my eggs when I'm eating JUST eggs, but Okra was delicious enough for me to overlook it. Although, I did encounter fried okra that managed to not be slimy. I don't remember how the hell it was done, but that was deliciousness.
I had a dream about harvesting okra last night.
Quote from: Triple Zero on November 14, 2009, 06:01:47 PM
that looks GOOD
too bad a pound of shrimp would be kinda expensive here, although, you get a LARGE pot of gumbo.
Isn't cleaning a pound of shrimp a fuckload of work? Oh and is it a pound before yuo throw away the shells and stuff?
I wonder if I can find file powder somewhere in the foreign spices shops and market stands. Where does it come from? I mean, what country/continent is it originally from?
Also, I really like the taste of okrah, it kind of reminds me of sugar snaps, sort of. But I really dislike their slimyness, though I guess that's kind of the point in this dish.
cleaning a pound of shrimp isn't really that much work. seems like it, but it's half the fun. the weight is with shells and stuff. they get ya there.
also sometimes you can find them de-veined and all you have to do is pull the shells off and wash them.
if you really want some file i'll mail you some. it's pretty cheap here. you might be able to find it on the internet though. i get my stuff here:
http://www.spiceandtea.com/page.html?chapter=1&id=16
they might ship.
I'm kinda certain but not 100% sure that it originated in Louisiana. it's just pulverized dried sassafras leaves.
I should first check at the weird food stores here. They have quite a lot of ... weird food.
There's a huge asian supermarket close by, used to be the only place here that sold mountain dew (not that I want it, but I had heard about it, yet no clue what it was), and the "tokos" that sell among other things indonesian, indian, japanese, morrocan and surinam stuff. And of course the eco bio hippy stores that sell all sorts of weird things (also brewing materials) and then there's the spices stand on the street market, and then one or two spices shops.
Sure, none of them is an american food store, but they all carry weird and foreign foods, so many different things I would give it a fair chance it is somewhere.
I'm just gonna keep my eyes peeled and snooping around in those places is a lot of fun anyway. I might not get file powder, but I will certainly find COOL THINGS.
which is the important bit
Quote from: Triple Zero on November 14, 2009, 10:50:36 PM
There's a huge asian supermarket close by, used to be the only place here that sold mountain dew (not that I want it, but I had heard about it, yet no clue what it was)
Threadjack: I didn't realize that Mountian Dew was so unpopular in Europe until just now. It's the 4th most popular soda in the United States but almost non-existent over there. Very weird.
further proof that Euros are bound to get something right every once in a while.
I've never really understood the point of "deveining" myself. Its just the ventral nerve cord, not like its the gastrointestinal tract or anything.
Edit: Redacted. Seems I fail at shrimp anatomy.
yeah, it's definitely poop.
on the other hand, if you HAVE to eat poop it might as well be shrimp poop which is more or less sand.
GUMBO! Love this recipe, Squid! Will have to definitely try soon.
I made this last night and IT IS AWESOME! Thanks for posting it! :mrgreen:
Quote from: Rip City Hustle on November 15, 2009, 02:50:37 AM
yeah, it's definitely poop.
on the other hand, if you HAVE to eat poop it might as well be shrimp poop which is more or less sand.
SHRIMP POOP TUBE!
Quote from: Ocalee on December 27, 2009, 11:36:41 PM
I made this last night and IT IS AWESOME! Thanks for posting it! :mrgreen:
On the new stove? :lulz:
Yes Khara, on the new (used) stove. :lulz:
damn that gumbo looks good. I've never tried a chicken gumbo, and I'm creole! My dad usually makes this delicious seafood gumbo with prawns and crab. He uses more okra, giving it a thick green complexion. But if you fuck up, and you easily can overcook this stuff, you end up with "slumgully". Isn't that a great word? It's Louisiana slang for ...somethin, but I've always used it as an onomatopoeia.
If you dare take on the challenge of Thibadeaux seafood gumbo, I can hook you up with the recipe.