Gumbo

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

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:


stock spices


stock veg


lonely chicken


chicken and friends


gumbo veg. peppers, okra, out of pic is carrots, celery, onion and garlic


veggies in the pot


go chicken, go!


mmmmmmmmm saaaaaaaausage


veggies love sausage. they do


oh boy. smoked pig knuckle joint finger part thingies


stock. what a lovely yellow color it has. tastes like gramma's chicken soup


added stock and tomatoes


chopped 'maters


spices


okrer


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


shrimp want to join the party


FILE! not easy to find here believe it or not


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!

[Shai Hulud]

 

I'ma make me some gumbo tomorrow!

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

Oooooh

PS- it's better the second day. HOOOOOOO-OY!

[LMNO]

That looks GOOD.

Question: when you use a whole chicken for your stock, does it still extract the collagen from the bones?

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

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.

[Chief Uwachiquen]

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.

[Suu]

I think without shrimp it's just a cajun chicken soup.

[LMNO]

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.

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

what that guy said


of course I'll look at ya funny, but I'm gonna do that anyway... it's just mah face.

[Richter]

WANT.

[Iason Ouabache]

WANT.

Ditto! I haven't haven't had a good gumbo in a very very long time.

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

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.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

YUM YUM YUM

Gumbo is one of my favorite dishes!

[LMNO]

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.

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

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.