Gumbo
Feeds 4
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Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup oil
- 1/2 Cup Flour
- 1/2 Bell Pepper
- 1/2 Red Pepper (A new and excellent addition!)
- 1/2 Onion
- 1.5 Stalks Celery
- 1 Andouille Sausage, Cajun/Hot style
- 1.5 Two Chicken Breasts
- 4-5 Cups Water or Chicken/Veggie Stock (Hint: stock is better)
- 2 cubes chicken bullion
- 1/2 Cup fresh Parsley
- 2 Tablespoons Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Gumbo File (pronounced fee-leh)
- 1 Dozen Oysters if desired
- 30 or so Gulf Shrimp if desired
Note:
This recipe takes PATIENCE! There are really no shortcuts and no ways around it! Gumbo
will probably demand your attention for at least an hour and a half. If you don't have
that kind of time, simply save the recipe for another night! We're just trying to save
you some of the grief we've had to endure when trying to cut corners before!
Directions
1) Begin by chopping the onion and green pepper. You'll want to chop them broadly rather than finely. We recommend having each piece roughly a half-inch long. Chop the celery into width-wise pieces. Chop the peppers into bite-sized pieces. Also cut the chicken breasts up into cubes and slice the andouille. You can quarter or half the sliced andouille if you'd like.
2) Now make a Roux with 1/2 of the cup of oil (saving the other 1/4), and the 1/2 cup of Flour. Remember, don't neglect it! If it burns, it'll go bitter and you've got to throw the whole mess away! This is the longest part. The roux needs to be a chocolate dark brown, and will take probably 30 minutes at least. It needs to have the color of a Hersey's bar (without being burnt!).
3) Once the roux is the desired color, take it off of heat, and be sure to continue stirring it for a couple of minutes, since it will continue to cook while off the stove.
4) Brown the chicken and the andouille with the remaining 1/4 cup of oil. As always, we highly recommend
a cast iron skillet, but that's just us. Add black pepper, salt, and the Cajun powder to taste and when the
chicken is close to browning, drop in your chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, and
chopped celery. You'll want to keep the vegetables sauteeing until the onions achieve a sort of
see-through property.
3) Measure the four cups of water (or better yet, chicken or veggie stock), add the two crushed chicken
bullion, then pour the water in the roux. The roux will look seperated and odd before everything mixes,
don't worry. Bring the mix up to a boil, stirring continuously, until the roux and the liquid mix. It will take
about 5 minutes. Once mixed, add your vegetables, chicken, andouille, etc., set the stove heat low and
let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4) Once the Gumbo has been cooking for five or so minutes, begin cooking your rice in a seperate pot. You'll
probably want at least roughly 1.5 cups of uncooked rice. The rice will need to cook for roughly 20 minutes.
5) After the Gumbo has cooked for a half hour or so, add in your Parsley, file, and oysters and shrimp if that's
your thing. Seafood cooks relatively quickly, so be careful. If you add Oysters, cook until the edges of the
oysters curl, about 5 minutes. If you add shrimp, cook until the shrimp is a bright orange, also about 5-10 minutes.
Bluescentric Fresh Made Gumbo
