Mardi Gras 2011 falls on Tues, March 8th... today (although various cities throughout Lousianna have already had their Mardi Gras celebrations, what you think of as Mardi Gras happens today.)
In honor of this I'd like to present and talk a little about one of the classic Louisianan Gumbo. In culinary terms, the region is one of the great melting pots, incorporating techniques and traditions from France, Spain, Germany, Western Africa, and local Native Americans, and even Vietnam.
Despite the many other influences, in my opinion the most dominant is the French creole nature (and Louisiana along with Guadeloupe, St.Lucia, Dominica and Saint-Domingue-now Haiti were French colonies in the region,) and the food traditions of these borrowed heavily from the mother French arte de cuisine.
I will note that I'm not saying this is THE BEST or most authentic recipe. I don't apologize for making things easier when they don't compromise the inherent quality of a meal.
Essential Gumbos
Two main varieties of gumbo exist. Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, tomatoes, and a thickener. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is spicier, with either shellfish or fowl. Sausage or ham can be added to a gumbo made with either fowl or shellfish. After the base is prepared, vegetables are cooked down, and then meat is added. The dish boils for a minimum of three hours, with shellfish and some spices added near the end. After the pot is removed from heat, filé powder can be added. Gumbo is traditionally served over rice. A third variety, the meatless gumbo z'herbes is essentially a gumbo of slow-cooked greens sometimes thickened with roux.
The core components of Gumbo are the Roux, either a trinity of vegetables or the classic Mirepoix, herbs/flavorings, accent vegetables and usually shellfish plus other proteins.
My take on gumbo is markedly less liquid than others you might see.. less 'soupy stew', and a more soulfood approach.
How to make Roux (pronounced 'Roo')
Roux is browned fat and flour. Roux adds thickness and flavor to soups, gravies and stews. The darker the roux the less gluten, thus the less thickening action, although the deeper and more complex the flavors (although also darker roux is more frustrating to make, usually)
The other name for roux is Cajun Napalm (splashing 300+f roux on skin will "roux-in" your day.) Traditional roux making sucks because it needs attention and burns easily. The wonderful people at America's Test Kitchen on PBS figured out a better way, however.
The first thing you'll need is a dutch oven, or heavy bottomed pot. I favor a ceramic coated cast-iron "French Oven" (but the Tramontina 6.5 quart cast-iron Dutch oven is very good value)
2/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of all purpose unbleached flour
My note If you want to be deeply authentic, the most classic roux and mirepoix recipes call for rendered fat, either from lardon (unsmoked pork backfat) or even duck, and a creole roux may suggest butter... however I'd suggest that such applications aren't particularly necessary for everyday applications. Crisco vegetable oil is very versatile, has neutral taste and high smoke point.
Also many roux recipes have equal parts oil and flour, however, due to our wish to properly soften vegetables in the oil, having it slightly more oily than usual helps.
Should you wish to prepare roux beforehand, simply follow the steps, then let cool fully, and store in an airtight container- for up to a few days. To prepare for cooking, heat on medium til the lightest of shimmer- or an added piece of celery or onion vigorously bubbles.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 and heat the pot on medium until its evenly heated, 5 minutes at least.
2. Add the flour and stir, especially the bottom corners, constantly (do not burn the flour.) You're seeking to lightly color the flour and develop a highly nutty aroma. You want to reach an off-white at best. Also, if you see hints of tanned flour, you can definitely move on.
3. When ready, add the oil and stir to combine well (being careful not to splash.) When the mixture is completely smooth, like a wet paste, cover and move to the center of the oven.
4. After 20 minutes or so you should check and stir the roux periodically (5-10 mins or so,) to avoid sticking, burning, hotspots etc. You're aiming for a color of somewhere between milk chocolate and a copper penny.
Holy Trinity and Mirepoix
Mirepoix is the classic french mixture of 3 diced vegetable aromatics: Carrots, Onions and Celery. There are a few other regional variations, such as the Gumbo-worthy-Cajun-Creole-based "Holy Trinity" of Bell Pepper, Onion and Celery.
This is a fairly vegetable heavy mix. If you like the trinity, use this, if you like it as an accent only, use 1/2.
2 large spanish or white onions, peeled and medium diced
2 large green bell peppers, cored, trimmed and medium diced
2 sticks of celery, trimmed and diced
The Stock- and why I'm a non traditionalist
Regular gumbo recipes typically call for making shellfish (often shrimp, sometimes crab etc.) stock. This is fine if you're doing a heavily seafood based Gumbo, but I like my Gumbo mixed protein, so what to do? The answer is Vietnamese Fish Sauce. Salty with a hint of brine. Deep Fish flavor. Add it to any stock and you have a de facto seafood stock.
My note Authentic? Well, consider the massive influx of vietnamese since the 70's to the gulf coast, and most notably, Louisiana. They came for the shrimping, and a lot of their culinary heritage has rubbed off on the region. You might not have the stuff in your pantry but Vietnamese Fish Sauce is widely available in supermarkets, and if you have a good asian market you can probably pick up even better grades, and if you're buying an import the word you're looking for is nhi (meaning first grade,) or nuoc mam nhi in full. I like Three Crabs brand, but any fish sauce is going to do well.
