Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Jambalya, Gumbos

Any body out there have a good recipe for gumbo? One that makes your mouth water just thinking about it. Wife says it's my turn to cook supper tomorrow so want something that I like and will also delight her with my culinary accomplishment. Thanks.

What kind of gumbo do you want Stocker? There are all different kinds. Different kinds of Jambalaya too but here is a pretty good one
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<br>1 pound smoked or andouille sausage
<br>1/2 cup oil
<br>1 cup onion chopped
<br>3/4 cup bell pepper chopped
<br>1/4 cup celery chopped
<br>1 8 oz can tomato sauce
<br>1 cup green onions chopped
<br>salt & pepper
<br>2 cups uncooked rice
<br>4 cups water
<br>2 pounds either shrimp, crawfish tails, fish pices, crab meat or a mix of all.
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<br>Slice sausage thin and fry in oil. Remove from pot and drain on paper towel. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and saute in oil left in pot. Add tomato sauce and season to taste. Slow cook for 30 minutes. Add the rice, green onion, water and shrimp, crawfish etc. and sausage. Bring to a boil. When the rice has almost absorbed all the liquid stir well and cover. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

AHHH Gumbo,
<br> There are two basic kinds of "gumbo" the first is a true gumbo the second is faux gumbo for the want of a better name because it doesn't use okra (gumbo).
<br> A.to make rue
<br>1. cup plain flower
<br>1. cup cooking oil
<br>
<br>B. other stuff
<br>viggies #1 all coarse chopped
<br>onions, green peppers, garlic, celery, parsley
<br>about 2cups onions and less of the rest, no more than 1/2 celery as it will take over the flavor of your dish.
<br>
<br>
<br>viggies #2
<br>fresh chopped tomatoes or canned you will need about 4 cups
<br>1 4oz can tomatoe sauce
<br>2 pounds fresh/frozen cut okra
<br>
<br>salt/black/white/red pepper to taste about 1tsp of b/w 1/2 tsp of red more or less is fine as YOU like
<br>onion/garlic powder 1tsp each
<br>dried basil/oregano/thyme about a 1tsp each
<br>mix all in small bowl as spice mix
<br>
<br>1 pound of good quality smoked sausage cut in bite sized pieces. I use Hillshire's when I don't have a stash from home.
<br>2-3 pounds of other "meat"
<br>THE MEAT can be anything from wild game to seafood or any combination of (surf and turf if you will).
<br>
<br>The hardest thing about making a good "gumbo" is the rue. It is also the cheepest part of the whole deal. I could never understand the ressoning behind wasteing $60 in seafood to try to save 45 cents worth of rue. If you ruin the rue out it goes and start over.
<br>
<br>The next is all done on HIGH HEAT
<br>This is how you make a rue.
<br>heat oil in HEAVY pan to the smoking point
<br>add flower and start stirring. you want to cook the flower unti it is DARK brown in color. This is where the problem is with cajun rue because you can burn the rue very easily and not know it. making a good rue takes practice and is something you learn and since it is so cheep to make is easy to pitch out. after you have your rue made add veggies#1 and 1/2 the spice mix. cook until the veggies are soft about 5 mins, stirr, stirr, stirr, at this time add the sausage and the MEAT (NOT SEAFOOD), brown for about 10 mins, stirr, stirr add tomatoe sauce cook about 5 mins, stirr, stirr, stirr, add 7 seven cups of any kind of stock or water and the tomatoes, half the okra, bring to boil cook for five mins, reduce heat to simmer cook for 45 mins. What you are doing here is cooking the bitterness out of the rue and melding all the flavors.
<br>
<br>Last steps
<br>add the last half of the okra and seasoning mix raise heat bring to boil cook for 10 mins (add any SEAFOOD at this time bring to a boil) TURN OFF FIRE, COVER, REMOVE FROM HEAT AND LET STAND 15 mins.
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<br>Serve hot with cooked rice
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<br>As I said at first "gumbo" is basic ALWAYS with okra(gumbo), dark rue and the veggies I listed. You change it by what you add or leave out in the way of meats/seafoods. Add corn aand you have a different kind of soup or leave out the okra an that is also not gumbo BUT THEY ARE ALL referred to as gumbo.
<br>Gumbo is a great way to use up all the beginning of season mystery meat you have in the freezer.

