NEW ORLEANS GUMBO

NEW ORLEANS GUMBO image

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

2/3 cup oil
3/4 cup flour
1 chopped large onion
3 chopped toes garlic
handful chopped parsley
1 chopped bell pepper
1 bunch green onions, sliced, green and white part
1 lb. sliced smoked beef sausage
1/4 pound smoked ham or small smoked ham bone
1 whole chicken, cut up, or 4 skinned breasts or 8 thighs
1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Ham (optional)
2 teaspoons salt (don't oversalt, can add more after cooking!
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 1/4 teaspoon dry thyme
½ teaspoon dry basil
1/8 teaspoon powdered cloves or 2 whole cloves
3 bay leaves, crushed
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
8-9 cups HOT water
1 # shelled shrimp (opt)
2-3 Tablespoons powdered file

Steps:

1. Make a roux: Stir (with a wooden spoon) together oil and flour over low flame until the color of dark brown peanut butter, really dark, as close to tree bark as you can get without burning. Do not stop stirring or it will burn and you will have to start over. This can take 30-45 minutes. Once it starts to brown a bit you can turn up the flame a bit to make it darken a bit faster-but don't leave it or it will burn. 2. Add onion, garlic, parsley, bell pepper, green onion. Stir, cooking vegetables into roux until soft and sorta brown, about 10 minutes. 3. Add sausage, ham, chicken, and Ham Bouillon, if using. Stir for about 5 minutes. 4. Add spices: salt, pepper, cayenne, white pepper, thyme, basil, cloves, bay leaves, lemon juice. 5. Add 8-9 cups very hot water (add very slowly to the pot, stirring as you slowly add the water you don't want the roux to separate due to sudden temperature change) Bring to boil then turn heat to low and cook for at least an hour. Best if you can cook then let sit for a few hours. If sitting for more than 3 hours, put in fridge. Even better if you can let it sit in the fridge overnight so flavors can blend. 6. Bring gumbo to a boil, turn down heat to medium and add shrimp (if using) about 10 minutes before turning off the flame. If you add seafood too early it will get soft and mushy. 7. Before serving, correct seasonings, may need to add more salt and/or black/red pepper. Do not oversalt or pepper. 8. After the flame is off, add file powder. Whisk the powder into the gumbo and then let it sit for a few minutes before serving. If you add it while the gumbo is still boiling it will get slimy. You can re-boil the leftover gumbo without any problems later. 9. Serve with rice and sliced raw green onions on TOP of gumbo for garnish. In New Orleans they wouldn't think of eating gumbo/rice without crusty French bread. Enjoy!! Laissez les bons temps roulez!