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Recipe Request: Gumbo
Help a Dutch girl out, please!
During one of my recent trips to the farmers market, I discovered we’re not really cut off from the rest of the world; I can buy Okra here! Fresh okra even! I was baffled, shocked. Suffice to say I’ve been completely excited ever since! I guess that means I have no life, but at least I’ll have no life while eating gumbo!
Photographic evidence!
Since I’ve always been told that no okra = no gumbo (not a real gumbo, that is) I’m pretty eager to cook up the real deal. Which brings me to my recipe request.
Can anyone help me out with a good and tried Gumbo recipe? I’m Dutch, I kinda know how to cook, but this is stepping way outside my comfort zone. I like that. It’s a dish that’s completely new to me, ingredients I’ve never worked with—heck, I don’t even know what okra tastes like—and I could sure use some specific directions.
If you won’t mind sharing your favorite recipe with me, I’ll do the cooking and photographing so you can actually follow my triomph (or complete failure) right here.
Deal?
Dit hou ik even in de gaten. Onze Jumbo (!) verkoopt okra en ik heb bij Gumbo echt een geweldige, mytische associatie. Ik zou het graag eens maken!
First, understand that the original gumbo is actually just leftovers, which means if you didn’t have okra, it didn’t mean you couldn’t have it, it justw ouldn’t have okra in it. Much like what my mom used to call refrigerator stir fry.
Anyway, here’s an okra gumbo recipe from my husband’s grandmother:
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never made this recipe before – also, I would probably substitute the from scratch versions of some things rather than canned (like the canned chicken and broth) except ro-tel tomatoes, because they have the right ratio of chilies to tomatoes.
Shrimp Gumbo
5 lbs shrimp
2 lbs crab meat
1 can chicken
½ lb okra (optional)
¼ lb salt pork (½ cup full)
2 large onions
1 bunch green onions
¼ cup celery
1 bell pepper
2 or 3 cans chicken broth
2 cans rotel tomatoes
1 tbsp season-all
2 tbsp parsley
¼ tsp sage
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup flour
½ cup oil
Brown salt pork, onion, flour – make roux.
Add okra, stir until not slimy anymore.
Add chicken broth, celery, bell peppers, rotel tomatoes & other seasonings.
Simmer 30 to 45 minutes.
Add cooked shrimp, crab, & chicken, simmer another 15 to 30 minutes.
Red pepper can be added to taste.
Here is a link from Southern Living Magazine. The article has a link to the recipe itself. I made this several years ago and it was to die for.
Good luck!
http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/classic-gumbo-00400000007725/
Brown roux+holy trinity is the base, anything else you add is up to you (or whatever you have available). :o)
This is one of my favorite gumbo recipes!
Louisiana Gumbo
Recipe courtesy EatingWell.com
Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: hr min Cook Time: 30 min Level:
Easy Serves:
4 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
10 okra pods, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-long pieces (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
6 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ounces andouille or kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced
Salt to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Directions
Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add flour and
cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the flour turns a deep golden color, 7 to 10 minutes.
Transfer the flour to a plate and let cool. (There will be a strong aroma similar to burnt toast. Be careful
not to let the flour burn; reduce the heat if flour seems to be browning too quickly.)
Heat oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic; sauté until the onions are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the toasted flour. Gradually stir in broth and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add tomatoes, okra, pepper, thyme, oregano, cayenne and bay leaf. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in rice and cook, covered, for 15 minutes longer.
Add shrimp, chicken and sausage; simmer until the shrimp is opaque inside, the chicken is no longer pink and the rice is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Discard the bay leaf and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and serve with hot sauce.
I do have a gumbo recipe, but I’ll have to dig it out. But just so you know, you CAN make REAL gumbo without okra. You just need file’ (fee-lay). Here (in Louisiana) you can usually find it on the spice aisle. It comes in a small glass jar. It has the same thickening properties as okra, but you add it after the gumbo is cooked. Don’t know if file’ is easier or harder to find there, but it’s a definite (and really yummy) alternative. In fact, it’s my preferred version of gumbo (file’ gumbo).
