I need a good GUMBO recipe...?!
I need a good GUMBO recipe...?
I need a recipe to make GUMBO (New Orleans style)
but the problem is I can't get the same beans they use in
New Orleans, in my town (Chicago). Any one have suggestions?
Answers:
I live about 45 minutes from New Orleans, down in Cajun Country. I'll tell you how to make a gumbo - we DO NOT put any kind of beans in our gumbo.
Chicken and sausage gumbo.
Rinse three boneless, skinless chicken breast, and 3 boneless, skinless thighs. Cut away any excess fat and cut in pieces. In a heavy bottom pot, put about 1/2 cup cooking oil, I use Mazola corn oil. Let heat on medium hight and then add 1/2 cup all purpose flour when oil is very warm. Stir this together and continue to stir until roux gets dark brown, not burnt, just brown. You have to continually stir a roux, you can't leave it or it will burn. Once nice and brown, turn fire to medium and add 1 1/2 cup of chopped onion and 2 cups of chopped celery and 1/2 cup of chopped green pepper. Stir in vegetables and let wilt, once wilted, add your chicken and if you desire add 1 link or 1 pound of smoked sausage (sliced). Let chicken and sausage cook in the roux until chicken is browned on both sides. Add approximately 2 - 3 quarts of cool water, and at this time I add 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, 1/2 cup chopped green onion tops and 1 or 2 bay leaves. You can also put a couple of chicken bouillon cubes in the pot for extra flavor. I also add a few shakes of Louisiana Hot Sauce and some Cajun Seasoning - about 2 teaspoons or so and salt and pepper. Bring to boil and then simmer for about 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Cook a big pot of rice, I use Watermaid medium grain in my rice cooker. Put a big spoon of rice in a deep bowl and with a soup ladle, add your gumbo on top of your rice. If you like you may buy file' and sprinkle on the rice - not in the pot or eat just like this. Enjoy - and that's from a pure blooded cajun.
P.S. Cajuns always serve potato salad with gumbo. It just goes together.
Chicken Gumbo:
1? hours 15 min prep
4-6 servings
3-4 lbs cut up chickens (I use all pieces)
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1/2 can ketchup
1/2 can water
1/2 cup margarine
flour
pepper
garlic powder
salt (optional)
1. Dust chicken with flour and seasonings.
2. In a large skillet brown chicken in margarine,tranfer chicken to a large pot.
3. Pour soup over chicken.
4. Mix ketchup& water,pour over chicken.
5. Cover,bring to a simmer& simmer for 1 hour,or until chicken is tender.
6. Stir a few times while cooking,to make sure chicken doesn't scorch.
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (8 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, chopped
3 stalks celery & leaves, chopped
6 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb kielbasa, cut into chunks
1 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
In a soup pot heat the oil. Add the garlic and scallions and sautee until onions are tender.
Add the shrimp and kielbasa. Cook until the shrimp are pink. Add the spices and stir to coat.
Add the green beans, peppers, tomatoes and broth. Stir to combine.
Cook over medium-high until heated through. Serve.
Substitute another type of bean for the one you cannot get. Or you can always try and order the bean you need on-line. I don't know what kind of bean it is that your recipe calls for but navy beans are a good substitute for a bean going into soup recipes or you could try any of the dried broad bean family. Kidney Beans might be another you could try or lima beans. I would check in the market district of your city for ethnic grocery stores or supply stores. You may be surprised to find that they carry whatever type of bean you are looking for. I would think that the okra would be difficult to find as well but I bet they have that down there too.
I lived in New Orleans and never had beans in Gumbo. What recipe are you using?
This comes directly from Louisiana:
ingred:
1 med bell pepper
1 med onion
4 stalks green onion
1/2-1 c of store bought roux
3 cloves garlic
3 stalks celery
1 lb spicy link sausage (can use anduille), sliced
2-4 lbs chicken with skin on, any parts
water to taste (about 3-4 quarts total)
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
Heat roux in large stock pot, stirring constantly. When it begins to bubble, add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until onions are translucent (about 3-4 minutes) stirring constantly. Don't let the roux burn. Add water to fill the pot halfway. Add garlic, spices, and meat. Leave chicken pieces whole. Add water to near the top of the pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for an hour or until chicken is cooked through. Taste and re-season if necessary. If desired, take chicken off of the bone and put meat back into the gumbo. Skim oil off the top---you'll still have plenty of fat in it to make it good. Serve over rice or potato salad. Enjoy.
