food Gumbo

First you make a roux.1.5 oil to 1 flour.  I usually use around 4 tbls. flour.
Cook it slowly on a low flame until you get a nice caramel color.
It should be the consistency of melted ice cream.

I suggest cutting the celery, onion and bell pepper before hand. I use a bunch of celery, chop small and throw in the pot.
When that is getting cooked add about 3-5 onions diced depending on the size. When they become translucent add the bell pepper (3).
 
Then depending on what kind of gumbo your making
sausage and chicken/turkey add now until the sausage is cooked.
2lbs of sausage and 2 lbs of poultry
Seafood
Add about a lb. of chopped okra

If you want a creole one add 6 tomatoes and let them cook down.
 
add at least 1-2 qts of stock. Add 2 globes of garlic minced, 2-3 bay leaves, 2 tsp of thyme or several springs (depending on your taste)
cayenne to taste, I use 1 teaspoon when I cook for Americains. 3 when I'm cooking for myself.
Bring to a boil and then let it simmer
If you are making it with shrimp, make a stock with the shells. If you are adding crab halves add them with after the trinity is cooked.
Add 3 lb+ shrimp, 2 pints of oysters (with the oyster liquor[check for shells]) 1lb of crab meat.

Any type of seafood add the last 5 minutes.

Last 5 min add a tbl. of gumbo file.

You can always add 1tsp of gumbo file to individual bowls as you serve it.
 
oldsalty said:
"The peppers, onions and celery can be omitted" ok am I being punked. are you saying you can omit the Cajun trinity and still make Gumbo? What's next potatoes in Gumbo!!!!!!
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Lmfao agree 100% that's like calling browned hamburger tacos because I omitted the peppers onion celantro and lime hahahahahahaha sorry just funny to me
 
I always pictured Gumbo as a way to take a small portion of meat and make a big pot of soup to feed the whole family.  There were those that raised pigs and chicken.  There were those that lived on the the coast and fished or shrimped.  Hopefully, the garden gives me the "trinity" every year.  Some years it don't.  I'm not gonna run to the store when I run out of one.  I grow 90% of my veggies.  It's more about cooking what you grow rather than running to the store to make a recipe complete because of custom. 
 
It was a good Trinity growing year.  Everything on cutting board is garden grown TRINITY plus onion tops and hots.  The hand labeled jars are garden grown herbs.  Garlic sucked for me this year so I resorted to powder in some recipes.  Onions are low also.
 

 
I don't grow potatoes....they're cheap and don't taste much better than home grown.  I don't see potato gumbo in the future....lol
 
Give a guy a break! lol...  or show me your Gumbo with garden grown trinity and herbs! 
 
 
One question I always found interesting.  Do you saute your TRINITY in the roux or separate.  I saw it both ways while living in LA and traveling with Cajuns.  I think the roux picks up the flavors of the veggies better.  It seems to pick the chicken and sausage better fried in the roux as well.  It made a Gumbo taste better faster when everything was cooked into the roux.  When I added just roux near the end at boiling it took a day to pick up all the flavors.  Hence, Gumbo tastes better the second day.
 
hot stuff, I always put my andouille in first to brown and then take it out. I use the fat to help make my roux and I think the fond adds a lot of flavor to the roux when I add the beer to deglaze. You agree or no?
 
JayT said:
hot stuff, I always put my andouille in first to brown and then take it out. I use the fat to help make my roux and I think the fond adds a lot of flavor to the roux when I add the beer to deglaze. You agree or no?
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I don't have a problem with that. I usually just deglaize with the stock. The thing is you want to cook your meats before you add the stock.
 
In my gumbo? No. Why on earth would I put beer or any other alcoholic beverage in gumbo? I guess if I wanted to get a little creative perhaps a little dry white wine. 
 
I mean sure, you can put whatever you want into your gumbo but beer? Not in the least bit traditional. 
 
A well made stock is so much more flavor helping and what is called for.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
hot stuff, he also blackens in oil. 
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I crack a smile every time. This never gets old. :rofl:
 
hot stuff said:
First you make a roux.1.5 oil to 1 flour.  I usually use around 4 tbls. flour.
Cook it slowly on a low flame until you get a nice caramel color.
It should be the consistency of melted ice cream.
I suggest cutting the celery, onion and bell pepper before hand. I use a bunch of celery, chop small and throw in the pot.
When that is getting cooked add about 3-5 onions diced depending on the size. When they become translucent add the bell pepper (3).
 
Then depending on what kind of gumbo your making
sausage and chicken/turkey add now until the sausage is cooked.
2lbs of sausage and 2 lbs of poultry
Seafood
Add about a lb. of chopped okra

If you want a creole one add 6 tomatoes and let them cook down.
 
add at least 1-2 qts of stock. Add 2 globes of garlic minced, 2-3 bay leaves, 2 tsp of thyme or several springs (depending on your taste)
cayenne to taste, I use 1 teaspoon when I cook for Americains. 3 when I'm cooking for myself.
Bring to a boil and then let it simmer
If you are making it with shrimp, make a stock with the shells. If you are adding crab halves add them with after the trinity is cooked.
Add 3 lb+ shrimp, 2 pints of oysters (with the oyster liquor[check for shells]) 1lb of crab meat.

Any type of seafood add the last 5 minutes.

Last 5 min add a tbl. of gumbo file.

You can always add 1tsp of gumbo file to individual bowls as you serve it.
Click to expand...
 
For the years I've been making gumbo, I've never made gumbo without Tony's Creole seasoning but reading Hotstuff's post is inspiring me to try. I assuming you are using the file powder to thicken a little? you use less flour than I was expecting.
 
Jeff H said:
For the years I've been making gumbo, I've never made gumbo without Tony's Creole seasoning but reading Hotstuff's post is inspiring me to try. I assuming you are using the file powder to thicken a little? you use less flour than I was expecting.
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Yes, the gumbo file does thicken it, but it adds a certain subtle flavor as well. Depending on how much stock you're adding you may use more flour but the ratio of flour to oil ought to be good. If you find your gumbo isn't thick enough, you can always add a mixture of warm water and corn starch to thicken things up.
 
I do like it, and to be honest I never knew that you didn't use beer in gumbo traditionally. I guess I just added that one as my own as I do when making chili. Never even considered it otherwise. I have been making it that way for years. Maybe for kicks you should try it once. Its actually pretty good. If I have the chance I try to add something like Abita or Mississippi Mud to keep it real.
 
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