From netcom.com!eamon Fri Aug 26 03:03:59 1994 remote from rex Received: from netcom6.netcom.com by rex.cs.tulane.edu; Fri, 26 Aug 1994 03:03:59 +0600 Received: by netcom6.netcom.com (8.6.8.1/Netcom) id BAA06194; Fri, 26 Aug 1994 01:04:26 -0700 Date: Fri, 26 Aug 1994 01:04:25 -0700 (PDT) From: Chuck Taggart Subject: Gumbo recipe (long!) To: NEW-ORLEANS Mailing List Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII content-length: 9497 Hey y'all ... In response to a few requests, here's my gumbo recipe as it now exists on my WWW page. This has evolved and changed many times in the ensuing years, and will no doubt change again and again. I may try rich's thang with browning the okra first. We'll see. Anyway ... GUMBO DU MONDE _________________________________________________________________ [I call this my "everything" gumbo. It's fairly unusual in that the chicken stock is also infused with a seafood flavor from the shrimp shells and heads, and that it contains chicken, sausage and seafood. I believe this makes for a much richer and more complex set of flavors for the gumbo. Get this recipe while you can -- if I ever end up serving this in a restaurant I'm not going to give my secrets away anymore ... :-) Remember that you MUST go through the stock making process for this dish; plain water or a canned stock will simply not do. The stock can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen.] FOR THE STOCK: * 8 quarts cold water * 6 - 8 lbs. chicken parts (backs, necks, etc.) and bones, or a whole chicken, cut up; oven-browned * Shrimp shells and heads, reserved from the 4 pounds of shrimp that have been peeled for the final step of the gumbo (the heads are very important!) * 2 onions, chopped * 1 small bunch celery with tops, chopped * 2 carrots, chopped * 2 heads garlic, cut in half horizontally * 1 tsp. or so black peppercorns, cracked * a few sprigs parsley * 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves * 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon leaves * 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves * 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves (If at all possible, please try to get shrimp with the heads on. Shrimp heads impart a wonderful flavor to the stock, and it just ain't the same as a real New Orleans gumbo without them. Do whatever you have to do.) Remove the skin from the chicken and chop into 3-4 inch pieces, making sure to cut through and expose the bones. Put the chicken in the stockpot with the water and bring slowly to a simmer. Periodically skim off any scum that forms, and if you wish use a skimmer to skim off the fat. (This stock simmering process makes your house smell REAL good!) Let this simmer for at least three, and preferably four hours. (It is this long simmering process that extracts the maximum flavor from the chicken meat and bones, as well as the natural gelatin from the bones. When refrigerated, a good chicken stock will be clear and gelatinous.) Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Place the peppercorns, parsley sprigs and dried herbs into a little piece of cheesecloth (making a bouquet garni, or, to be more accurate, a sachet d'epices) and tie it into a little sack; add the sack to the stock (you can tie the sack closed with some twine and tie the long end of the twine to the handle of the pot; this makes the bag easier to retrieve.) Simmer for one more hour, then add the shrimp shells and heads. Simmer an additional 30 minutes. (If you're making a general-use chicken stock from this recipe, omit the shrimp shells and heads and the additional 30 minutes of simmering.) Remember that during the simmering process, it's best not to stir the stock. The end result will be much clearer if it is not agitated while simmering. Strain thoroughly; the best way to do this is to ladle the stock out and pour it through a strainer which has been lined with a couple of layers of damp cheesecloth. If you're using the stock immediately, skim off as much fat as you can with a fat skimmer or a piece of paper towel, otherwise cool the stock righy away by placing the container into an ice-water-filled sink, stirring to bring the hot liquid from the center to the sides of the container. Don't just put hot stock in the refrigerator; it won't cool enough to prevent possible multiplication of harmful bacteria. To defat the stock easily, refrigerate so that the fat solidifies on the surface, then skim off. Makes about 5 quarts of stock. (Except for the shrimp shells, this is an excellent general-purpose chicken stock. The shells are added at the last minute for the additional seafood flavor for that I like especially for this dish; for general use, though, it's best to make separate chicken or fish stocks. The stock will keep for a few days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.) FOR THE ROUX: * 1 cup flour * 1 cup oil Blend thoroughly in a thick skillet and cook over medium-high to high heat, stirring CONSTANTLY. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN IT!! If you see black specks in the roux, you've screwed it up. Dump it out and start over. Keep cooking and stirring until the roux gets darker and darker. You may have to add more flour or oil to your roux until it's the right consistency -- not to thin, not too thick or pasty. New Orleans people tend to like a blond or peanut butter colored roux, so feel free to make it that way if you like. Cajuns tend to like it dark, and so do I -- if you feel comfortable that you won't burn the roux, cook it until it's a dark, reddish-brown, almost but not quite as dark as milk chocolate. The roux, when finished, almost smells like roasted coffee ... yum! If you cook your roux at low to medium heat, you can add onions and peppers near the end to arrest the cooking process and add flavor. If you're using high heat, they'll burn, so let it cool first. You should turn the fire down or off as the roux nears the right color, because the heat from the pan will continue cooking it. KEEP STIRRING until the roux is relatively cool. Add the roux to the stock when cool. They don't call roux "Cajun napalm" for nothing. Don't let any splatter on you. Time-wise, remember that a dark Cajun-style roux will take about an hour of constant stirring, so if you're pressed for time, a nice medium Creole-style roux will still do nicely, and will take about half the time. Also remember that the roux can be prepared in advance, and refrigerated or frozen. FOR THE REST: * 1 chicken or guinea hen, without giblets * 1 pound smoked sausage and/or fresh Creole hot sausage, browned * 4 pounds shrimp * 6 blue crabs, cleaned, broken in half and claws pulled off * 3 pounds okra, sliced * 2 onions, chopped * 1 bunch green onions with tops, chopped * 2 bell peppers, chopped * 5 ribs celery, chopped * several cloves garlic, minced * 3 bay leaves * 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped * Creole seasoning to taste, OR + black, white and cayenne peppers, to taste * Few dashes Tabasco, or to taste. * Steaming hot Louisiana long-grain rice Sprinkle the chicken pieces with Creole seasoning and brown in the oven. Slice the sausage and brown, pouring off all the fat (especially if you're using fresh Creole hot sausage). Saute the onions, green onions, bell pepper and celery if you haven't already added them to the roux, and add to the stock. Add the chicken and sausage(s). Add the bay leaves and Creole seasoning (or ground peppers) to taste and stir. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer; let simmer for about 45 minutes. Keep tasting and adjusting seasonings as needed. Add the okra and cook another 30 minutes or so. Make sure that the "ropiness" or "stringiness" from the okra is gone, add the parsley, crab halves and claws. Cook for another 15 minutes, then add the shrimp. Give it another 6-8 minutes or so, until the shrimp are just done, turning pink. Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp; adding the shrimp should be the very last step. If there is any fat on the surface of the gumbo, try to skim off as much of it as possible. Serve generous amounts in bowls over hot rice, claws, shells, bones and all. Remember that the rice goes in the bowl first, and it is not an optional step, despite the annoying trend among some restaurants to serve a riceless gumbo (or to put it on top ... get a clue!). You may, if you like, sprinkle some gumbo file' in your individual serving; just remember not to put it in the pot and cook it with the gumbo; it doesn't work, and will make the gumbo stringy. I labored for years refining this recipe. If you make this gumbo and serve it to your guests without crediting me and singing my name, very VERY bad voodoo gris-gris will be sent in your direction (I've got a gris-gris daemon running as a background process) ... so watch it! :-) (C) 1994, Chuck Taggart (but don't worry about the copyright ... worry about the gris-gris!) Have fun! Eat! Chuck -- C. E. Taggart \/ eamon@netcom.com \/ KCRW, Santa Monica CA, 89.9 FM Stay up and listen to "Gumbo", Sunday nights from Midnight to 3:00am For my latest playlist, finger eamon@netcom.com | more Visit the Gumbo WWW Page -- ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/eamon/home.html "Whatever you is ... BE that!" -- Clifton Chenier's barber =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=