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Seafood Gumbo

 

Most people who know me understand that I really enjoy a good meal.  Those same people will also tell you I am extremely opinionated as to what I consider a good meal.  Because of this let's begin with some basic concepts:

 

  1. If it can't kill you it ain't worth eating -  I find that there are a few simple truths in life.  On of those is the fact that "fat equals flavor".  You can go easy on the butter but it just won't taste as good.  Bacon, with all due respect to the banana people, is truly "the world's most perfect food".  MSG?  Yes please!  Vegetables are all fine and good but there's nothing like some nice rare red meat.
  2. Cooking is more art than science - Exact measurements are for chemists not cooks.  I really don't measure anything.  All measurements I give are estimates so you some idea what I am talking about.  The recipe should not be taken to be the gospel truth.  The reason for this is simple - very few ingredients are consistent.  One can of cayenne pepper is often a little stronger than another.  Sample two tomatoes and you'll find one is sweeter than the other.  Eggplants differ in bitterness but you won't know until you cut them open and try them.  Develop your taste buds and learn to season by taste.  Your food will be better than anyone who follows exact recipes. 
  3. Converted and/or "minute" rice is an abomination - They say you are what you eat.  Converted and "minute" rice is crap.  Make the analogy yourself.

 

 

 

The Recipes

Gumbo

Jambalya tag

Catfish in Parchment Paper

 

 

 

 

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Gumbo

 

 

 

Roux

 

Roux is an important part of a gumbo.  It adds a nutty sort of flavor that is critical to gumbo.  It also is one of the three thickening agents (okra and file powder being the other two) its basically equal parts flour and oil.  You can also use butter but it tends to burn easy so I stick with canola oil.  Heres how you do it:

 

In a large pot cover the bottom of the pot in a thin layer of oil.  Set your stove to low.  Stir in a few tablespoons at a time.  Use wooden spoon to stir (Plastic spoons melt which makes for really bad tasting gumbo).   You want the consistency to be a smooth but thick liquid. You do NOT want a paste or big gobs of flour. Initially the white mixture will start to darken and you will smell a nutty flavor as the flour cooks. It will turn tan then peanut butter brown, then reddish brown, a milk chocolate brown. It takes a long time to get from peanut butter brown.  After that the progression happens faster. It is important to stir constantly and keep the heat low.  You can leave it alone for 20 seconds or so but any longer and you may burn your roux and have to start over.  Youll know when it burns it will smell burnt instead of a nutty sort of smell.  If things look like it may burn take the pot off the heat and stir till things settle down.  How long do you expect to stir?  I dont know Ive never timed it but I usually drink two beers during the process (a man gets thirsty over a hot stove).  For slower drinkers its probably 1 or 1 beers.  One last thing NEVER touch the roux with bare skin.  In the Middle Ages they used to drop boiling oil on people trying storm the castle.  There was a good reason for this:  It burns like heck and sticks to everything.  When you make a roux it is exactly same thing except stickier.  Dont ask why I know this.

 

Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

Flour

Oil

Chicken, Vegetable stock, or Seafood stock

1 large green pepper chopped

1 large onion chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

5 cloves of garlic minced

One 28 oz. can of chopped or crushed tomatoes

Creole seasoning

Cayenne pepper (optional)

Original Tabasco Sauce

Lee and Perrins Worstershire sauce

Thyme

2 bay leaves

File Powder (sometimes called Gumbo File its just ground sassafras)

cup Okra cut up

Cooked white rice

Parsley chopped

Green onions chopped

Seafood - use what ever you like.  Here are some suggestions:

  • Shrimp (peeled)

  • Oysters

  • Clams

  • Lump Crab Meat

  • Mussels

  • Light/non-oily fish, cut up- catfish for example

 

