Home Style Gumbo Recipes

HOME-STYLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic; cook and stir 5 minutes.
• Add pork; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until no longer pink.
• Add broth, thyme, basil, hot pepper sauce and tomatoes; mix well. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice and shrimp. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes or until shrimp are hot. If desired, serve with additional hot pepper sauce.

AUTHENTIC NEW ORLEANS STYLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
• Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
• Cook the vegetables in broth. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot.
• Add remaining 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
• Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
• Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

VALERIE'S VERY BEST GUMBO

Steps:

• Warm 1 cup oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven until hot. Add the flour to the pot all at once, whisking until the consistency is uniform. Cook the roux, whisking occasionally, until it is the color of a tarnished penny, about 20 minutes. Do not let it darken any further. Carefully add the celery, bell peppers, onion, chopped scallions and garlic to the pot, working away from you as the hot roux may spatter. Stir with a wooden spoon until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add enough stock to just cover the vegetables, about 1 quart, and stir to combine. The roux may separate. Add the tomatoes with their juices, andouille and smoked sausages, cayenne, bay leaves, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper and the remaining stock, about 1 more quart. Partially cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the okra and cook, stirring, until the gel dries out slightly, about 3 minutes. Add to the Dutch oven.
• Taste the gumbo for seasoning and adjust as desired. Add the chicken, cook until warmed through and serve, or simmer up to 2 hours more to concentrate the flavors, adding the chicken 20 minutes before serving.
• Sprinkle with the reserved sliced scallions and serve over rice. Serve with hot sauce and file powder if using.

GUMBO

Steps:

• For the roasted okra: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toss the okra with some olive oil, then spread in a baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• For the blackening spice: Stir together the paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and thyme in a jar.
• For the gumbo: Saute sausage, garlic, celery, onion and peppers in 1/2 cup olive oil in a saucepot until veggies are soft.
• Mix flour with canola oil and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and cook until dark brown, then add to veggie pot. Add 1/4 cup blackening spice (save the remainder for another use). Add stock, chicken, pork, tomatoes, file, oregano, thyme and bay leaf, then add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 45 minutes.
• Mix the okra in with the rest of the gumbo. Serve with rice or cornbread.

ITALIAN-STYLE GUMBO RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook rice as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour and 1/4 cup cheese; cook and stir 5 min. or until mixture comes to boil. Add sausage, celery, peppers and onions; cook 15 min., stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth and shrimp; cook 10 min. or until mixture is heated through and shrimp are done, stirring occasionally.
• Spoon shrimp mixture over rice; top with remaining cheese.

AUTHENTIC CAJUN GUMBO

Steps:

• Place the first 11 ingredients in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours., Remove chicken and allow to cool. Strain broth, discarding vegetables; skim fat. Remove meat from bones; cut chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Discard bones., In the same pan, cook and stir oil and flour over medium heat until caramel-colored, about 14 minutes (do not burn). Add finely chopped onion; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil., Carefully stir in sausage and reserved chicken. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in okra and oysters. Simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes longer or just until okra is tender. Stir in file powder. Serve with rice.

QUICK 'N EASY GUMBO

Steps:

• Pour a glass of nice red wine and have a drink.
• Put some Italian opera on the stereo and turn volume up.
• Start a big pot of rice, I prefer white rice to serve this gumbo over.
• Rice is on the top shelf to the right.
• Cut meat into nice bite-sized slices, keeping fingers clear of blade.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a big pot and slowly saute meat with garlic and onions.
• Try not to eat too much of the meat while you cook or allow family members to.
• Precooked meats like the pork will speed process.
• Uncooked meats like chicken or shrimp can be quickly boiled in chicken broth and tossed in later.
• Never under cook chicken.
• Saute until lightly browned.
• Add broth to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat to medium and then add all the other ingredients one at a time starting with firmer vegetables first (they need more cooking) and soft last.
• Toss in spices last.
• Cook over medium heat until all ingredients are blended and cooked to your liking.
• Not over cooked or too soft is how I like it.
• Maybe fifteen minutes tops.
• The longer you cook the more the flavors will blend, but I prefer separate identifiable flavors so I cook less.
• Now taste your results being careful not to burn your tongue no matter how hungry you are.
• You're going to need that tongue later.
• Add ingredients according to your liking.
• I like to toss in some of the wine I'm drinking and I always add more garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
• Don't make it too spicy or your wife will not enjoy it.
• Serve over rice in big bowls.
• Put salt and pepper and Tabasco on the table for others to adjust flavors to their liking.
• You can now add more Tabasco to your own bowl and give your wife a wink.
• Turn off the TV and try talking to each other for a change.
• Finish the bottle of wine and go for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner to aid digestion.
• Enjoy!

NEW ORLEANS GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in the rice, celery, onion and garlic. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, chicken, kielbasa, thyme, pepper, bay leaves and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes., Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into chicken mixture. Stir in shrimp and green pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and gumbo is thickened. Discard bay leaves., Remove rice from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes; stir in parsley. Serve with gumbo.

SOUTHERN GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine oil and flour in a large Dutch oven; cook over medium heat until roux is the color of a copper penny.
• Stir in celery, onion, green pepper and garlic; add parsley. Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring occasionally.
• Fry okra in 2 T hot shortening until browned. Add to gumbo and stir well over low heat for a few minutes.
• At this stage, the mixture may be cooled, packaged and frozen or refrigerated for later use.
• Add next 12 ingredients; simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• About 30 minutes before serving, add chicken, crabmeat and shrimp, simmer 30 minutes. Add oysters during.
• last 10 minutes of simmering period. Stir in molasses.
• Serve over hot rice.

"BIG EASY" GUMBO

Steps:

• In 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Gradually stir in flour with whisk; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until flour is chocolate colored. (Do not burn mixture.)
• Reduce heat to medium. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery, Creole seasoning and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in broth. Add chicken, sausage and black-eyed peas. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in shrimp; cook 5 minutes or just until shrimp are pink.

GOOD NEW ORLEANS CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.