One Great Gumbo with Chicken and Andouille Sausage
takes 30 minutes!! good luck
2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound chicken breast tenders, diced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced or, double amount of white meat
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage, casings removed and diced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk, chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (for mild to moderate heat)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken stock or broth
3 cups chopped okra, fresh or defrosted frozen
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, in puree
3 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves, several sprigs
8 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
2 1/2 cups white enriched rice prepared to package directions
Preheat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 turn of the pan, and 1 pound of the diced chicken. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of poultry seasoning. Brown on all sides, about 2 or 3 minutes. Chop your veggies while it's working. Add half the andouille to the pan and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer chicken and sausage to a dish and repeat with remaining chicken and sausage, remembering to season the diced chicken as you go. Return pan to heat and add butter. When the butter melts, add chopped celery, peppers, onion and bay. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook 3 to 5 minutes to begin to soften veggies. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the broth and bring liquid up to a boil. Add okra, chicken and sausage to the boiling broth, then stir in your tomatoes and half of your fresh thyme. Bring back up to a bubble, reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes to combine flavors and adjust your seasonings. Serve gumbo with chopped thyme and scallions to garnish. Scoop cooked white rice into the center of bowlfuls of gumbo using an ice cream scoop. Enjoy!
I have a wonderful recipe that takes all day to prepare and tastes delicious, However, it doesn't call for canned Chicken gumbo soup.
Beans? sorry but mine never has beans, onlyt okra (which you can buy in the frozen veggie section)
Beans? Beans? No beans in my gumbo, no beans in my chili. Hey try this. Serves about 8
I box of Zatarain's Gumbo Base (not Gumbo mix with rice)
2 onions
2 large carrots
1 large bell pepper, any color
4 stalks celery
2 bay leaves (fresh or 4 dried)
Salt & Pepper
1 whole chicken
1lb smoked rope sausage.
2 nights before: place chicken, 1 cut up onion, 2 carrots chopped into 6-8 pieces, 2 stalks of celery cut in chunks, 2 bay leaves in large stock pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook 25-30 minutes.
Remove chicken (it should fall apart) and set aside to cool only enough that you can handle it. Pick off meat and put in a bowl and throw any fat, skin or bones back into pot. Return to boil then simmer couple hours. Watch liquids as you want about 8-12 cups of liquid. Refrigerate meat and let stock cool to point you can pour through fine sieve (I try to pull out as much bones and veggies as I can) put it in fridge.
Day before melt stick of butter in a stock pot. Add 1 carrot, 1 onion, 2 celery, and pepper all finely chopped. Saute about 2-3 minutes add 2 tables spoons of sifted flour and saute, med-low, stirring constantly until mixture is peanut butter brown. While still hot add about 8 cups of cold, filtered stock and stir constantly about 2 minutes.
Bring to a gentle boil and add Zatarain's box of stuff and stir or wisk to get the lumps out. Let simmer a couple hours. Then chop up chicken and sausage and add to pot, turn off heat and let cool until can be put in fridge.
The gumbo can be served once the meat is heated through. But if you let it sit over night the flavors will intensify and any flour lomps will dissolve.
Serve hot over an ice cream scoop of white rice that is placed in center of a bowl. Never jut mix rice into gumbo and serve as a soup.
You can usee any meat. If fish or shellfish you might only brown the roo (flour & chopped veggies mix) to a light brown. If you use game meat brown the roo to chocolate color. Enjoy
I have never seen beans in Gumbo,you have my full attention on that one.Now red beans and rice--OK.Thanks for the input.More than anything--No carrots in Gumbo either......Bah...humbug.....