Need a Gumbo Recipe

[bigbeeducker]

Anyone got a good one they don't mind sharing.

[SFDdelta1]

water, rice, a little of tonies mix, along with duck, fish, shrimp, crab, crawfish (if in season) and any other meat you might like ...... and do not forget the bread.


E

[ntzhunter]

Let me get home tomorrow and Ill pm you a true cajun recipe........in NOLA now

[bigbeeducker]

ntzhunter, sounds good to me. Thanks.

[Dogzeye]

Your basic cajun cooking all begins with two must haves. One is the the trinity - onion, celery, and bell pepper. The other is eveything begins with a stock, preferably from a prior cooking session.

A good basic duck gumbo would go something like this - clean and cube the meat cross grain and add to a pot of boiling water (or beef stock if handy), this will boil until the meat begins to get tender. While you wait, you need to add approximately 1/4 cup of oil to a skillet and heat. Add 1/3 of a cup of flour.. you should have the makings of a good gravy, you will stir this continually until it takes on a dark brown color then remove from heat and set aside (roux). Chop your trinity, Fresh garlic, Fresh basil, Fresh parsley, and perhaps oregano if you like. Once the meat begins to get tender (assuming you have added all meats products) you should defat by scraping off any foam. Do this and add the celery and onion. When this starts to soften add your bell pepper. When the three are soft you can begin adding the roux. You should mix this in until you get a heavy soup, not a bad idea to make more than called for above as this can be saved for future cookings and you may like more or less than that amount in your gumbo. Once the ingrediants begin to emulisfy in the roux, add your garlic, basil, chopped parsley, and any other fresh herb you would like along with your salt, red black and white peppers. Continue to Cook until any fresh herbs are tender and remove from heat. In almost all soups it is better to create a base and then add any spice or flavouring at the last moment.

Remember cajun cooking is not about a set amount or list of ingrediants, it is about a process. And, you play with it to get the results you like. The basic above is as fine as any gumbo I have ever eaten and better than most.

AS

[CBrown]

Here is an easy one from the Delta Website that I have tried, works good but is missing one of the "trinity" - Bell Pepper, that must be added.


Wild Duck and Sausage Gumbo

Katie starts by making three quarts of duck stock. Bring the water in a stockpot to a simmer and add enough duck breasts or whole ducks to yield three cups of shredded meat. Also add:

1 small onion, sliced
2 carrot sticks, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 bay leaf
Few peppercorns
Simmer for three hours, then remove the duck and shred the meat into pieces, making sure you remove the bones and shot pellets.

Next, make a dark roux by combining over medium heat:

1 cup of oil, and
1 cup of flour
Stir constantly until the roux is brown, then add and sauté:

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
When the vegetables are softened, add:

The stock (strain and discard the vegetables)
Salt and pepper
Cajun seasoning (to taste)
Simmer 30 to 45 minutes.

Add:

The cooked duck
11?2 cup sausage (smoked, deer or pork; ground or link)
Simmer 15 to 20 minutes more.

Serve in bowls over cooked rice. Garnish with 1?4-cup each of chopped parsley and chopped green onion. Sprinkle with file powder, which will thicken and enhance the flavor of this scrumptious dish.

Katie’s note: The ingredients may be increased to taste, and traditional gumbo ingredients like okra and tomatoes may be added.

[Deagle]

I hear coot makes for a nice gumbo additive.

[dukluk]

Didn't you know???....nobody's allowed to cook gumbo, unless they use Benny's recipe....he'll come over here, and whup anyone's booty that don't use his recipe....he thinks he's got a patent on gumbo!!!

Here 'tis :

The stock:
5-6 ducks plucked, breast meat removed.
2-3 big smoked hocks
2 onions and 4-5 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery coarse chopped
2 carrots the same
2 bay leaves
1 pound raw shrimp with shells, peel and use shells in stock

Gallon veggie stock store bought or homemade (chicken stock ok 2)

Put all this except the peeled shrimp and breast meat into stock pot and simmer low for several hours, the longer the better. Strain, save hocks and pull off legs and set aside, but discard all else and return stock to pot.

Cut a large bowl of chopped onions, celery and bell pepper to cool the roux.

