What is the best gumbo recipe in the universe?

Answer 1

"Gumbo" - 6 servings

1/4 cup salad oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion; chopped
1 medium green pepper; chopped
1 clove garlic; minced
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves; crushed
1 lb. cooked ham; diced
1 lb.medium shrimp; shelled and deveined
1 (8 oz.) can tomatoes; chopped
4 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. file' powder
Hot cooked rice

1) In 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, in hot oil, slowly cook flour until dark brown but not burned, about 8 minutes, stirring constantly.
2) Stir in onion, green pepper, garlic, parsley and thyme; cook until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
3) Add ham, shrimp, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until flavors are blended. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Stir in file' powder.
4) To serve: Scoop rice into bowls; ladle soup over rice. Yields 8 cups.
OKRA GUMBO: Prepare as above, but add 1/2 lb. okra; sliced, along with ham and omit file' powder.

Answer 2

Recipes for gumbo, along with a basic roux
Gumbo is a Louisiana soup or stew which reflects and blends the rich cuisines of regional Indian, French, Spanish, and African cultures. The word "gumbo" is derived African term for okra, "gombo," and first appeared in print in 1805. Filé gumbo, a version thickened with filé powder (ground sassafras leaves) as used by the Choctaw Indians, came along about 20 years later.
There are no hard and fast rules for making gumbo beyond the basic roux, okra or filé powder, and your imagination. There are probably as many distinctive recipes for gumbo as there are cooks in Louisiana.

First you make a roux......

The fat used in roux may be butter, shortening, lard, oil, or even bacon drippings. Combine fat with an equal amount of flour ; 1/2 cup of each will make a good amount and any excess can be stored in the refrigerator. (Many cookbooks call for a little more fat than flour - 2/3 cup oil to 1/2 cup flour is a common ratio.) Melt the fat in a black skillet over low heat. When warm and fluid, sprinkle the flour in a little at a time, stirring. Stir constantly until brown (this may take 20 to 30 minutes) ; immediately remove from heat or add ingredients your recipe calls for. If it burns even slightly, throw it out and start over again.

Recipes

Slow Cooker Shrimp and Okra Gumbo
Catfish Gumbo
Low-Fat Seafood Gumbo
Chicken & Okra Gumbo
Basic Gumbo
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Gumbo Ya Ya
New Orleans Pork Gumbo
Classic Chicken Gumbo
Ham Skillet Gumbo
Seafood Gumbo
Spicy Seafood Gumbo
Shrimp Gumbo a la Don
Chicken Gumbo

Related Recipes
How to Make a Roux
Crawfish Etouffee
Shrimp Etouffee
McGentry's Shrimp Creole
Beaufort Stew Recipe
Low Country Boil
Shrimp Jambalaya
Spicy Chicken and Shrimp
Shrimp and Crabmeat Au Gratin
Shrimp Creole

Answer 3

Gumbo, oh my goodness there are a million recipes for Gumbo. The only thing most of the recipes agree upon is the roux (thickening; a dark melange of flour and oil), celery, onions, garlic, bell peppers.

Some Gumbos have okra. Some Gumbos have tomato. Some people like thick Gumbo. Some people swear by thin Gumbo. I try to stay in between.

Seafood Gumbo is a slightly different animal than chicken...but I will tell you I do use a chicken base for my seafood gumbos sometimes and I throw in shells of shrimps, fish ends, etc. to make a good flavor. You can use clam broth is you wish.

File: it is the powdered leaf tips of the Sassafras tree. It is not to be added to the Gumbo at all but it can be put on top of the Gumbo when it is served. I have seen people claim File' is a thickener - no it is not. It becomes very bitter when cooked.


Simmer boil one chicken with a stalk of celery,a couple of dried red peppers, half and onion, 4 cloves garlic, and a couple of teaspoons chicken stock base (I use this stuff called Veggie you can buy it on line) - salt pepper

When the chicken is falling off the bones. Take out the chicken cool. Take off the meat and put aside. Strain the broth and put in a clean 1 or two gallon pot.

