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ALABAMA GUMBO

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  • Gluten Free
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This dish is very popular and a regular on many menus here in the Southern US. It can be served as a starter or as a main course. I made this last Friday afternoon. I like to take it over the top and use chicken, shrimp, sausage, crab and fish; I've been known to throw in a little alligator or a local bass I've caught from a neighborhood pond..(bass ..mind you..I've never caught an alligator) Many use the traditional andouille sausage, I prefer an organic chicken and apple sausage that's a little sweet and made with chardonnay, seafood..mostly shrimp and crab but you can use any fish you like. Gumbo is an African term for okra and File' Gumbo is a powder made from dried okra and used for thickening soups and stews I make large batches of Gumbo here at home and freeze some for tired nights and weekends when I don't feel like extended runs in the kitchen. I serve gumbo with a dab of rice steaming hot..It goes great with cornbread and ice tea with freshly picked mint from the edge of the porch..aka stoop cause you have to stoop to sit.... Ice cold beer aint too slack with this either Pardon the euphemisms.. I can't help it sometimes This is Alabama ..I do miss Boston but not the winters. I can remember trying to find grits and okra at Star Market in Sudbury. My pop UPS'd some okra from his garden and I cooked a country meal for friends.. over an open fireplace........They'd never had BBQ ribs, field peas with snaps and okra or fried green tomatoes ...much less gumbo and cornbread My friends enjoyed my cooking and often appeared around meal time I've made this dish so many times... I can put one together in 15-20 minutes

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Ingredients

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  • 1 large vidalia onion (or any sweet onion) diced
  • 1 bunch spring onions
  • 1 small red pepper (bell pepper)
  • 1 small yellow pepper (bell pepper)
  • 1 small green pepper (bell pepper)
  • 3 sticks celery Diced
  • 1 gram shrimp Raw
  • 1 Andouille chicken Polish or maple smoked sausage will work but andouille is traditional cajun
  • ½ picked crab
  • 2 tomatoes (fresh and chopped)
  • 1 leaf okra Whole
  • 3 cloves garlic Smashed
  • 3 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1500 ml chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon red chillies
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • ½ butter
  • 125 ml flour For roux

Method

  1. I like to use a large cast iron Dutch oven to make this.
  2. I start with a little butter and saute the peppers and onions, garlic until they glisten at their brightest color..don't burn the garlic..It'll make everything bitter!! ...
  3. Add the tomatoes and okra and stir everything together until warmed through then add the sausage and herbs with the chicken stock (reserve a cup of stock for later to control your roux) let all come together until a very slow boil happens...keep it at a slow roll.
  4. Time for Worcestershire and liquid smoke..stir and add the seafood..now while the shrimp is starting to turn pink turn down the heat and start another saute pan with butter and flour for your roux......... This is a crucial step so have a sip of wine and relax...think slow roll !!!
  5. You want to slightly brown the flour for a nutty flavour so go SLOW and keep stirring equal parts of flour to melted butter with the last cup of chicken stock as a sort of guard if it all happens too fast.
  6. When you get the perfect light brown..golden brown color add a little stock to start a gravy...SLOW..heat stock.. stir..heat... stock... stir.
  7. Add gravy to your pot and stir it all together Spoon a little rice into bowls and cover with Gumbo I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my friends and family

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