Gumbo: I'm going to go out on a limb and admit that I don't like the murky dark-roux stuff. Yeah, it's what I grew up eating (a cousin was a sugar farmer from west Louisiana), but with the old-style recipes the flavors are muddier than what I find myself preferring nowadays. Sometimes I get a hankering for it, but I also sometimes get a hankering for cafeteria food like my old elemetary school used to make -- just because I sometimes want it doesn't mean it's actually delicious. For everday eating, I prefer a more modern take (lighter roux, cooked for a much shorter period of time). I don't have a set recipe. It changes every time but here's the general:
Saute some finely diced onion, celery, green onion tops, bell peper (or poblanos) and garlic until translucent and no longer crispy.
In a large pot (cast iron is great), make a roux out of peanut oil and flour 1:1 ratio. For a good sized batch, four Tbsp of oil and four Tbsp of flour is good. Cook this over medium low heat until it's the color of peanut butter. At that point, add some shrimp stock (made with the heads of the shrimp you've got waiting), or chicken broth, or veggie broth or water (in varying order of desireability), until it's the consistency that you're liking. Remember you can always add more to thin the gumbo, but you can't really take it out.
Add your sauteed vegetables and a large can of crushed tomatoes. Add a bunch of Bell's seasoning, a bit of dried thyme, a bit of Old Bay and some dashes of hot sauce. You can find Bell's seasoning just about everywhere. It's a tiny cardboard box with a turkey on the front of it. You'll end up using more than you think you will in the gumbo.
Add some sliced andouelle sausage (if you like). Simmer this mixture over medium low heat, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes. A few minutes before serving, taste for seasoning (add hot sauce, salt or Bell's), and thin it out with broth or water if it's too thick, and throw in your shrimp and a handful of either fresh okra or frozen okra (if you like -- I like, but okra is optional since you aren't using it as a thickener), and a handful of fresh parsley. Cook until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve over white rice.
You can use other proteins as well -- chicken or duck (just don't cook it until it's stringy...I ate waaaay too many bowls of stringy gumbo as a kid), crawfish, fish or any combination. I've also made a lighter version with very little roux, some thai curry paste, finished with a bit of lime and cilantro.
my husband, daughter, and future son-in-law.
