Test Kitchen Gumbo Recipes

GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat 1/2 cup of the vegetable oil in a cast-iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the flour and whisk until combined and just beginning to brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until it is a deep peanut butter brown color, 15 minutes. Set the roux aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and is lightly browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and brown over medium heat in the sausage drippings. Remove the chicken from the pot and place in the bowl with the sausage. Stir in the tomato paste until smooth and slightly darkened (be careful not to burn), about 1 minute. Add the celery, onions, peppers and cayenne to the pot and continue to cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until just aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and 2 cups water and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the warm roux a bit at a time until combined. Tie the pickling spice in a bit of cheesecloth and add to the pot along with the chicken and sausage. Simmer all together until thickened and the flavors have blended, about 45 minutes.
• Add the shrimp and gumbo file and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked through and the gumbo has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the pickling spice bundle. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Serve the gumbo over rice.

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.

LOUISIANA GUMBO

Steps:

• Place the chicken and water in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Skim fat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30-45 minutes or until chicken is tender. , Remove chicken; cool. Reserve 6 cups broth. Remove chicken from bones; cut into bite-size pieces. , In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, mix flour and oil until smooth; cook and stir over medium-low heat until browned, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the onions, peppers, celery and garlic; cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the sausage, ham and reserved broth and chicken; cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. , Add the shrimp, okra, beans, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink.

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.

SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE GUMBO WITH OKRA - AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN

Steps:

• Bring reserved shrimp shells and 4 1/2 cups wter to boil in stockpot or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 20 minutes. Strain stock and add clam juice and ice water (you should have about 2 quarts of tepid stock, 100 to 110 degrees); discard shells. Set stock mixture aside.
• Heat oil in Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed sauce-pan over medium-high heat until it registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in flour gradually with wooden spatula or spoon, working out any small lumps. Continue stirring constantly, reaching into corners of pan, until mixture has a toasty aroma and is deep reddish brown, about the color of an old copper penny or between the colors of milk chocolate and dark chocolate, about 20 minutes. (The roux will thin as it cooks; if it begins to smoke, remove from heat and stir constantly to cool slightly.).
• Add onion, bell pepper, clelery, okra, garlic, thyme, salt, and cayenne; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables soften, 8 to 10 minutes (or 10 to 15 minutes if using fresh okra.) Add 1 quart reserved stock mixture in slow, steady stream, stirring vigorously. Stir in remaining quart stock mixture. Increase heat to high; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, skim off foam on surface, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in sausage; continue simmering to blend flavors, about 30 minutes longer. Stir in shrimp; simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in parsley and scallions, adjust seasonings to taste with salt, ground black pepper, and cayenne; serve (traditionally gumbo is served over white rice.).
• Roux Making Tip: Luke warm stock and constant stirring are keys to the right consistency.

TEST KITCHEN GUMBO

Steps:

• To a dutch oven, add flour, and toast over med heat, stirring, for 5 mins, until tawny brown. Take pot off heat. Whisk in 1/2c vegetable oil until smooth. Cover and put in 350 oven for 45mins. Remove from oven (should be the color of an old copper penny). Put dutch oven on stove top over med heat and add onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook, stirring, until veggies soften, about 10mins. Sprinkle in the tablespoon of AP flour and stir to combine, Add garlic, thyme and cayenne. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and chicken stock and fish sauce. Season skinned, bone-in chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and add to pot, submerging them in the liquid. Cover, reduce heat to med-low, and cook chicken, about 30 mins. Remove chicken and take off bone. Cut into bite-size pieces. Return to pot. Add sausage and okra. Simmer uncovered for 5mins, until shrimp is cooked. Serve over rice.

IT'S SO EASY IT'S CHEATING GUMBO

Steps:

• Debone the chicken into bite size pieces.
• Slice the sausage into bite size pieces.
• I usually use 2/3 the chicken and ½ the sausage depending on how much meat you like in your gumbo.
• Brown the sausage.
• Cook the rice.
• Add the chicken stock, kitchen bouquet, pepper, water, gumbo base and chicken meat to the sausage.
• Cover and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, stir and simmer 20-25 minutes.
• Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
• TIP: Can use brown or white rice. Recipe can be multiplied easily for larger parties. And freezes beautifully.
• TIP: Oak Grove products can be found at Walmart or other Grocers in the South or the following website link: Oak Grove Smokehouse Gumbo Base - Cajun Supermarket.

LIGHTENED-UP GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and stir flour for 6-7 minutes or until light brown in color. Immediately transfer to a small bowl; whisk in broth until smooth., In the same skillet, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir flour mixture; add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened., Add the sausage, okra, bay leaves, Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until okra is tender. Stir in shrimp and chicken. Cook and stir 5-6 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Discard bay leaves. Serve with rice.

GUMBO IN A JIFFY

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook sliced sausage until browned on both sides. Stir in the tomatoes, broth and water; bring to a boil. Stir in rice and corn; cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. If desired, top with sliced green onions.

CHICKEN GUMBO

Steps:

• In several large stock pots, saute celery, green peppers and onions in butter until tender. Add the next seven ingredients; bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. , Stir in the chicken, ham, okra and shrimp if desired. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and okra is tender. Discard bay leaves.

AMERICAN KITCHEN CLASSIC LOUISIANA GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add sausage and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until sausage browns. Remove sausage from pan; set aside.
• Add chicken to pan; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned (bottom of pan will be brown). Remove from pan; set aside.
• Add butter to pan; when melted, stir in flour and cook 10 minutes or until mixture is golden brown and nutty in aroma, stirring constantly. If it burns even slightly, throw it out and start over again.
• Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to pan; stir to combine. Add broth and undrained tomatoes; bring mixture to a boil.
• Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and red pepper. Add shrimp and okra to pan; cook 5 to 7 minutes more or until shrimp are pink and okra is warmed through.
• Return chicken and sausage to pan; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Remove from heat; stir in file powder just before serving. Serve over rice, if desired.