(Because I miss New Orleans and this was the best I could get without being there, even though it’s no where close to authentic, and I am not even trying to fool myself).
Y’all. I miss traveling. I miss trying new foods, or even better, I miss trying variations on old-time local favorites. In essence I miss the hell out of New Orleans and its food.
As a result, I made myself some Gumbo. Was it delicious? Hell-yes it was. Was it authentic? Not even at all. But I did my best and Imma share with you now.
Here is what you need.
NOTE: I’m allergic to celery, and also, I think it’s stupid, so I didn’t add it. But if this were real Gumbo, it would have had celery in it to be sure.
-1 cup of vegetable oil (yup this is a shit-ton of oil, and no we don’t drain it off. No one said this was a diet food. Be prepared kids).
-1 cup (all purpose) four.
-Two bell peppers (use like a green and a red here. Have some pride for the look of your dish. We make things pretty around here. We are shallow after all) diced.
-1 large onion (diced).
NOTE: I used frozen, pre-cut peppers and onions and it was delicious. I had to add a few extra tbsp. flour, since it does increase the moisture level, but man I hate chopping onions sometimes and this allowed me to be super lazy, and because it takes so damn long to make the roux… (oh just wait, we will get to that part), this was a wise move on my part.
-1 cup frozen, cut okra (yup. I used okra. I hate okra, but I used okra, and it was delicious, and I gotta tell you if I didn’t add it, the gumbo wouldn’t have been nearly as good, so I have no regrets, so maybe I don’t hate okra after-all. But it’s a veggie that oozes and I just can’t be ok with that most times….).
-1 lb. Andouille sausage (and if they don’t have it at the store, you can use kielbasa, or something smokey like that. I would not however try and use the Italian sausage my Instacart shopper kept trying to give me. This is the same person who tried or replace Craisins with Nilla Wafers sooo yeah, hold your ground on this one kids) sliced.
-2 large chicken breasts (fun fact, I kept typing “breads” and not “breasts” so that shows you where my brain is) cooked, and shredded or diced.
-1 cup frozen shrimp (because why not) cooked, thawed and tales removed (yeah, we used precooked shrimp. We added it at the end. It was peeled and deveined which is good because I HATE doing that sooo we take our short cuts with pride y’all).
-Creole seasoning (or Cajun if you cannot find creole, and yes, I know they are not the same exactly, but we do what we can) to taste.
-1 Bay leaf
-Salt and pepper to taste.
-Louisiana hot sauce to taste.
-1 box (4 cups) chicken broth (use low sodium. Cajun and creole seasonings are salty, and you can always adjust later, and I don’t really have anything snarky to say with this. Enjoy the temporary reprieve).
OK, put on some comfy shoes, do your stretches, and hydrate kiddos. It’s time to cook!
In a large pot (like the cast iron, enameled, Dutch oven I keep telling you to buy), heat 1 cup of vegetable oil on medium-low heat.
To the oil, add 1 cup of all purpose flour (yes, this combo is off-putting, and looks much like wallpaper paste, but we’re about to turn it into something magical, so have some patience… and by some patience, I mean have all the patience in the world, because we’re about to make our roux, and this shit takes TIME).
Stir the flour and oil mixture on medium low heat until the mixture turns brown (and when I say brown, I mean a shade darker than peanut butter. Almost chocolatey. If you think its brown enough, it’s not. That kind of brown).
NOTE: The timing on this varies. It took me about 20 minutes before the color started to change, but once it did it went quickly after that. I have read recipes that boast 8 minutes, and I call bullshit, but hey, maybe they’re simply better than I am.
Once the roux has turned dark brown, add in the 2 bell peppers, 1 large onion, 1 cup okra, and the 1 lb. sliced andouille sausage and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
NOTE: When I did this, I left all my veggies frozen. It made everything look scary and clumpy and like maybe I had just messed this whole thing up and I was gonna have to start all over again and I really didn’t want to have to make another roux because it took me so long before, so I just ignored it and continued on with my process. Once I added the broth (which is in the next step. Spoiler alert!), it was totally fine.
Slowly , while stirring, add the 4 cups (1 box) of chicken broth and bring to a boil (which again is going to take more time than you want it to, but suck it up cupcake, good things come to those who wait, or whatever).
Add 1 the 1 Bay leaf.
Add in the creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning and taste to see if it’s enough (it’s a matter of preference. It’s ok to add too little, you will probably want to use more at the end anyway).
Once boiling allow to simmer (on low) uncovered (his is why I said on low, it won’t make a mess and or burn) for an hour, stirring occasionally (and don’t forget to stir it, because it will stick, and we are not about ruining our pans).
Add in your precooked chicken, and shredded or cubed (or whatever the hell you did to it). Chicken, several dashes of hot sauce, and the shrimp and cook for a few more minutes.
Adjust the seasoning as you see fit.
Remove the Bay leaf (because we dont want to hurt anyone that shit is weirdly sharp).
Serve in a big bowl with a nice scoop of white rice on top (yes, rice on top because that’s how they do it in New Orleans and so that’s how I’m gonna do it because I’m that way), and several more dashes of yummy hot sauce, and enjoy!
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