Let’s Make That Gumbo!

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Let’s Make That Gumbo!

Step 1  Preparation

Prep your vegetables and meats; set aside. Prep vinegar mixture; set aside. Have all ingredients and measuring spoons and cups needed arranged close at hand and set aside ready to be used when needed.  (If needed, do ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze if required.   Be sure to remove any items from freezer the day before actually making gumbo and transfer to refrigerator to thaw).  Preparation is the number one element to success with this recipe.

Don’t forget that you will need to fry up some bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage to acquire 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons grease or that you will need to do an overnight soak on your rice.

Step 2  Searing the Chicken

In large skillet sauté cubed chicken thighs in a little oil or butter — to prevent sticking and help with glazing/coating and browning — with a dash each of garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper, plus 2 tablespoon L&P Worcestershire sauce over medium heat just until outside is browned. Place in bowl and set aside.

You do not have to cook it all the way though.  At this point, we are just coating, flavoring, and searing the outside of the chicken. It will finish cooking in the gumbo.

Step 3   Preparing Savory Lard

In same skillet, reheat bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage grease.

In other words, you are using homemade lard but much more flavorful than store bought.  This is a very flavorful dish!

This is provided of course that you have already  fried up bacon or ground pork breakfast sausage — or both — and saved the grease previously.  If not,  then do so now keeping 3/4 cup of the grease in the skillet to use now and removing the rest.

Don’t have any bacon or ground pork sausage?    Well, you can technically use hydrogenated vegetable oil such as Crisco.  It will simply miss that extra flavor element added by using bacon and ground pork breakfast sausage grease,  but it won’t actually ruin the dish.

Step 4  Making and Savoring the Roux

Make a roux by whisking the flour, a dash of black pepper and salt, with 3/4 cup hot bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage grease in a large, heavy saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns dark; a sort of a brownish color.

Step 5

Stir the celery, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, the chicken you just seared,  and sliced smoky pork (andouille) sausage into the roux.

Step 6

Simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning the roux.   This step adds an additional layer of flavor to the roux.  Remove from heat, and set aside.

Step 7  Preparing  the Broth

Bring SIX CUPS of broth to a boil in a very large soup kitchen or canning sized pot.  I use a 20 quart sized water bath canning pot for anything exceeding the limit of my 8 quart Dutch oven pot.

If and as needed only, stir in additional broth throughout the remaining steps, but do so only 1/2 cup at a time then stir before adding another 1/2 cup, stir, and keep repeating until reaches the desired amount.    If you try to add too much all at once it can drastically decrease the cooking temperatures and take a long time to heat back up to a boil which will throw off your cooking times.

You may or may not need some or any/all of the “extra” broth but it is better to have plenty on stand by just in case.  This isn’t the sort of dish you can just drop everything and run to the store every time you turn around.   Make sure you have everything needed and in the quantities needed — plus extra “just in case” — especially the broth and seasonings.

NOTE:

If you feel comfortable enough to keep an eye on both Step 6 and Step 7 at the same time,  then it is helpful to start your broth once Step 6 has been initiated, since it takes a little time for it to come to a boil.  Otherwise, you may be standing around for a little while waiting thus learning why they say a watched pot never boils.

Otherwise, however, it is better to wait.   Avoid trying to be in too many places at the same time —  with one boiling over and then have the other burning up while you are already dealing with cleaning up that boiled over broth.

Multitasking in the kitchen comes with more and more experience and develops over time, usually without your even realizing it.  Until then, don’t try to bite off more than you can comfortably chew.    Even the most seasoned cooks including professional chefs make mistakes from time to time, however, and the key is simply to learn from every experience — good or bad — and,  NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Step 8

Stir your vegetable roux mixture into your boiling broth.  Then, immediately begin to whisk the roux into the boiling broth until combined and well incorporated.

Step 9  Initial Seasonings and Tomatoes

Reduce heat to low, and whisk (or stir) in the salt, granulated sugar,  Tiger or tobasco pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, thyme, oregano, and powdered file.   Then stir in the diced fresh tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce.   You may safely leave to simmer on a low heat setting, uncovered, and move on to the next step.

Note:  While Tiger sauce has a slight sweetness and has additional layers of flavor,  it is actually spicier than tobasco but its spicy heat sneaks up in a delayed fashion so start with a small amount as you can always add more later if needed.  And wait for a minute after tasting before deciding whether to add more.

Step 10   Preparing the Okra

If you do not have another skillet, hand wash and dry the skillet used previously before continuing.

Melt 2 tablespoons of bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage grease in a clean skillet, add your okra and shredded carrots, drizzle on the vinegar mixture (give it a stir or whisk it first if needed),  then cook the okra and carrots with the vinegar mixture over medium heat for 15 minutes; stirring frequently.

Step 11

Remove okra and carrots with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo.

Step 12  Simmering, Seasoning, Tasting, Adjusting

Continue to simmer on low heat for 1 hour, stirring briefly every 20 to 30 minutes. Throughout this stage you will want to taste test the broth often and adjust any of your seasonings if needed.

Step 13   The Rice

Stir in your wild or brown rice (that was soaked over night).

Forget to soak your rice?   No worries!    Just add an additional 15 to 20 minutes (plus or minus) to the time given in Step 12 or until tender.   See, it isn’t an unlucky Step 13 as you might have thought.   You’ve only added some extra cooking time.

This step is complete when the rice reaches the desired tenderness (which will simply occur more quickly if you remember to soak your rice overnight).

Step 14  Shelled Bivalves

If using bivalves (mussels, clams, oysters, cockles, or scallops) still in their shells you will need to add them now and cook until the shells have all popped open.   Do not proceed until the shells have all popped open! Or at least the majority, since on occasion a shell just won’t pop open.

Contrary to some old wives tales, this does not indicate a spoiled clam or oyster. Sometimes you just get a tight one that is locked down and refuses to open without some prying that, due to having an unusually smoother and cleaner shell rim, has managed to form a seal sort of like when the lids seal during water bath canning on jars.

However, if they have been removed from their shells then move on to the next step.

Step 15   Crustaceans and Unshelled Bivalves

After the gumbo has finished simmering and the rice is tender, and shells have popped open:

Mix in crawfish tails, shrimp, crab meat, unshelled bivalves , and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer for another 10 minutes or just until done.   Do not overcook!   Remove from heat.

Step 16   Sea Urchin Tongues On the Side

If plan to serve with sea urchin tongues on the side (plain or marinated), they should be prepared at this time.  I will not be going into detail on how to do that here, however, since it is not something readily available in the area I currently live (high plains desert region up in the mountains in a very small rural town) as they were once before when I lived elsewhere.  Details are on the recipe card, however, and I’m sure there are other blogs or websites, cookbooks, etc. in which to learn more.

If you have questions, however, email me at vintage2modernkitchen@gmail.com  and/or comment below.

And, YES, the spines are poisonous! But usually not fatal unless multiple deep and become infected. But they are PAINFUL! Wear gloves and be careful. If needed, use tweezers to remove spines, clean the area, and apply antibiotic ointment. Check with your doctor if any problems develop such as infection, allergic reaction, unrelieved pain, or the pain lasts more than three or four days.

Step 17

ENJOY!   Or if you are simply making it ahead then ladle into airtight containers for the freezer!