Making Louisiana gumbo is what’s cookin’ in the Places In The Home kitchen today.
Our son wants to master the art of the roux and the flavor ya ya of my gumbo recipe.
The plan is to introduce his Canadian friends and co-workers to Cajun cuisine.
Lessons in flavors from home far transcends roux and filé.
“Cajun cuisine is a technique-driven cuisine, because
it’s a very humble style of cooking.
It’s about what can you do with humble ingredients
like onions, celery, bell peppers, oil, and flour.
How can you intensify flavors and create meals
that are satisfying and hearty and make you happy.”
—Frank Brigsten
Roux
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Heat oil in a black skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add flour in gradually, stirring well. Reduce heat to low. Stir/whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches a rich brown color, approximately 30-40 minutes. You must stir/whisk constantly to prevent the roux from burning.
Black flakes indicate burned roux, and burned roux tastes horrible. If you burn it, throw it out and start over.
Start over?
Yes. Start over.
It’s worth it.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
8 cups water
traditional roux; see recipe below (or 8 ounces of instant roux from jar)
3 chicken bouillon cubes
4 boneless skinless chicken breast, shredded
**Substitution: deli rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 lb. package smoked sausage, sliced
1 12 ounce bag frozen chopped onions
1 12 ounce bag frozen chopped bell peppers
½ cup celery, chopped
1 Tablespoon celery seed
3 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fine black pepper, or to taste*
**Substitution: 1 teaspoon Créole seasoning for salt and pepper
½ cup white wine or to taste
4 green onions, chopped
Roux
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Heat oil in a black skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add flour in gradually, stirring well. Reduce heat to low. Stir/whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches a rich brown color, approximately 30-40 minutes. You must stir/whisk constantly to prevent the roux from burning.
Gumbo Directions
Slice sausage into ½ inch pieces. Using a seasoned skillet for optimum taste results, cook the sliced sausage over medium-high heat until browned. Transfer cooked sausage to plate lined with paper towels, allowing excess grease to drain. Set aside.
Place chicken breasts in Dutch oven or stock pot, add water, and bring to a boil. Add celery seed, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. black pepper.
Stir and reduce heat to medium low, cooking chicken breasts until done, about 1 hour. Transfer chicken breasts from pot to large mixing bowl. Shred chicken breasts and return to broth.
Turn heat back to high and bring to boil. Add roux to broth and chicken mixture, whisking until roux dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and add minced garlic, chopped onions, bell pepper and celery, bay leaves, chicken bouillon cubes, remaining salt and black pepper (or Créole seasoning).
Carefully pour in white wine. Stir to blend and incorporate.
Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer uncovered for approximately 2 hours, allowing all flavors to marry. Remove bay leaves and skim any fat off top of gumbo.
Add chopped green onions and continue to simmer for additional 5 minutes.
Serve gumbo over cooked rice. Top with a sprinkle of filé, more green onions, and hot sauce to taste, if desired.
Gumbo is delicious on the first day, and flavor filled filé fantastic the next day.
