Louisiana-Style Gumbo
This dish is a labor of love. It's a dish that took me a while to master.
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven with a lid 6-quart
- 1 saute pan 10-inch with a tight-fitting lid
- 1 chef's knife
- 3 mixing bowls Medium size
- 1 silicone whisk
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 pound Andouille sausage 6 links
Instructions
- Add the andouille sausage to a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the pan. Place on a tight-fitting lid and bring the sausage links up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.In the meantime, dice the *holy trinity, onions, celery, and green bell peppers. Next, mince the garlic for the dish. Transfer to a large platter and set aside.Next, remove all the liquid from the pan, then return it to the heat. Allow the sausage links to brown on all sides for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, and transfer the links to a cutting board to cool before slicing them on the bias. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.On a meat-safe board, cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces. Season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning and toss to coat. Using the same pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook, flipping the pieces occasionally, so they brown on all sides. This process takes about 15 minutes. Transfer the seared chicken to a bowl. Set aside.Next, peel and devein the shrimp. This takes about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Season with 1/2 tablespoon of Creole seasoning. Set aside. The shrimp will be the last ingredient that gets added to this dish.The *roux is a very important player in making a great gumbo. This is where the labor of love for this dish comes into play. A dark peanut butter color is what I'm looking for. This means going past the blonde stage (blonde in color) for a standard *roux.In a non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Using a silicone whisk, slowly add the flour, whisking continuously, until the butter/oil mixture absorbs the raw flour, forming a smooth paste-like consistency. At this point, the *roux will start to bubble.Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue whisking for 3-5 minutes, the *roux will start turning light caramel. Switch to a rubber spatula. Scrape down all the sides and bottom of the pan. Again, continue whisking; you're looking for the *roux to turn a dark peanut butter color. This may take anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes.In a preheated Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the onions, ground thyme, Kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. After the onions start to soften, add the diced celery, green bell pepper, and minced garlic. Stir occasionally and cook for 5-7 minutes. At this point, add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.Using a spatula, transfer the *roux to the Dutch oven, and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the andouille sausage, chicken, fire-roasted tomatoes with the juice, and 2 bay leaves, and stir to combine.Next for the liquid. Continue over medium heat, add chicken stock, and stir to combine. Bring all this up to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer. Occasionally stirring, cook for 30-35 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the shrimp and thawed frozen okra. Cook for another 5 minutes.At this point, the sauce will have thickened. Remove from the heat, cover to keep hot.I like serving my Gumbo over Basmati Rice. Right before serving, garnish with sliced green onion tops and Italian flat-leaf parsley.There you have it, my Louisiana-Style Gumbo.
Notes
1) If you're adding the okra in and it's not in season, use the frozen variety. Add the okra towards the end.
2) *Holy trinity: The holy trinity of Cajun cooking consists of onions, bell peppers, and celery, the base for much of the cooking in the regional cuisines of Louisiana.
3) *Roux: A roux is a mixture of fat (especially butter) and flour used in making sauces.
4) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.