Use a good chicken stock for the liquid component. Something like Pacific Chicken Stock. Make sure its low sodium. Quantity wise, you can probably aim at a quart, or 4 cups. If you're going to use okra or gumbo file (ground sassafras,) to thicken, you can up the liquid portion.
Preheat the stock, maybe in the microwave, prior to adding it.
Proteins
You can go as wild as you want with Gumbo. From Crab-in-Shell to clam to duck to crawfish to rabbit... you name it. Andouille sausage is popular (a cajun spiced pork sausage, now pretty wildly commercially available.)
The basic rule of gumbo is that the longer cooking meats (like the poulty or crab-in-shell) go in first, to simmer as the gumbo develops balance. The quicker cooking shellfish and pre-cooked sausage can go in last to quickly finish and heat through.
A good suggestion to start with for gumbo is bone-in chicken thighs, shelled shrimp and Andouille sausage. Remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken. Buy the shrimp cleaned or clean them yourselves. I like my shrimp cut to bite size, but its your gumbo.
Accent Vegetables
Some people swear that gumbo isn't gumbo without cut okra. Some people can't stand okra. I'm with the latter, but can see the attraction. If you do add okra, add it with the protein, not the trinity, make sure its fresh, and add extra liquid volume; okra will thicken the stew as it cooks.
My note Where you don't use okra, and you wish a deeper texture, Gumbo File is another classic thickener, making the stew thicker and a little more glossy. Gumbo file is a one shot thickener; it doesn't refrigerate and reheat well, so add it to the batch being served, while still hot. Stir well.
Tomatoes are another sometimes used accent vegetable in gumbo, more creole than cajun, but as in all food matters, its merely a taste thing. Tomatoes balance a mixed gumbo well, for what its worth.
Ingredients and recipe
Note: gather, measure and set aside ingredients (refrigerating meats) before hand. Mis en place makes cooking less of a chore, ultimately. This recipe is adapted from a recent Cook's Illustrated recipe.
For the roux:
2/3 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of all purpose unbleached flour
1. Preheat the oven to 350 and heat the pot on medium until its evenly heated, 5 minutes at least.
2. Add the flour and stir, especially the bottom corners, constantly (do not burn the flour.) You're seeking to lightly color the flour and develop a highly nutty aroma. You want to reach an off-white at best. Also, if you see hints of tanned flour, you can definitely move on.
3. When ready, add the oil and stir to combine well (being careful not to splash.) When the mixture is completely smooth, like a wet paste, cover and move to the center of the oven.
4. After 20 minutes or so you should check and stir the roux periodically (5-10 mins or so,) to avoid sticking, burning, hotspots etc. You're aiming for a color of somewhere between milk chocolate and a copper penny.
For the gumbo:
2 large spanish or white onions (peeled and medium diced)
2 large green bell peppers (cored, trimmed and medium diced)
2 sticks of celery (trimmed and diced)
5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
1 14.5oz can of fire roasted diced tomato, drained
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, or hot sauce (to taste)
4 cups organic low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Vietnamese Fish Sauce
2 lb bone-in Chicken thighs (skin removed and trimmed)
1 lb (25-30) shrimp (shelled, cleaned and deveined)
12 oz Andouille sausage (1/4 inch sliced)
salt and pepper to taste
(Cooked White Rice)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 if not already on from the roux, and preheat the stock- You don't need to boil and a microwave works fine. Add the trinity (bell peppers, onions, celery) to the roux, over a medium heat, coat and keep stiring while the vegetables soften. A couple of minutes in, add the garlic. When the vegetables are a little translucent, 5 or so minutes.
2. Add the stock to the roux mix slowly, stirring to incorporate. The roux will start to absorb the liquid and form a paste, first thickening significantly, then loosening as more stock is added.
3. Add the tomatoes, thyme, cayenne, broth and fish sauce. Stir well. Do an initial taste test, and add seasoning to preference.
4. Float the chicken in the pot and cover, and move to the oven. Cook for 30-40 mins (test chicken doneness at 30 mins breaking with a fork to check for lack of pinkness, also stirring the pot, corners especially)
5. While the chicken cooks, brown the sliced andouille over medium-high heat in a pan, reserve.
6. When you're confident that the chicken is cooked, remove to a board (let cool a little if necessary,) debone and pull the chicken apart with forks. Cut to bite size pieces if necessary and return to the pot. Add the browned sausage, and cleaned shrimp. Stir well again.
7. Return to the oven for 7 minutes, to cook through the shrimp and reheat the sausage.
8. Test and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over white rice (or red beans and rice should you choose.)
A parting note
Gumbo is the ultimate personal preference and anything goes stew. Adjust the thickness, roux darkness, vegetable mix, accent vegetables and proteins to your preference. Its good fun finding your perfect Gumbo.
Laissez les bons temps rouler -- let the good times roll!