The Vineyard Mom Gumbo

 I love spicy food especially Cajun food.  Here is an easy gumbo recipe that takes some time, but is worth it.  You can adjust the spice if you don't like or can't eat spicy food.  One piece of equipment I think works best to make this recipe is a small black cast iron skillet for the roux. I serve my gumbo with a scoop of rice in the center. I love a crisp Savignon Blanc with this dish.  A votre sante! Cheers!


CUT ALL VEGGIES AND MEAT FIRST! This makes things much easier.

Serves 6-8

1/2 cup vegetable oil. 

Plus 1 Tbs. of vegetable oil for sauteing the sausage

1/2 cup flour

3 links of Andouille sausages cut into slices (about 8 oz.)

1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken thigh meat diced

1 lb. 21-25 count shrimp peeled and deveined. Note: Take the tails off too. If you use frozen shrimp, defrost first!

1 1/2 Tbs. tomato paste

1 yellow onion diced

1 cup finely diced celery

1 green bell pepper diced

5 garlic cloves minced

1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine

5 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp. gumbo file

1/4 tsp. salt and pepper

White or Jasmine rice for serving

In a cast iron skillet or saute pan, heat vegetable oil on medium high heat.  Add flour and mix with whisk. Turn heat down to medium and whisk occasionally until the roux turns a medium brown color.  About 15 min.

Take the plus 1 Tbs. of vegetable oil and heat it in a large pot or dutch oven. Turn heat to medium high and saute the sausage. 

Once browned, remove sausage leaving the juices in the pot and put sausage into a bowl.  Now add the chicken to the pot.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. When chicken is browned, remove it and put it in the bowl with the sausage.

 Add onion, celery, bell pepper, cayenne pepper and tomato paste to the pot and saute until softened.  This will take about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add the garlic in for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking the veggies.  Don't let the garlic burn.

 Add the white wine and scrap the bottom of the pan.  Let wine reduce for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock to the veggies.  Take the roux and a whisk and slowly add it to the stock and veggie mixture. 

Once combined, add the chicken and sausage to the pot. Let the gumbo come to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes uncovered stirring occasionally. 

When only 5 minutes remain for the gumbo, add your peeled, deveined, tail off shrimp and gumbo file. Stir and finish the final 5 minutes of cooking.

While gumbo is simmering, I make the rice. I use a quarter cup less water from the directions so the rice is sticky. Ladle gumbo into a bowl and scoop rice into the middle.  



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