crawfish I will agree with you that hard core gumbo most always has okra in it also file' but some folks don't like the taste of file'.
<br>Got to differ with you on Roux. There are two kinds light and dark. Light is the color of peanut butter and used in etouffe and gravy. Dark the color of chockolate is used in gumbos, stews and sauce piquantes.
<br>Until you get to be an expert it is a lot better to make roux on a medium heat. Takes longer but not as apt to wreck it. As you get more experience then you can notch up the heat.
<br>Start with equal measures of oil and flour in an iron skillet or dutch oven. Heat oil and add flour. I like to stir with a slotted spatula and it is easy to use around the edges. When ever the right color gets there then you can add your fine chopped onion if the recipe calls for onion. Turn off your fire so the roux won't keep cooking but the onions will.
<br>You are right on the count of if you see dark specks in roux throw it out because you have wrecked it. It will be bitter and you can't cure it. Start over.
<br>BCR

Boggy, crawfish: I do thank you for your input and your recipes will assume a position of importance in my recipe book. As Boggy once pointed out, us Canajuns don't know squat about the fine points of chili and probably even less about Creole table fare. But given our natural ineptitude why is it my belly precedes the rest of me these days? Must be it tastes good to me regardless. Well, not reading these before I started cooking I whumped up a real mixed bag of a gumbo which included Creole sausage, chicken wings, prawns, scallops and crab meat. Managed to get fresh okra for a change from canned, lots of good jalapenos, red beans and rice. Ended up with a 18 litre (quarts to you boys) pot full ( I like to cook for the long trail, eh?) Now fellows, I can tell you I know what file`(darn keyboard doesn't have the right punctuation character for file) is but I've never found it for sale here. Sounds like okra is a more dependable thickener in any event although I would like to know what old Hank was singing about before I die.
<br>Boggy, I just knew you would respond. I do like a man who thinks with his taste buds. Thanks again.

Well Stocker, I sure am glad you made up 18 litres of that there Gumbo, My dad, older brother and a couple of friends will come by on our way up to Taltapin for moose in October, so be sure and freeze some and we will pick it up on the way. Heck, we may even need a cook.
<br>Bill

Parts: I don't know if there will be any of this batch left by then but who knows what may be in the freezer . A gent sent me an E-mail offering to send me up some file` spice to try. Very kind of him and of course I was happy to accept his offer. Things may get even better! Not sure how much hunting I'm going to get in this fall as I've got a shoulder problem on the right side.
<br>Am practicing my left hand shooting as recoil seems to be aggravating the problem. Maybe all those full house 45-70 loads that I was shooting the past year even caused it. The problem wouldn't prevent me from shooting a moose but it would sure make it hard to handle one once it's down. If I keep ageing at the rate I have been all I may be good for is camp cook!!! That occupation is of course noted to be hard on the liver due to necesity to keep the camp kitchen amply stocked with single malt (only for seasoning of course). It's the quality control tests that impact the liver . regards, Dennis

Sorry to hear about the shoulder, but yes you are right about the hazards of being camp cook, one does have to ensure all ingredients are on hand and tested before serving. That is great that someone has offered to send you the spice to try. As for ageing, well my dad is 79 years old in July and looks like he is still going to be coming with us and I have applied for a whitetail LEH so he said he would come on that one too. He still gets around alright, me on the other hand I am only going to be to be 47 this year and already have arthritis developing in my hands, so I would say I am worse off them he is now. Hope you can get out and get something, just make sure you have your buddies with you.

Partsbud, 47 huh well I just turned 49 the other day, and i am sort of beatup, arthritis in hands and back not too bad only in the morning, busted up knees, cant hike too far, too many years installing ceramic tile floors and building ships and them darn Brit motorcycles. But all in all not too bad considering I'm still here. There were a few days where that was in doubt. But I am one bodasious sea food cook and should you need someone to fry them oysters or steam them clams then I am you guy.
<br>I think I will go elk scouting this weekend, have a tank of gas to burn and a half dozen rolls of film to shoot. the cows have dropped their calves and I want some pictures. Could be I might happen on another hog too.
<br>Take care
<br>
<br>Bullwnkl.

The trick to good gumbo is the rue. I make mine in a 3 gal. cast iorn pot. My favorite is goose gumbo. The last time I served it to guests they wanted to know how I got my rue so dark. I told them I made it at night.

Well Bullwnkl, that is one thing I love, good seafood. Been a long time since I have had good seafood. What kind of British bikes? any of the old Vincent HRD's or Nortons?