Instructions

  1. Make a roux just past the red brown stage (i.e. more brown than red). 
  2. Add in the onion and celery
  3. Add a couple of tablespoons of Creole Seasoning and stir (dont worry this stuff really isnt too hot.  Besides your making a gigantic pot of gumbo)
  4. Add about 1 tablespoon of thyme
  5. Add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  6. Right before the onion turns translucent add the green pepper
  7. Stir in a teaspoon of Creole seasoning and bay leaves
  8. After the green pepper begins to soften, add garlic and stir for a few minutes
  9. Add several cups of broth
  10. Add Tabasco to taste
  11. Add 3 tablespoons of Worstershire Sauce
  12. Add 3 tablespoons of thyme
  13. Add tomatoes
  14. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer stirring occasionally
  15. After gumbo reduces in volume a little taste and adjust seasoning.
  16. Sprinkle in approximately 4 tablespoons file powder, stirring as you add it.  Do this slowly or it will clump.
  17. Bring the gumbo to a boil again, and then reduce to simmer.  The gumbo will thicken a little
  18. Add okra
  19. Wait about 10 minutes
  20. Add seafood
  21. Wait 5 minutes and then turn off heat (NOTE:  If adding lots of seafood, wait 10 minutes then turn off heat)
  22. Wait another 10 minutes.  Carry over heat will finish cooking the seafood 
  23. Stir in another 2 tablespoons of file powder
  24. Serve in a bowl over cooked rice.  Add Tabasco Sauce and Creole Seasoning to taste. Garnish with chopped green onion and parsley.  Adding more parsley will cut the heat if you like things less spicy...  If you are a sissy. 

 

Chicken and Andoullie Sausage Gumbo

 

Ingredients

Flour

Oil

Chicken or Vegetable stock

1 large green pepper chopped

1 large onion chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

1 large chicken breast cut up

2 andoullie sausage* links cut up (if not available substitute any smoked sausage)

5 cloves of garlic minced

Creole seasoning

Cayenne pepper (optional)

Original Tabasco Sauce

Lee and Perrins Worstershire sauce

Thyme

2 bay leaves

File Powder (sometimes called Gumbo File its just ground sassafras)

Several shrimp peeled (optional)**

cup Okra cut up (optional)**

Cooked white rice

Parsley chopped

Green onions chopped

 

*Andoullie Sausage is similar to smoked polish sausage except it has a lot of paprika in it and is slightly spicy

 

**Obviously the moment you add shrimp and/or okra to your gumbo it is no longer Chicken and andoullie sausage gumbo.  When I add both I call it my kitchen sink gumbo because it has everything in it but the kitchen sink.   

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

  1. Make a roux just past the red brown stage (i.e. more brown than red).
  2. Add chicken and sausage and saute them in the roux
  3. Stir in 2 tablespoons of Creole seasoning
  4. When the chicken is mostly cooked Add in the onion and celery
  5. Add a couple of tablespoons of Creole Seasoning and stir (dont worry this stuff really isnt too hot.  Besides you're making a gigantic pot of gumbo)
  6. Add about 1 tablespoon of thyme
  7. If you prefer spicier gumbo add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  8. Right before the onion turns translucent add the green pepper
  9. Stir in a teaspoon of Creole seasoning and bay leaves
  10. Add garlic and stir for a few minutes
  11. Add several cups of broth - the gumbo should be a little watery - remember this will eventually reduce as you cook
  12. Add Tabasco to taste
  13. Add 3 tablespoons of Worstershire Sauce
  14. Add 2 tablespoons of thyme
  15. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer stirring occasionally
  16. After gumbo reduces by taste and adjust seasoning.
  17. Sprinkle in approximately 4 tablespoons file powder, stirring as you add it.  Do this slowly or it will clump.
  18. Bring the gumbo to a boil again, and then reduce to simmer.  The gumbo will thicken
  19. Add okra if you choose to
  20. Wait about 10 minutes (if you dont add okra wait 10 minutes anyway)
  21. If you choose to add shrimp, season them with Creole Seasoning and then add them to the pot
  22. Turn off heat
  23. Wait another 10 minutes or until shrimp are cooked.
  24. Stir in another 2 tablespoons of file powder
  25. Serve in a bowl over cooked rice.  Add Tobasco Sauce and Creole Seasoning to taste. Garnish with chopped green onion and parsley.  Adding more parsley will cut the heat if you like things less spicy.