@MJ:
I’ve heard that before so went on a wild witch-hunt for it. It’s not sold in the Netherlands.
As it’s highly unlikely you can find Andouille sausage in the Netherlands, I could image chorizo working really well with it, both the texture and the oil and paprika it’ll release.
File is made from the sassafras root. Maybe that will help you find it. The point of file is to thicken a gumbo the way the okra would thicken it. There are many gumbos and I grew up with seafood gumbo – no sausage. In Cajun cooking, gumbo is served with potato salad. That’s just how it’s done.
For recipes you may find these sources worthwhile. Both Danno and Roux-B- Doo are fabulous cooks and photographers:
http://www.nolacuisine.com/category/recipes/
http://rouxbdoo.blogspot.com/ (scroll down to recipes and links)
I hope that helps.
@schatze:
I learned so much about it when I was searching for it. We searched everywhere: online, offline, the big cities, the markets. Everywhere. It just can’t be bought here, not sure why.
I think I’d be partial to seafood gumbo as well. Really curious about it.
Thanks for the links, gonna check them out now!
Emeril Lagasse is the leading chef of Creole cooking in America. Gumbo is one of his specialties and lists many different versions on his website. I have made some and they are awesome. It’s where I go when I want a very authentic gumbo.
Here is one chicken and sausage that would be a great start. Have fun:)
http://www.emerils.com/recipe/7678/Chicken-and-Smoked-Sausage-Gumbo
I don’t have a recipe for gumbo but love fried okra rolled in cornmeal. Okra has a peppery aftertaste. Just chop it up, shake with cornmeal and some salt and pepper and fry in some kind of fat.
Hey Kay! I have a pretty darn good (tried and tested multiple times) recipe for gumbo. It’s pretty long, because it has explanations and all. Shoot me an email so I know where to send it!
Okers worden veel gegeten in de surinaamse keuken. Ik zelf hou er totaal niet van, omdat het gewoon een slijmerige groente is. Je kan ook dreadlocks er mee wassen, word het weer helemaal schoon. Je kan alle kanten op met okers…hhihihi.
Gumbo is a soup famous here in Louisiana. The two versions of Gumbo most often made are chicken/sausage gumbo and seafood gumbo. I don’t often make it. What I do make and absolutely LOOOOOVE is fried okra. Cut the okras into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds. Let it sit for a few minutes for the juices start to come out and the corn meal will stick. Add corn meal to the bowl of cut okra, add salt and pepper, toss to coat. Heat oil in skillet (about 1/2 inch). Add okra (shake off extra corn meal) and fry until brown. Enjoy as a side dish. — it’s like eating popcorn!
One of my readers referred me to you since I have a step by step gumbo on my blog; however, it looks like you are doing well with current recipe choices.
Down here on the Louisiana bayous, we do make two basic gumbos as mentioned above, but for thickening we either make “okra gumbo” or “file` gumbo”. We DO NOT use both in the same recipe.
If you are using okra in your recipe, you do not need file`, so don’t fret if you can’t find it in the Netherlands!
Good luck with your gumbo cooking!
Bayou Woman
I will be honest, and I am sorry to say, I hate okra, unless it is battered in cornmeal and fried. Otherwise I won’t touch it. It is an interesting vegtable. The exterior is firm but the inside has a very slimy texture. I confess that when I make gumbo I leave it out.
I do not have an “authentic” recipe. I believe that a “authentic” gumbo requires a roux, and you can skip the okra. It’s not a real “real” gumbo if it doesn’t have a roux. But I have a quick gumbo recipe that is very tasty. http://thenoshery.com/2009/02/20/quick-and-easy-gumbo/
Good luck on your gumbo search.
I second the recommendation of okra dredged in corn meal and then fried. In fact, I’ll be hitting up the market tomorrow and hoping my okra supplier is there so that I can make some fried okra myself! I was ridiculously excited when I finally found okra here. You could probably add some to your stoofvlees if you didn’t mind doing something a bit different. I have a beef stew recipe I use it in and it’s delicious. It’s also good grilled on skewers with beef, red pepper, potatoes and zucchini. Let it all marinate in a horseradish, mustard, Worcestershire sauce mix and then grill. Lovely!
