Gumbo City

Chicken gumbo is for those of us that just aren’t into seafood. Most you will see this style of gumbo in the mid west. It is still full of flavor and is by no means a lessor version of seafood gumbo its just different.

• 6 cups water
• 1 cup light roux
• 2 cups beer
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 carrots, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into cubes
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rotini pasta
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring the water to a boil. Add the garlic powder and the hot pepper sauce. Put the carrots into the pot of water. Cook for five minutes.
2. Add the roux, rice, and chicken cubes. Turn heat to low, and cook for three hours.
3. Add the spiral pasta, and cook for ten minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, garnished with green onions.

Chicken Gumbo for those of you that want to ease your way in to the Cajun food culture. This chicken gumbo recipe is simple and easy to make. It is also not so overwhelming in it complex taste. This is also one of the healthiest gumbo recipes that I have seen. Typically the Roux is made with equal parts flour and oil but this one is low on the oil side.
If you like this one then you can add other meats to the pot as you like.
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, skinless and boneless, cut into 1-inch strips
1 cup white potatoes (1/2 lb), cubed
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup carrots (1/2 lb), coarsely chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, grated
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks scallion, chopped
1 whole bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
2 tsps hot (or jalapeño) pepper
1 cup okra (1/2 lb), sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

1. Add oil to a large pot.
2. Heat pot over medium flame.
3. Stir in flour.
4. Cook, stirring constantly, until flour begins to turn golden brown.
5. Slowly stir in all the broth using a wire whisk and cook for 2 minutes. The mixture should not be lumpy.
6. Add all ingredients except okra. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Add okra and let cook for 15 to 20 more minutes.
8. Remove bay leaf.
9. Serve hot in a bowl or over rice.

Ingredients

1 cup Oil or Butter

1 cup all purpose white flour

Heat a heavy skillet or cast iron pot and add oil. Once oil is heated, slowly add the flour, stirring constantly until all is blended. Continue to cook over medium to low heat, stirring constantly until flour and oil blend to form a brown roux the color of a dark copper penny. The longer you cook it, the darker the roux will become. Remember don’t rush the cooking of the roux; allow the mixture to develop at its own pace. Transfer to cooking pot and add warm water to hot roux for thickness desired.

The mixture will make 5 quarts gumbo juice or one large fricassee dish. Many cooks add onion, bell pepper, and celery mixture right at the end of the cooking process. This spreads the flavor through out the roux. You can double or triple the recipe and store the unused roux in a covered container in your icebox for weeks to be used for future dishes.

Gumbo Roux can be used to flavor or thicken gravies. A dish made with roux always taste better the next day or if frozen the next time it is reheated. If you push the gumbo roux too far or burn the roux, the flavor becomes too bitter to use. Throw out and start a new batch of gumbo roux again.

andouille = Cajun andouille = Louisiana andouille Pronunciation: ahn-DWEE or ann-DO-ee Notes: This is a spicy smoked Cajun sausage that’s used in jambalaya and gumbo. Don’t confuse it with the milder French andouille sausage. Substitutes: kielbasa This definition is from The Cook’s Thesaurus
If you can’t find andouille, use a local smoked sausage or kielbasa or whatever smoked sausage you like. This is one of the simplest gumbo’s to make for a quick supper time meal. As with all gumbo recipes the only two really importent things to remember are: Don’t burn the roux and drain the fat.

• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 quarts chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 pounds of pealed shrimp
• 2 pounds andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 1 bunch scallions (green onions), tops only, chopped
• 2/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
• File powder to taste
Brown the sausage, pour off fat. To much fat in the gumbo just makes it taste fatty and detracts for the complex flavors of the other ingredients
In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a Cajun-style roux. If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a dark roux color, over lower heat if you’re nervous about burning it.
Add the vegetables and stir quickly. This cooks the vegetables and also stops the roux from cooking further. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes.
Add the stock, seasonings, and sausage. Bring to a boil, then cook for about one hour, skimming fat off the top as needed. Add shrimp in for the last 10 minutes of cooking so that you don’t over cook it.
Add the chopped scallion tops and parsley, and heat for 5 minutes. Serve over rice in large shallow bowls. Accompany with a good beer and lots of hot, crispy French bread.
YIELD: About 12 entree sized servings.