PDS,
<br> Now that is something that I didn't even think of...make it at night....hummm. I have just been working at it for 50 years and just with in the last few years am I comfortable with a "black" rue. I started making rue at my grandmother's house in Lockport , LA in 1952. My parents felt that all the kids needed to know how to cook in case momma was not able to. We learned early and had very good theachers. All the women and most of the men in both my mother's and father's family were very good cooks that knew how to use those things that were taken from the woods and waters of South Louisiana at that time. Much of "Cajun" cooking involves making a rue and one really has to learn to make rues in all their various colorations/intensities to get it right. BTY company coming over tonight for dinner going to have a crawfish boil (putting on 50lbs) with all the fixens, WYWH.

crawfish: I have to say my first attempt at making a gumbo was really quite good. Enough that I want to explore the possibilities a whole lot more. Can you recommend any good reading on the subject or are you such an old hand at it you play by ear (or would it be mouth)? The goose sounds interesting and I happen to have several quarts of bottled goose and duck on hand that might work pretty well.
<br>50 pounds of craws? That must breakdown to about 10 or 15 pounds of eating meat wouldn't it?
<br>Call your guests and cancel out, I'll catch a fast plane and you and I can clean them up in short order. Thanks again for your earlier advice.

http://www.gumbopages.com/ that is the easiest way to go. From that site you will be able to reach other sites for cookbooks, ingerdients, recipies, etc.
<br>BTY it takes 8-10lbs live crawfish to equal 1lb tail meat. That is why we always have corn-on-the-cob, new potatos, whole onions, whole garlic cloves and some even like smoked sausage (I don't as it over powers the crawfish). Every Easter Sunday my family has a crawfish boil in Gretna, LA (just across the river from N.O.). It has been going on every Easter Sunday since before I was born in 1946. We put it on for family and extended family and for friends. Last Easter we did 10 sacks of live crawfish. A sack of crawfish weighs 42-48lbs usually. If they go more than that the crawfish have beed force hydrated and you are buying water. We had 72 people at the table when the first batch of crawfish hit the table at 2PM. There wasn't a crawfish left by 6PM. Boy we passed a good time. We usually cook the other stuff in seperate pots with the same seasoning mix and a small amount of crawfish to give it taste. This year we did smoked picnic hams (6) instead of sausage. Oh almost forgot there was 20qts of redbeans and rice and a most full 50qt pot of chicken gumbo plus all the goodies all these cajun women and men bring. We had a good time as we do every year. This year was the first year in my lifetime that there were more family who aren't cajun than who are at our family gathering. It is rare indeed to hear cajun french spoken at these events anymore.

crawfish: Thank you for that website. I sit at this computer but my head still thinks books for information except for the shooting sites. Mired in the past I guess.
<br>Sounds like you and your family have a great time.
<br>Surprising the loss of Cajun french as my whole experience with the culture is movie related and they appear to feature the patois at every opportunity. I think we get a slightly higher proportion of weight from a prawn than you get from your craws but not a great deal more probably. There are crawfish in southern B.C. and Vancouver Island and I've eaten them there and don't think I've ever had my fill. besto.

Well Stocker, I like to hear that you are learning all this cooking stuff, like I said we will be through there in October, so will grab it on the way through. Or just leave your freezer unlocked, and we can help ourselves.

I took the family to SW Colorado last fall and wanted to share a tale from Durango.
<br>
<br>We ate at a "cajun" restaurant, the only one in town. I asked the waiter for "file" to put into my "gumbo". Waiter says that he's never heard of file, must not be a cajun condiment. I suggested that he speak to the chef. Waiter returns, says that the chef has never heard of file either. OK, can I have some Louisiana Hot Sauce? Waiter returns with a bottle of Tabasco sauce. I said that's nice, but I want cayenne pepper sauce, not tabasco pepper sauce. Waiter returns with the chef, who insults me over my "lack of knowledge" about cajun cuisine. I asked to speak to the owner or manager. Some guy, owner or manager, I can't remember as I was so pissed off by then, comes to negotiate the terms of my departure. I agreed to pay for the tea, milk, and wine that we drank. The owner or manager wants me to pay for food that we hadn't eaten, so I agreed that I'd put it on plastic and then contest the charge with the bank that issued the card. The consumer almost always wins. So I paid and noted that I was paying under protest on the receipt.
<br>
<br>The owner or manager yells at me, telling me never to come back again. Gee, I hadn't planned to, but do you have a table available tomorrow evening?
<br>
<br>Moral of the story, don't order in a cajun restaurant until you have determined that they have both file and LA hot sauce. If not, close the menu and leave.
<br>
<br>Sincerely,
<br>
<br>Bearrr264
<br>
<br>PS The restaurant had to eat the charge and would have been ahead of the game if they had taken my money for the drinks. Nasty letter to the restaurant, cc to chamber of commerce and USAA federal savings bank.

