Gumbo Recipes
Gumbo City blog was added to the main site because i was getting request for other recipes that i have and to maintain a triditional site was just going to be to much. So here we are moving ahead with a blog stile site and the interest in the site is still going. The blog will still focus on hings like Gumbo, andouille sausage and shrimp recipe, Crawfish, Seafood, Jambalaya and Red beans and rice but will add some other things i like to cook up in pots. I’ve been asked to add some soups and other recipes that will round out the site. If you like what you see then please tell a friend.
So What is Gumbo?
Gumbo is a full body and flavorfull soup or stew, typically though of as a Louisiana food. The truth is that Gumbo Recipes can be found all over the United States It is an all season food but typically is prominent around the winter months
Gumbo typically consists of two components, rice and broth, and because to the cooking time and effort it is typically made in large batches. Nothing wrong with frezing some for the summer months when its to hot go cook it. Rice is the other main componet of gumbo recipes and is made the day it is to be servered and mixed with the broth when served,
Gumbo Recipes can and do contain just about any kind of meat you want to add. Typically the recipes will have a theme based on the region that it is made in. In the gulf states seafood (typically crab and shrmp or crawfish). In the mid west gumbo recipes to be more fowl based (typically duck, quail, chicken), and other meats Standarders used as seasoning tend to be sausages of some type based on the taste of the cook. There is also a tradisiona gumbo recipe made from greens called gumbo z’herbes, which is a French word for gumbo aux herbs. It is essentially a gumbo of greens thickened with roux. One of the main ingredient of the greens gumbo is okra, and okra is how gumbo got is current name as the word gumbo comes for the West African word for okra.
Altought not a popular gumbo recipes can be beef based, but the thing that sets gumbos apart tend to be the characteristics of the type of stock used and the thickening agent used.
As most of the flavor well come from the stock it is always as rich as possible, made with what complements the theme of gumbo being prepared (seafood stock for seafood gumbo, chicken stock for chicken gumbo, etc.) This typically means spending time at the stove making a full flavored stock and it is really worth the time.
There are three ways that are commonly use to thicken a gumbo recipe.
Okra
Filé powder
Roux.
A classic gumbo recipe may ask for okra or filé powder. My personal preference is to use a Roux, and either way roux may be added to either. Okra tends to be more popular in restaurants, do to the Original factor. although you can mix okra and filé is it is not a common practice in Louisianan cuisine, as filé was originally an okra substitute when okra was not in season; although some cooks do this.
The traditional practice of using okra in the summer (in season) and filé in the winter has played a role in defining the kinds of gumbo typically associated with each. These associations are not hard and fast rules, but more of a general guide. For example a purely seafood gumbo is typically not thickened with filé, while one that is purely meat and game would typically not have okra. This reflects traditional practices of fishing and crabbing in warmer weather and hunting and butchering in cooler weather.
Gumbo has been called the greatest contribution of Louisiana kitchens to American cuisine. When the first African slaves came to Louisiana, they brought their love for a thin seasoned fish stew with okra. A variant of this soup, with the same origin as gumbo is still served in today’s Nigeria and Ghana, consisting of fish, okra, plantains and tomato.
Create your own Gumbo Recipes
I only list a couple of gumbo recipes here but they are good bases for you to build from. Take these and add and delete till you come up with one that fits you. You might even try a pot luck Gumbo where you have friends bring there own favorite ingredient to add to the pot. Create your own gumbo recipes and pass them on. Here are some of my personal favorite Gumob Recipes: Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp gumbo recipes ; Chicken and Sausage Gumbo recipes; Beef, Crab, and Shrimp gumbo recipes.