I’ve never seen okra in Austria, but if you can find it at your market, maybe it’s at my market too! I’ll take a look. My husband loves fried okra and would be thrilled at the surprise.
Sorry, no gumbo recipe.
Found this recipe on line, my favorite
Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients:
1/4 cup roux
2 large onions, chopped
3 cups okra, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts water
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
6 to 8 green onions, finely chopped
2 pounds shrimp
1 cup oysters
1 cup crab meat
crab claws
hot cooked rice
Preparation:
Add shrimp to roux and cook for a few minutes. Set aside. Cook okra and onions in hot oil. Add tomatoes and garlic when okra is almost done. Cook a few minutes longer, then add water, salt and pepper. Combine shrimp and roux mixture with okra; simmer about 10 minutes. Add oysters, crab meat, and crab claws; simmer for 15 minutes. Add parsley and green onions and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with hot cooked rice.
forgot to give roux recipe:
First you make a roux……
The fat used in roux may be butter, shortening, lard, oil, or even bacon drippings. Combine fat with an equal amount of flour ; 1/2 cup of each will make a good amount and any excess can be stored in the refrigerator. (Many cookbooks call for a little more fat than flour – 2/3 cup oil to 1/2 cup flour is a common ratio.) Melt the fat in a black skillet over low heat. When warm and fluid, sprinkle the flour in a little at a time, stirring. Stir constantly until brown (this may take 20 to 30 minutes) ; immediately remove from heat or add ingredients your recipe calls for. If it burns even slightly, throw it out and start over again.
I am from ‘The South’, aka, the southern part of the USA. I love okra. My very favorite way is non-traditional to “The South” – lightly steamed. I just throw some pods (15-20) in my microwave steamer with a tablespoon or so of water and steam for 6-8 minutes (depending on pod size). A touch of salt, a grind of pepper and if the jeans are loose enough, a tad of butter.
Don’t get me wrong — fried okra is to die for, especially dipped in tatar sauce! As is okra pods cooked atop some fresh peas or beans. Okra is a big hit in veggie soup and my friends beg for bowls of my ‘corn, okra and tomatoes’. Even slimmy boiled okra has a special place in my heart. And as you know, gumbo isn’t gumbo with okra, but do not limit yourself to gumbo alone.
Kay, Congratulations on your okra purchase! I live in the Netherlands, too, and can usually find okra in the Chinese markets. The okra in your photos looks great — small and tender. The big ones tend to be tough. Your readers who recommend coating it in flour and cornmeal and frying it are right on. You can even make a sort of fritter by slicing the okra and mixing it into a sort of batter with buttermilk (karnemelk here in the Netherlands) and flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper. The buttermilk helps the flour/cornmeal stick and lessens the goopiness of the okra a bit. Scoop them out in spoonfuls, and fry. In the American south people also pickle okra with hot peppers, and they’re addictive! I also have an Indian-inspired recipe for slicing the okra into matchsticks and then frying them until crisp, and saucing them with a tangy salad dressing — it’s great. Donna, above, is right — corn, okra and tomatoes is wonderful.
Perhaps I over looked it in the above postings but I don’t recall reading how to cook okra in preparation for gumbo. I’m a native/resident of South Louisiana and Gumbo is one of my specialties, with or without okra. When using okra, I do not make a roux. I brown onions in oil to give it color. Roux is for thickening and okra will do that for you.
I cook okra ahead of time because it takes a while. Slice okra into circles. In a large enough pot, pour about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use canola). Add okra to the pot and a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring now and then. If it wants to stick add a fourth cup of water as needed until the okra are fully cooked and there is no string of slime when the okra leaves the spoon. This takes 1 to 2 hours depending on how much okra and the size of the pot.
We call this smothered okra and it can be easily frozen for up to a year and used in your next gumbo.
http://chickyegg.blogspot.com/2008/10/okra-oh-okra.html
Try Fried Okra with Garlic + Bovril ( or marmite)