Bearrr264,
<br> Been there, done that. My wife just recently did that same dance with a place in down town Fayetteville, NC. The "gumbo" was like okra in Katchup, pure nasty. I had the pleasure recently of a supposed "gumbo" with of all things a clear broth. That went back. Both of these places now serve all you can eat fried everything buffets.

Parts buddy, I did not see this reply until tonight, a month and a half late, sorry bout that. As for them blasted brit bikes, oh I do like them so.
<br>I have owned many. Several BSA's inc. 1957, 59, 60 Goldstars, a couple lightnings and a Hornet. I have had 8 different Triumph 650's including a TT. One Norton P-11
<br>and a dastardly AJS. Just a glutton for punishment. I have owned a British Sea Gull outboard. The most primative motor known to man kind and the English
<br>
<br>Bullwnkl.

I think I was at that same resturant two years ago with my family. Don't order Mexican food in Silverton either. I don't know what it was we were served, the menu said it was enchaladas, beans and rice. But the cook did not have a clue.

PDS,
<br>
<br>Yeah! We took the narrow gauge train to and from Silverton and ate at "Handlebar's Saloon". Silverton was certainly interesting, in a seedy sort of way. It kind of reminded my of reservations where I've hunted P-Dogs. The 4x4 action is pretty neat, at least I was impressed. I think that my wife spent as much time praying, as she did taking pictures.
<br>
<br>I found the name of the place that I didn't enjoy so much, "Xayou Xoc's". It was truely the worst excuse for cajun that I've ever seen!
<br>
<br>We did, however, eat good pizza at Farquahrt's and fish at Red Snapper. We also ate good mexican at (I think) Gazpacho.
<br>
<br>Sincerely,
<br>
<br>Bearrr264

That is a nice train ride. Did you go up to Uray? Twenty years ago ( before kids ) my wife and I took our jeep and tent camped up there. Her finger prints are still indented in the "Oh My God!" bar above the glove box on that jeep from those "roads" we drove in the back country. I loved it, she wanted to get out and walk.

PDS,
<br>
<br>You got that one right! We stayed in Ouray, swam in the hot springs, and rented a jeep to drive the high country routes. Just like you wife, my wife left indents in the grab bar and the smell of scared $hitless on the passenger seat. If I've told her once, I've told her 1,000 times, I've yet to have a fatal accident, so why worry?
<br>
<br>That was great fun, but I must admit that I drove in low and 2nd gear more during that week than I think that I have in the rest of my 56 years combined. 'Smelled a lot of cooked brakes too, funny how people don't catch on to the signs that tell trucks to use a low gear. I didn't see much of the country while on the "million dollar highway" between Silverton and Ouray, I was much too busy turning the steering wheel from stop to stop and kept my eyes glued to the road. 'Can't wait to do it again!
<br>
<br>Sincerely,
<br>
<br>Bearrr264
<br>
<br>PS 'Saw a guy in a mini van make like a motocross bike up near the top of Engineer Pass, quite interesting, 'hope that it was a rental with "walk-away" damage insurance coverage.

Ouray...Thanks, I forgot how they spell you-ray. My last trip up that highway they had improved that road much since my first trip.
<br>Some where I have a picture of a local jeep in Silverton. It is the most interesting old Willie I have ever seen. If I can find it I will post it. Wish I was up in the Rockies. It is hotter than Hell and twice as dry here.

PDS, it is hot and dry in Denver now. of course it does cool off at night so it is nice to set outside in the evening. as far as tex-mex is concerned you can forget it in colorado. I have been looking for some decent tex-mex since I moved here in 95. finally found one near the office that is real close to the real thing. tom

You guys are talking about my country and making me homesick. Never put a water hose on without a regulator in Ouray unless you want to see it made into a balloon next to your trailer. The water tanks are up on the side of the mountain. 4th of July is a major event worth seeing in Ouray!! Drove over that highway back to Durango one night, 4" new snow on road, no other tracks, coming over Red Mountain Pass and down the South side I promised I would never be that stupid again. -- no

Well Bullwnkl: I just found this reply now, so don't feel bad, I somehow missed it along the way.

Need one,
<br>
<br>That trip sounds like serious pucker factor, probably took you two days to relax your muscles and relieve your oxygen debt. Was your life insurance paid up?
<br>
<br>Sincerely,
<br>
<br>Bearrr264

Tom, where is the tex mex place you mention??? Maybe I could meet you there and buy you lunch when I come to pick up your encore (grin).

np Mulie it is right down wadsworth name of the place is Colorado Hacienda. just give a days warning to get the rest of the stuff that goes with it togather. tom