Okay, here is my monument to that great invention of the Bayou, Gumbo. Now some of you real purists out there may be outraged at my processes and iingredients but it is impossible for me to find such authentic ingredients as file and real andouille sausage (even the Tasso ham I had to make myself). So this is the way I made gumbo on this particular day. Next time I will make it differently and probably make it differently the time after that. But these are the basics in my recipe. Note that the pot I'm using is huge (true size doesn't really show in the pics). After eating gumbo for two days we were still able to fill 10 large Ziplocks for freezing.
The Roux.
I used 1 lb unsalted butter and 1 lb flour. Cooked on medium high heat to the toffee colored stage. I don't like a super dark roux. Constant stirring needed. Takes about a half hour. Drinking beer helps to pass the time.
The Stock
Basics were 5 ducks (2 mallards, 1 pintail, 2 bluebills). I took the breasts off of the mallards and pintail and left it on the bluebill. The finished gumbo would have the threads of long simmered duck in it as well as the meatier chunks of breast meat I added later.
Carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley were all added to a huge 14 liter stock pot. Everything covered with cold water and brought to a boil them simmered for 5 hours (beer and televised sports were made for this).
Ducks were removed and the stock strained. The resulting liquids were put into a 5 liter pot and a 9 liter pot and placed on the burners to reduce until the contents of both pots could fit into the 5 liter one. Basically the stock was reduced to a third of its original volume.
The trinity of bell peppers (6), onions (6), and celery (2 bunches).
Tasso ham, roasted red peppers, and pimnetos.
Seared off goose gizzards, hearts and duck breasts, with shredded meat from ducks from the stock and cooled roux. Not pictured: hot sauce, canned tomatoes (2 cans) and smoked venison sausage.
So. The roux was added to the cleaned out 14 liter pot and heated back up to temperature. Once it was bubbling and cooking really good, I added in about 1/4 of the trinity and let that aroma of the gods sweep through the house. Dumped I then dumped in all the other ingredients and the stock and let it simmer for about 2 hours. Every half hour or so I would add another bunch of the trinity to "layer" the textures of the veg. The last bit was added after I took the gumbo off the heat so that it would still have some crunch even when reheated.
Served on rice with chopped onions and extra hat sauce. More beer. Makes me thankful that my forefathers had the foresight to kick all those crazy Frenchmen out of the maritime provinces of Canada and ship them to the swamps of Louisianna.
The Roux.
I used 1 lb unsalted butter and 1 lb flour. Cooked on medium high heat to the toffee colored stage. I don't like a super dark roux. Constant stirring needed. Takes about a half hour. Drinking beer helps to pass the time.
The Stock
Basics were 5 ducks (2 mallards, 1 pintail, 2 bluebills). I took the breasts off of the mallards and pintail and left it on the bluebill. The finished gumbo would have the threads of long simmered duck in it as well as the meatier chunks of breast meat I added later.
Carrots, onions, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley were all added to a huge 14 liter stock pot. Everything covered with cold water and brought to a boil them simmered for 5 hours (beer and televised sports were made for this).
Ducks were removed and the stock strained. The resulting liquids were put into a 5 liter pot and a 9 liter pot and placed on the burners to reduce until the contents of both pots could fit into the 5 liter one. Basically the stock was reduced to a third of its original volume.
The trinity of bell peppers (6), onions (6), and celery (2 bunches).
Tasso ham, roasted red peppers, and pimnetos.
Seared off goose gizzards, hearts and duck breasts, with shredded meat from ducks from the stock and cooled roux. Not pictured: hot sauce, canned tomatoes (2 cans) and smoked venison sausage.
So. The roux was added to the cleaned out 14 liter pot and heated back up to temperature. Once it was bubbling and cooking really good, I added in about 1/4 of the trinity and let that aroma of the gods sweep through the house. Dumped I then dumped in all the other ingredients and the stock and let it simmer for about 2 hours. Every half hour or so I would add another bunch of the trinity to "layer" the textures of the veg. The last bit was added after I took the gumbo off the heat so that it would still have some crunch even when reheated.
Served on rice with chopped onions and extra hat sauce. More beer. Makes me thankful that my forefathers had the foresight to kick all those crazy Frenchmen out of the maritime provinces of Canada and ship them to the swamps of Louisianna.
