Party on the 8th for friend Dinah, lots of good friends, and gumbo on the menu?
You can't just wake up one morning and decide to make gumbo -- you get to gumbo after a series of events.
Yesterday or the day before, you will have gone to some good market and purchased a pound of "large" in-the-shell, line-caught wild (of course, this is Portland) shrimp, and approx. five cups of seafood stock. You can make the stock yourself, but you probably won't. City Market has glorious seafood stock in the freezer case. If you're reading this, Mal, lay in a supply next time you're in town. If you insist on home-making it, you can find a recipe in Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, which is also where his version of this recipe may be found. In your own kitchen freezer, I hope you have a pint or so of broth you made up from the last time you roasted a chicken, because you may need it here.
You will also have gone to Whole Foods or New Seasons and purchased 1-2 pounds boneless, skinless, organically fed free-range chicken breast, 12 oz. andouille sausage, and, if you are anywhere near this kitchen, will laugh again with Larry at the time we were in Paris and he ordered andouille, to learn that in France, that will be tripe. In Oregon andouille is just a lovely version of pork sausage.
The day before you wish to serve the gumbo, you will have peeled and deveined the shrimp and cut them into pleasing bite-sized pieces, and set them aside in the refrig. Ditto the chicken. And the andouille. You will have put the stock into the refrig to thaw.
One starts gumbo a day early by chopping 2 cups yellow onion, 1 1/2 cups green bell peppers, and 1 cup chopped celery into nice, even, 1/4 inch-or-so dice. Place all these into a bowl to await their turn. Feel free to use red or yellow bell peppers, as your esthetic demands.
Next comes the ESSENCE, a trade-mark Emeril Lagasse seasoning which he calls Bayou Blast. Combine in a small bowl 2 1/2 TBS paprika, 2 TBS salt, 2 TBS garlic powder, 2 TBS black pepper, 1 TBS onion powder, 1 TBS dried oregano, 1 TBS dried thyme, and 1/2 tsp cayenne. Note: Emeril would have you use 1 TBS cayenne, but you should do so at your own risk. Set this aside.
Now you should heat oil in a deep, sturdy pot, add flour to it and, standing by with a wooden spoon (flat bottomed is best), stir over controlled heat until the resulting roux is dark red-brown. Some (Paul Prudhomme) suggest cooking this over high heat for 2-4 minutes, but in my experience, that leads directly to the garbage can and starting over. With a little patience and low to medium heat, you'll get there.
But how much oil, how much flour? Today let's say we're making enough for 10 or so diners, and therefore start with 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour. Wait, back up.
Yes, you can use vegetable oil, but here's where the story gets interesting. I had a supply of lard in the refrigerator from months ago (not saying how many), and thought what the heck. They've been making gumbo since long before Canola oil showed up, and probably used bear fat, possum fat, and surely, pig fat, aka lard. Why not? (Don't worry, most of the fat gets skimmed off anyway) And lard actually has flavor!
Now turn the heat up to a good strong medium. Add half the vegetables to the hot roux, stir, cook for about a minute. The smell will have you wishing you had put some zydeco on the Bose. Add the rest of the vegetables and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in about 1/4 of the ESSENCE and cook another 2 minutes. You can add all of the seasoning at some point if you want to, but let's just start slow. I don't know your tolerance for fire.
Put the stock in the microwave for a minute or so to heat, then stir into the roux. Keep whisking constantly until you are sure you have defeated any lumps. Turn the heat to low and cover while you sauté the andouille in a separate skillet with a little of the lard, if you have any left. I do not know if all andouille is fully cooked, but the point here is browning. It will certainly be fully cooked at the end of the day.
While the andouille is browning, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of ESSENCE onto the chicken pieces, toss with your hands to cover all the pieces. When the sausage is sufficiently brown, add it to the gumbo and brown the chicken in the same skillet. When done to your requirement (it too, will cook in the large pot), add to the gumbo and let simmer for an hour or so.
Where's the okra? Good question. It would certainly make your gumbo more authentic, it looks cute, it has thickening properties that are welcome. You can get it frozen in most supermarkets, probably get it fresh depending on where you live, but really, why? We all know you aren't Cajun, it's kind-of slimy, and I have no idea what it tastes like down underneath all that yummy Bayou Blast. Do what you need to do.
Allow the gumbo to cool and then refrigerate, covered, over night. In the morning, you may be shocked at the layer of fat on top. But see, you can just skim it off. I do.
Now you have to evaluate how much you have, if you think there's enough for everyone, if it's satisfactorily thick. If not, here's where that afore-mentioned roast chicken broth comes in. Fire up a skillet, add another 1/4 cup lard/oil, 1/4 cup flour and repeat the roux making process, adding the broth when the flour is dark enough. Add all this new material to the gumbo and stir. Bring the entire pot's-worth to a good simmer and taste it! Now add as much ESSENCE as you want. The whole amount will not be amiss, but you have to decide for yourself.
Finally, the shrimp. Do not add the shrimp until 10 minutes before you plan to serve, as it needs the barest amount of cooking time.
Gumbo is traditionally served over white rice but again, Oregon, remember, brown rice or a rice mixture like Trader Joe's is perfectly wonderful.
Someone asked me at Dinah's party if I share my recipes. Huh? Of course, and I'm sure you do, too. So any time you want to pitch in with something of yours, get one of your kids to show you how to comment on this blog, or just put it on FaceBook. I love hearing from you guys!
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