Chop fine: 2 onions, 2 bunches scallions all parts, 8 cloves chopped garlic, 2 green peppers, 1 cup parsley, 1 cup chopped celery, can add 1/2 cup chopped peppers red sweet, 2 fresh chopped seeded jalapenos,

Two Cans diced tomatoes.


Roux: Combine 1 1/2 cup corn oil or Crisco and 1 cup all purpose flour

It is important to know that a roux is not like the flour butter thickening combination you make for bechamel to thicken the sauce. Roux will thicken the sauce but it considering the amount of roux you make, it does not have the thickening properties of the white flour. I think this is because you cook away the gluten or something when you brown it so much. You will get some thickening but you will get more the color.

I used to make the roux by the cast iron skillet and stir it.This could take hours. NOW I make the roux in the oven in the cast iron skillet. cup all purpose flour stir until mixed well no lumps put in hot oven about 450. Watch for it to start changing color I would check in 15 mins the first time and more frequently after. Stir with wooden spoon. Not sure how long this will take but the roux needs to be dark - not the color of coffee but the color of a coffee with a couple of drops of of cream in it a deep dark caramel color but beyond caramel almost black. Emeril says color of chocolate milk but it needs to be darker.

If you are scared of Roux you can buy it in a jar. I never used it but some people say it is okay. Also you can get the idea of the color from the Jar roux. Ragin' Cajun makes Roux in a jar.

My former Mother-in-Law, Bea Pratt, taught me this trick. She had owned a lot of restaurants and was the best cook I ever knew:
When roux is dark take skillet out of oven and put the vegetables into the roux - they will sizzle. Stir them around so they are coated and set aside.

Make a large pan of steamed white rice. 2 cups rice 3.5 cups water salt. Bring to a boil cover turn heat down as low as it will go and cook for 25 mins turn off leave top on pot until you sever with Gumbo.

Stock broth should be heated back up to boiling add two cans of tomatoes cook about half an hour. Add the vegetables coated with the roux also add sausage if you are going to add sausage. Cook for about 20 minutes. Stir add the chicken meat, heat serve.

Put a big scoop of rice in a bowl top with Gumbo serve with some hot sauce, crackers, and the bottle of File', most people do not put file anyway.

Answer 4

REAL CAJUN GUMBO

1 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper seeds removed and chopped
1 cup of chopped celery


Prepare the trinity first (above ingredients) and set aside. Prepare preferred meat sausage, chicken, etc, or if choosing seafood, shrimp, oysters, crab meat, crawfish, etc. Prepare and set aside.

1 cup cooking oil or shortening
1 cup flour
2 quarts warm water
2 teaspoons Tabasco brand pepper sauce
1 tablespoon Zatarain's Creole seasoning or Tony Chachere's
2 cups okra, cleaned and sliced
3 to 4 cups rice

An authentic gumbo is prepared with a dark Re-aux, as are most all Cajun dishes. In a 6 or 8 quart stew pot (black iron is preferred but whatever you have will suffice) mix 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of flour. Place over medium heat and stir continuously.
NOTE: If you stop stirring it will stick and you will have to start over. Be sure to go over the entire bottom of the pot while stirring. The flour will begin to change color from white, to tan, to orange, to red, to light brown, to dark brown, then finally to black.

For this recipe, medium to dark brown is what is needed. This takes 10 to 15 minutes.

At this point, dump in the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook till the onion starts to clear. Add the meat at this time, but not your seafood.

Cook until meat starts to brown, then stir in warm water and seasonings. You are looking for a thicker-than-soup consistency but not as thick as stew. Add more or less water to achieve this. Bring to a simmering boil.

Add the okra and seafood of your choice. Cook for one hour.

Prepare rice and serve over rice in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste and the Cajuns would add a little dash of File' (Ground sassafras) or you can use thyme, finely ground (but not as good).

For a Creole Gumbo add tomatoes.

Answer 5

My Mom's! Ohhhhh MAAAAANNNNNN! It's the best I have ever had!