Make TWO rouxs -------

First one - YAh YAh
1/2 cup each oil and flour.
Cook roux slow until flat black, as dark as you can get it without burning it. Ya Ya is as black as shoe polish if done correctly. Turn off heat and toss in several handfulls of veggies and stir until cooking has stopped. Set aside

Second roux, dark brown to red - medium color roux
3/4 cups each oil and flour, cook until red is appreaing and stop with veggies. Let cool somewhat

Bring stock to boil and add the brown roux ONLY (the second one).
Add more water to get up to a gallon or so boiling before you add the cooled roux. (There must be a temperature difference in the stock and the roux or the roux will seperate)

Bring to boil and add these to pot
1 chopped onion and bell pepper, 2-3 stalks celery, more garlic,
1 can rotel original
1 can diced tomato
1-2 tablespoon pickeled jalapeno chopped
1 pound polish kielbasa or your favorite smoked sausage, cut in nickels
1 can sliced okra or okra and tomato
1/2 tbls fresh chopped rosemary and thyme, pinch or so of sage
(more if you like them)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 can sliced water chestnuts
Black pepper and salt to taste but dont over do salt, more to come in ingredients.

Bring to boil let simmer 20-25 minutes and taste test, then add tablespoon at a time of Ya Ya Roux and stir in, taste test again, continue until gumbo takes on deeper flavor.
(you can tell when you got it right or it tastes right to YOU)
It produces a much darker flavor to the gumbo, but it isnt entirely dark, because you are adding it in increments and not depending on the ya ya for the roux flavor. It prolly wont take much if you aint big on gumbo, maybe 2 spoons. This completely changes the character of the gumbo so do it slow and like I say to do it.

In a blender, take some gumbo liquid and add 1 quart of oysters with their liquor and the outside skin of the hocks, and any meat on the hocks. Blend until very smooth and add to pot.

Salt and pepper cubed breast meat and cook just long enough to get done and still tender. Add cooked legs and shrimp, cook 5 minutes and test for salt and adjust.....

Rice:
I almost always cook a cup or two of rice for this, but after it is cooked I let it cool and then add a handfull each chopped green onions, fresh curly parsley and fresh basil and mix well. If you have never tried this then do it one time and you will know why I do it.

The short cooking time on the breast meat is important, it preserves the pungent flavor of duck meat. If you dont like it as pungent, then cook it longer after youve added the meat, maybe an hour, but dont overcook the shrimp, they only take a few minutes.

[Kelly]

...the roux is everything. Screw that up and it doesn't matter what else you put in. First timers try it in a glass dish and a microwave first. Couple minutes,stir, repeat...untill caramel to brown color,paste like constistancy. Then you can add it to your cooked down bird of choice in its stock, meat and veggies. Gumbo and recipe is an oxymoron here in coonassville (Gonzales,La). I don't know anyone that has a "recipe". Once you get your roux maki'n down... the rest is cake. Smoked turkey necks, hamhocks, and "Verons" andouille are killer. If you do seafood remember, the seafood will cook quicker than meat so don't over do it, I usually put it in last. The longer you let it simmer the better. There are some store bought "roux-in-a-jar" that guys at work have tried and they turned out pretty good too, and real easy. They said they make light, medium, and dark color rouxs pre-made and ready to add. You may get looks if you're using that jar mess at a S.La duck or dear camp, but if u aint worried who cares. I personally do it all in one, cast-iron pot (minus the rice).... if you still need a recipe, google John Folse's La gumbo and see what you get. He's a true coonass turned professional cheff that does everything from cookbooks to cajun-cooki'n shows. I don't think I've ever made a gumbo the same way twice, so I'd be no good with a recipe thing. I did have some N. Arkansas boys at a duck camp near McCrory Ark, gather round with a pen and paper and try to right down a gumbo I threw together one time...you shoulda seen their face when I put the beer and pouldeau gizzards (coot) in that pot.

[Unkljohn]

There is no set recipe for gumbo at my house. I just start putting stuff in a pot and it allways turns out good. I don't think I've ever made it exactly the same way twice. The only ingredients that are in every pot I make is the holy trinity, (onion, celery, and bell pepper). One thing I do like to do is to add an ingredient then let it cook for a while before I add another. That gives your gumbo different layers of taste. I love to cook a good gumbo, it usually takes me all day and about a case of beer to get it ready.

[BradBynum]

This is one I use. I usually add Deer sausage also.
Duck Gumbo
Broth:
5 to 6 ducks
2 large yellow onions, diced
2 large bell peppers, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
Water, to cover the ducks
Roux:
1/2 pound bacon
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil (if needed)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Gumbo:
Reserved duck broth
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons mango-tamarind spicy Jamaican pepper sauce (recommended: Pick-a-Peppa brand)
1 large package smoked pork sausage, diced and browned
Reserved chopped duck meat
1/2 cup finely chopped reserved bacon
1 package frozen okra, cooked to package directions, drained
1 pound raw shrimp, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons gumbo file
White rice and French bread, as accompaniment