The Gumbo Page

What is Gumbo?

Definition: A thick, spicy soup, always served with rice. Gumbo is thickened either with okra, a roux, or file' powder (ground sassafrass leaves); of course, these can be combined.

With roux...
Start with oil and flour (approx 2 Tbs each). Heat the oil in the bottom of your soup pot, then add the flour. Stir the flour briskly and brown the roux. It's faster to do over high heat BUT it's easier to mess it up. Take it off the heat if it gets too hot until it cools down.

As soon as the roux is medium to dark brown (don't scorch the flour or you'll need to start all over), throw in your diced onion, green pepper, and celery (the sacred trinity in cajun cooking). These should stop the roux from cooking. How much? About an onion, a green pepper, and two or three stalks of celery. About two cups diced, combined. Stir around. Garlic, two cloves or so, minced, can go in now, too. Let cook till the vegetables get soft, a couple of minutes. The heat can go to medium now. You prepared a seasoning mix of thyme, oregano, basil, red (cayenne) pepper, black pepper, and white pepper that can be thrown in when the vegetables get soft. About 2tsp to a 1Tbs each of the herbs, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp each of the peppers. This is also the time to add some fresh chopped parsley (all too often neglected) and some chopped green onion. Both are optional, both are good. You should also add a Tbs of Worcestershire sauce (sp?) and Tabasco to taste.

Gumbo can be based on any number of things. Seafood is classic, with shrimp, oysters, crab, or fish in any combination. Chicken can also serve as a base. Sausage is almost mandatory, if you can't get andouille then a good smoked sausage will do.

The diced chicken, sausage, and/or ham should go in now. The seafood goes in after the stock.

Back to the gumbo. Now that you've added any meat you want, you should let it get warm and lightly browned in the roux mixture, then it's time to add the stock. If this is a seafood gumbo, you should use a seafood stock. If you've crab, shrimp, or fish to add, the shells and/or bones should have been used to make a rich stock earlier. Oyster liquor is added if available. You'll want like four cups or so. If you're using sausage, ham, and/or chicken, the bones of the chicken that you diced should have been subjected to the same procedure to make a stock. The richer, the better. You can always use some beer or wine to add more flavor.

Add the four cups of stock. Or, if you want, make the roux/vegetable mixture in a skillet and add to the already heated stock in the soup pot. Now, if you've got them, add shrimp, crab, fish, oysters, clams, whatever. Simmer for an hour or so. Serve some rice in a bowl, ladle gumbo over it. Voila'. You can sprinkle file' powder over as a seasoning, to taste.

Coutesy of Stephanie The Cajun Recipe Archive

Biscuit Topped Seafood Gumbo Pie

Gumbo:
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 pound smoked sausage, sliced
3/4 pound cooked bonelss ham steak, cut into 2 by 1/4 inch strips
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small celery rib, minced
3 tablespoons rice
2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 pound shrimp, shelled
1/2 pound okra, sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Biscuit topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 1/2 tablespoons cold butter
3/4 cup buttermilk

Make the gumbo: In a heavy medium skillet, combine 3 tablespoons of the oil with the flour and cook over moderatly low heat, stirring occasionally, until the roux is dark mahogany in color, about 1 hour. Do not let burn. Immediately remove from heat.

In a medium flameproof casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add the sliced sausage and cook over moderate heat until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the ham strips to the casserole and cook until lightly browned, about 7 minutes; add to the plate with the sausage slices.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the onion to the casserole. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the garlic, green and red bell peppers, celery and rice. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes longer.

Reheat the brown roux if necessary. Scrape it into the casserole with the vegetables and rice. Stir in the chicken stock and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the sausages and ham, reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, covered, for 25 minutes.

Stir in the cayenne, shrimp and okra and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 450F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in the 5 1/2 tablespoons of the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the buttermilk until a soft dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, stamp out 12 biscuits.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the hot gumbo into a shallow 9 inch round baking dish. Arrange the bicuits on top and brush with the melted butter. Bake until the biscuits are puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

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Page updated on February 17, 1998