Jan 18, 2011

Soup Week Begins!

So when the weather is frightful for days on end, sometimes you begin to get a little stir crazy.  When you start dressing up your huge dog in your own clothing. . .well, it's time to take preventative measures.

Like gumbo!  Stirring a roux to a perfect chocolate brown conclusion is a time consuming but productive way to spend a half hour.  And the result (preferably enjoyed snuggled up in front of the fire after a day of sledding) is soo worth it!  This recipe makes a ton, so there is plenty of gumbo yumminess for your freezer.


Snowy Day Seafood Gumbo (adapted from here)

Ingredients:


2 onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bunch celery, diced
½ head garlic, minced
2 bay leafs
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper, thyme, and oregano
½ tsp cayenne and white pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
4-5 cups okra
2 packages andouille sausage (I used chicken and turkey andouille- don't tell Hubs)
1 pound crab meat
1 pound shrimp (about 34 to 40)
16 ounces crawfish
1 cup diced can tomatoes (14.5 oz can, drained)
6 cups chicken stock

Directions

  • Cut vegetables and set aside.
  • Mix seasonings and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan (a large dutch oven is perfect) until it begins to smoke. Slowly add flour, whisking constantly on medium heat. Continue to stir until the roux becomes dark, almost chocolate brown (this takes about thirty minutes of constant whisking. Be patient.  If you burn it you have to start all over!  So put on some tunes, and stir.  Patiently.
  • Stir in half of the vegetables, switch to a wooden spoon if necessary, cook for 1 minute then add the rest of the vegetables.
  • Cook 2-3 minutes and add seasonings and garlic.
  • Cook 2-3 minutes more then add stock in batches.
  • Meanwhile, slice your sausage and sauté it in a splash of olive oil until it is slightly browned.
  • Bring to a boil and add okra, tomatoes, and browned sausage.
  • Bring back to a boil then turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming off any fat that comes to the top.
  • Add all the seafood, bring back to a simmer and serve over rice with crusty French bread. Serve with Tabasco to taste.


Oh my word, y'all this is tasty.  If you don't like seafood, well. . .you are just missing out, because the shellfish is pretty much integral to this gumbo.  However, there are plenty of non-seafood gumbos out there, so check them out.  If you are half-vegetarian however, you could leave out the sausage- just be sure to add extra spice while cooking with the addition of hot sauce or more pepper.

I doubled the okra and left out the file powder for this recipe.  Both act as thickening agents for the gumbo, so you do not need both.  And after all, we're trying to get those veggies in, right?  I'm dying for another bowl right now.  There is a possibility that I might turn into a crawfish with the amount that I have consumed lately.

So have y'all gone stir crazy in the snow?

6 comments:

  1. Ok, now I'm really hungry!!

    Those pictures of you and Buddy are too cute!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh heavens! That looks amazingly good!

    ReplyDelete
  3. would it be too much to just pay you to make dinners for me and ship them to atl? :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm dying to try this recipe. I love gumbo! I feel like I'm making the same stuff over and over again. Thanks for the inspiration. We've had an ICE storm today and now all is gone and it is a sloppy hot mess!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds SO yummy! I'm putting together my menu for the week now and I think it's necessary that I include this!

    Do you use fresh or frozen okra?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yum! so even if we don't have snow here in Florida- I may still make that for my fiance! looks good and he loves okra!

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from y'all, so drop me a line!