Nov 5, 2012

Gumbo

Is there anything better than a big steamy warm bowl of gumbo? Probably not much. Gumbo is DEFINITELY a comfort food for me. It's spicy and steamy and rich with all sorts of flavors. I like mine to have seafood, but you can make it strictly with chicken.

Ingredients
1/4 c vegetable oil - use as little as possible here
salt and pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into about 1 in pieces
1 lb italian sausage, sliced
1/2-1 c flour
4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
10 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 bell peppers, deseeded and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 c Worcestershire sauce (I like a bit more)
2 c italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 c beef broth (OR one box of stock then refilled with water)
1 can crushed tomatoes, with juice
4 green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
1 lb frozen shrimp, no tails deveined

In a heavy bottomed stock pot heat vegetable oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and then brown in hot oil. Be careful, it will splatter. Work in batches so it browns nicely. Once the chicken is all done, brown the sausage in batches. Remove all meat from the pot and add the butter. You want equal parts flour and fat, so add as much butter as you think you'll need to be about 1/2 c. Then add in the flour. Whisk flour and fats together well, you're creating a roux here so it needs to be smooth. We're looking for a fairly dark roux, but don't be worried if you can't quite get dark enough, we've got enough spices going on it will help hide that huge punch of flavor the roux will give. Get it AT LEAST peanut butter colored. Darker is better though. Scoop the roux out of the pot and set aside. Add in a bit more butter, and saute your vegetables until starting to get fragrant and tender. Add Worcestershire sauce, and parsley. Cook about ten minutes then add your stock. Add back in the chicken and sausage, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook about 40 minutes. Add in tomatoes and their juice, as well as the frozen shrimp. Continue to simmer until the shrimp have turned pink and cooked through. Serve with green onions, some finely chopped parsley, and a scoop of rice.



Gumbo
Saute the chicken.
Gumbo
Veg.
Gumbo
Gumbo
Simmer simmer simmer.
Gumbo
Serve with a scoop of rice.

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