I'll be honest; the seed that grew the idea for this gumbo was finding a giant bag of frozen okra at one of my local stores last month. It used to be easy to find okra around here, but it seems like it has become a hard item to locate these days. It has migrated from the frozen vegetable case down into the frozen Hispanic items. Don't ask. I don't know.
Oh, and once upon a time, you could get gumbo file powder up these parts. File (pronounced feelay) is powdered sassafrass. It adds that certain "je ne sais pas" to gumbo. I have a bottle hiding in the back of my spice cabinet for just these occasions. Some say it is the secret to the perfect gumbo.
I'm here to tell you the real secret to the perfect gumbo.
Ready?
It's the roux. Any self respecting cook or chef from Nawlins knows how to make a Cajun roux. The first ingredient is patience. There's no rushing the nutty smelling, tawny brown perfection that is the roux. In so many dishes, roux is used simply as a thickening agent. But Cajun roux is so much more than that. It adds flavor and color along with texture. No butter here. Oil and flour. Cook over medium heat. Stir. Stir. Stir. It gets golden, then darker, but not burnt. It starts to smell like toasted hazelnuts. Don't rush the roux.
The next "must-haves" for gumbo are onions and celery, diced small. Some recipes call for green pepper. I don't like green pepper, so I use a red pepper. You can use a mixture of peppers if you like. Stir the diced vegetables into the roux. Once they are incorporated together, add some of the file powder, some cayenne pepper, and salt. Next, some Andouille sausage. I found some nice turkey Andouille, so I use that. Dice it up and toss it in. Chicken. I use boneless thigh meat, trimmed of fat and diced. I find that breast meat can get dry, but feel free to use it instead. Here's what it looks like at this point. (I forgot to take a picture of the roux cooking, sorry.)
See, there's the Gumbo file powder in the background. Ok, now add some chicken stock. Stir with a wooden spoon, getting all of the roux up from the bottom of the pan. Add some dried thyme and some tomato paste. Since I am a big tomato fan, I also use some diced tomatoes. Stir, let simmer for a bit, then add some of the frozen, diced okra. For those of you who don't know, okra is a vegetable. It is the seed pod of a plant which grows in the temperate climates, and is especially drought resistant, making it a staple of African food. It can be fried, pickled, sautéed, or sliced and used in gumbo. And here's the cool part of it. The inside of the pod contains a sort of "goo" that helps thicken the sauce, and the pod itself gives an nice snap if not too overcooked.
I put shrimp in my gumbo too, if I have it. And I did. So I did. But don't add the shrimp until later, or they will get dry and chewy. If you're feeling particularly regional, and can find them, you can put in crawfish tails. Not my thing. Here we are, a' simmering. Look at that golden color!
Now, the big decision. Do you put the rice IN the gumbo, or serve the gumbo on top of the rice? Is this REALLY the biggest decision you have to make today? I am completely ambivalent on this one. Sometimes, I put it in, sometimes, if it's thick enough, I just put it over cooked rice. White rice. Brown rice. You pick. I used white rice this time.
Here's the finished product. We added some Tabasco, because we like an extra kick. It was VERY good, if I must say so myself. I'd hold it up to a genuine New Orleans gumbo.
It's not hard. Seriously. Make some gumbo. Let the Good Times Roll.
See you soon. I promise. No more lazy writer.
