Christmas Eve Gumbo - 24hourcampfire

I fly in Christmas Eve and we usually make a seafood feast with all of us cooking together which won't happen this year. My middle son loves to cook and we are thinking gumbo with crab and shrimp. We like the dark, thinner, style broth (Pappadeaux like). Suggestions? Bart, Pat?

Sounds great! Pat is your man on gumbo!

betting Sam and Pat will be all over this one! Taking notes for sure.

Problem is Pat does not visit us very much over here. Did you cause that!?

No one has ever turned up their nose at my Gumbo.

Quote

Sam's Gumbo

One pound Tasso, diced
One pound Anduille Sausage, sliced
One small chicken, jointed
One pound 41-50 shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail off
Two quarts home made chicken stock
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cups AP flour, sifted
One large Bell pepper, diced
Four cloves Garlic, chopped
One or two stalks of celery, diced (one cup)
Two yellow onions, diced
One cup chopped Parsley
One bunch scallions, green part, chopped
One 28 ounce can Dei Fratelli whole tomato, packed in tomato sauce (put in food processor and pulse several times)
Sam's Cajun Spice mix (HOT Hungarian Paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, thyme)

Method:
Make the roux, cooking it slowly for half an hour, until it is chocolate in color

Brown the sausage in a dutch oven. Remove and then brown the disjointed chicken in the sausage fat. Remove, and reserve.

Add the Trinity to the Roux, mixing to coat all the pieces. Cook for 10 min, and then add the Chicken Broth a cup at a time. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to simmer, and cook for 45 min.

Add in the chicken and Tasso. Stir in the Spices mix. Cook at simmer for another hour.

Remove the chicken, add in the Sausage. Bone out the chicken and addthe meat back to the dutch oven. Add in the chopped Parsley and Scallions.

Turn up the heat slightly, and add in the shrimp. When the Shrimp turn pinkish, it should be ready.

Serve in bowls over rice.

That looks like a southeast Louisiana, Creole style gumbo with the tomatoes.

The dark Cajun variety has no tomato, and uses more stock to be more like soup than stew consistency.

File powder?

I don't use it, but it's on a lot of tables at gumbo time.

Okra?

No green snot for me.

Originally Posted by MadMooner

Okra?

Best gumbo I ever had was topped with hearty helping of thinly sliced fried okra. Gave the dish a great crunch!!

BTW...I made it!

Geez ...

Originally Posted by mathman

That looks like a southeast Louisiana, Creole style gumbo with the tomatoes.

The dark Cajun variety has no tomato, and uses more stock to be more like soup than stew consistency.

Bingo. Still looking.

GFY then.

bunch of Yankees Sam...that's all!

Ed if you want a darker variety just start with a darker roux as in letting the flour and vege oil/butter brown up as Sam did. Leave out the tomatoes and throw in some danged slimy okra!!

Although, I would use frozen okra.

Use beef stock and throw in some Worcestershire for a darker color.

Originally Posted by byc

bunch of Yankees Sam...that's all!

Ed if you want a darker variety just start with a darker roux as in letting the flour and butter brown up as Sam did. Leave out the tomatoes and throw in some danged slimy okra!!

Yankees? How long have you been living south of I-10? Sheesh.

And hell no to okra.

I wouldn't use okra either but WTH. If someone wants it then put it in there.

If you want beans in your bourbon or ice in your chili then freaking put it in there!!

sheesh.......

Originally Posted by byc

I wouldn't use okra either but WTH. If someone wants it then put it in there.

If you want beans in your bourbon or ice in your chili then freaking put it in there!!

sheesh.......

Friggin Philistines, responsible for the decline of civilized society ...

Gumbo, like so many regional foods, has many local regional differences. Tomatoes, no tomatoes. Okra, no okra. File, no file. Dark, Light? It's all personal. I've had some of all varieties that I liked, and some of all varieties that sucked. I've had some that wasn't gumbo at all, but soup or stew that someone called gumbo.

I like somewhat thick gumbo, not too dark, with okra, and tomato. I've had some of the dark that was good too though.

I live in The Region.

Originally Posted by mathman

I live in The Region. I live in The Region. Farther away from here, farther away from the style seems to be the trend.

Kinda what I said. I imagine, there's as many recipes as there are cooks, even in your "region". The one basic "rule" I have ever found is that you can either thicken it with File, or Okra, but both are not normally used. At some point though, it's no longer gumbo, it's something else. FWIW, gumbo comes from the African word for Okra...so...there's is that.

I was actually counting down the time until someone mentioned that.

I'm sure many would/could take issue with some or all of this, but it seems to be consistent with other things I've read: https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/a-short-history-of-gumbo/

Originally Posted by mathman

Originally Posted by byc

I wouldn't use okra either but WTH. If someone wants it then put it in there.

If you want beans in your bourbon or ice in your chili then freaking put it in there!!

sheesh.......

Friggin Philistines, responsible for the decline of civilized society ...

I prefer hillbilly heathen!

I like okra! Pickled, deep fried , in gumbo ....

Here ya go EdM...have fun searching through these

More Gumbo Recipes than you can shake a stick at!

A lot of the okra and tomato, particularly tomato, use is in SE Louisiana. I believe the writer mentioned east of Bayou Lafourche. Creole style, what my friends and I would refer to as somewhat a variety of tomato stew. Like so:

[Linked Image]

In contrast, there's the predominant SW Louisiana gumbo around here:

[Linked Image]

I feel like a brewmaster in Bavaria watching people in Bumphuk talk about how to make Munich Helles.

Originally Posted by mathman

I feel like a brewmaster in Bavaria watching people in Bumphuk talk about how to make Munich Helles.

Riiiiiiiiiight...your way is the only RIGHT way! ;-) Hell, cajuns, creoles and coonasses can't agree on it.

That's part of the fun.

I'd love either of those in those pics....both are "gumbo"

Both of those dishes look outstanding!!

Now I am inspired.

Thanks

Yes, I too, would attack either, with gusto !

Originally Posted by .280Rem

I'm sure many would/could take issue with some or all of this, but it seems to be consistent with other things I've read: https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/a-short-history-of-gumbo/

That's a neat article! Thanks!

Thanks gents. Son #2 (who cooks in a Thai restaurant whilst in university) and I are dialing it in. He suggested the fish #3 son and dear wife caught last month in the Gulf with smoked sausage from son #3's whitetail (forgot all of that, being away) and shrimp and crab. Oh, and I need okra. We are now bouncing recipes about. Five days 'til count down and it is killing us.

http://tastyquery.com/recipes-for/pappadeaux-andouille-sausage-seafood-gumbo-recipe

Seems to me every possible way one could cook gumbo is found here!

Merry Christmas!

Originally Posted by mathman

A lot of the okra and tomato, particularly tomato, use is in SE Louisiana. I believe the writer mentioned east of Bayou Lafourche. Creole style, what my friends and I would refer to as somewhat a variety of tomato stew. Like so:

[Linked Image]

In contrast, there's the predominant SW Louisiana gumbo around here:

[Linked Image]

the bottom of those two makes my mouth water...used to make a venison gumbo that looked like that