Thursday, February 26, 2009

Making Gumbo for Mardi Gras


I turned out an acceptable gumbo, and here's how I did it. First, sautee red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, onion and garlic in butter for at least a half hour on medium heat. Basically caramelize it. Next, make the roux: melt 1/3 cup butter and then add 1/3 cup whole wheat flour over medium-medium high heat and stir constantly until it turns darker brown (at least 15 minutes).

When the roux is to your liking, throw in a cup of chunked chicken thighs and the vegetable sautee mixture and stir until the chicken is browned. Then add 4 cups boxed beef broth, 1 teaspoon sugar, and one can diced tomatoes, un-drained.



Throw in 2 bay leaves, some dried thyme, fresh parsley, salt, and a half teaspoon cayenne pepper. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 2 and a half hours. Clean the house, do laundry, take a shower, work on your Facebook. Add as much raw shrimp and pre-cooked andouille sausage chunks as you want. Add some hot sauce and 2 T worcestershire sauce. Simmer 10 minutes, remove bay leaves, add file powder and serve over short-grained brown rice. Oh, don't forget to taste to see if it's hot enough. If not, add more cayenne.