Recipe: Delicious Gumbo

Gumbo. The gumbo can be frozen or refrigerated and many people like it better the next day. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Gumbo is one dish that makes Louisiana cuisine so famous. We live across the state line in Texas and can't seem to get enough of this traditional gumbo recipe that features okra, shrimp, spicy seasonings and what is called the holy trinity—onions, green peppers and celery. This recipe calls for seafood, but you could also use chicken, duck or sausage. —Ruth Aubey, San Antonio, Texas "That's the only gumbo I knew." Sausage and ham, chicken and veal brisket, shrimp and crab, all brimming in a beautiful brown murky soup she calls Creole Gumbo. You can cook Gumbo using 15 ingredients and 11 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Gumbo

1. It's of chicken legs.
2. It's of very large kabanos sausage.
3. Prepare of bell pepper.
4. Prepare of small onions.
5. It's of sticks of celery.
6. It's of chicken stock.
7. Prepare of salt.
8. You need of black pepper.
9. Prepare of garlic powder.
10. Prepare of onion powder.
11. It's of cayenne.
12. You need of paprika.
13. It's of bay leaves.
14. Prepare of oil.
15. You need of flour.

It's the gumbo that once fueled the Freedom Riders and just about every other Civil Rights fighter that checked in to meet and eat at Dooky Chase. This Authentic New Orleans Gumbo is made with a dark roux, vegetables, chicken, sausage, and shrimp, and served over rice. This is a beloved recipe shared with me by a native New Orleanian. As you probably have gathered, I love making comfort food style recipes that use lots of fresh produce and real ingredients.

Gumbo instructions

1. Start with making a Roux (Ideally you would use a bacon fat Roux with this Gumbo, but it isn't essential).
2. Cook the Roux while constantly stirring until it reaches somewhere between the colour of peanut butter and chocolate. The darker it is the richer the taste (can take up to 30mins)..
3. Than add the Holy trinity (onions, bell peppers, celery):.
4. (Ratio of the trinity is 2 parts onion, 1 part celery, 1 part bell pepper. For 1 litre of stock I use 3/4 of a bell pepper, 2 small onions and 1& 1/2 sticks of celery.)All finely chopped. Not chunky..
5. Saute your aromatics with the roux. it'll cause a lot of steam and hissing when you first drop it in so make sure you turn the heat down and don't freak out..
6. When the onions are translucent transfer the mix to a slow cooker and add about a litre of chicken stock and any spices you want..
7. A good spice mix of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika and a few bay leaves will be fine..
8. While the Gumbo simmers, brown off some chicken and sausages in a pan. Ideally you would use andouille sausages but Polish kabanos or kielbasa sausage is a good substitute..
9. Once the meat has been browned off add it to the gumbo..
10. When the gumbo is nearly ready (3 to 4 hrs total cook time), add okra or Filé powder to help thicken the sauce. Only if needed..
11. Traditionally serve with rice and a crusty bread roll, but I like mine with home made chips/fries and a pitta bread..

Cajun gumbo is the tomato-free version of this legendary Louisiana stew, though there are otherwise very few rules that govern what goes into the pot. In this recipe, we use the classic combo of chicken and andouille sausage, but feel free to change it up with other proteins. Gumbo is a true melting pot dish. Originating in Louisiana it combines the cuisines and ingredients of several cultures including West African, French, German, and Choctaw. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the butter to the Dutch oven.