 

 

 

 

Jambalaya

 

 My brother Dave thinks this is the best thing I make.  (I disagree with him but I guess that's just his opinion).   A few things to keep in mind:

  • You can substitute ingredients.  Use different meats or seafood.  I like adding in crawfish tails instead of shrimp for example.  You can also omit stuff you don't like.
  • Jambalaya works as a main course or side dish
  •  Also, jambalaya seems a lot tougher to make than it actually is.  Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients.  Remember, this is cooking not rocket science

 

INGREDIENTS

 

3 tablespoons olive oil

Creole seasoning (I use Emeril Legasse's Original Essence but there are other good brands as well)

2 bay leaves

Thyme

Oregano

Cayenne pepper

2-3 Tablespoons Lee and Perrins Wostershire Sauce (Only buy Lee & Perrins the other stuff is crap)

Tabasco Sauce to taste

Andoullie sausage (or some other smoked sausage)

1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into inch cubes

a lot of shrimp, shelled and deveined

3 cups Chicken stock

One large onion chopped

One stalk of celery

a green bell pepper diced

a red bell pepper diced (You can substitute a whole green or red pepper instead of the two halves)

7 cloves of garlic finely minced (You can use less if you plan on going out that night)

Parsley Chopped

Green onion Chopped

1-2 cups of Rice IMPORTANT:  USE REGULAR LONG OR MEDIUM GRAIN RICE DO NOT USE CONVERTED RICE (UNCLE BENS MINUTE RICE, ETC.).  See my comments above.

Optional - partially cooked wild rice (Be sure to pre-cook your wild rice or buy it pre-cooked it takes 3 or 4 times the time it takes to cook regular rice.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

NOTE:  Steps 1-6 stir occasionally to mix the ingredients and keep from burning spices.

  1. Brown sausage in a large pot over medium high heat
  2. Season with a pinch of Creole seasoning or in my case a tablespoon of it
  3.  When sausage is about half cooked, season chicken with Creole seasoning and add to pot. 
  4.  When chicken is done add onion , bell pepper (both), and celery.  
  5.  When onion is translucent add about 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning and Bay Leaf
  6.  If you are using the optional wild rice add it now
  7.  Turn down the heat to medium
  8.  Add Rice and one tablespoon of Creole Seasoning.  Stir well make sure rice is coated in oils and spices of the mixture.  Cook 2-3 minutes.
  9.  Add chicken stock appx 2 cups.  
  10. Add Wostershire Sauce and Tabasco Sauce to taste (I usually put in 3 or 4 dashes of both unless I am cooking for just myself in which case I double that)
  11. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer stirring occasionally
  12. Rice will absorb the chicken broth.  You may need to add more broth depending on what type of rice you buy.  While the rice is absorbing the liquid, occasionally taste the liquid and re-season.  Use either Creole seasoning or any component in the Creole seasoning
  13. When there is only very liquid left add the shrimp.  I usually try to add the shrimp when there is only 5-10 minutes of cooking time left.  Otherwise, the shrimp gets overcooked
  14. When the rice is fluffy and soft, you're done.  Garnish it with green onion and chopped parsley. 

 

 

 

 

Catfish in parchment paper 

 

This recipe is probably the easiest thing I make but because of the way you prepare it, it seems really impressive.  You can actually do this with any fish that is not too oily so substitute at will.  Also, if you dont have parchment paper, you can use tin foil.  The parchment paper looks cool though and can add a slightly smoky flavor.  For those that dont know, parchment paper is like wax paper without the wax.  By the way, don't use wax paper unless you like the taste of wax - I only say this as someone I gave this recipe to did just that..

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 catfish filet

1 lemon thinly sliced

black pepper

white pepper

Old Bay Seasoning (or you may substitute Creole seasoning)

salt

some kind of leafy vegetable usually cabbage, bok choy, nappa cabbage

1 teaspoon olive oil

Whatever other vegetables you like, sliced thin.  Here are some examples of what Ive used:

  • Zucchini
  • Red onions
  • Red and green bell peppers (The red ones really go well with this)
  • Peapods
  • Green Beans

 

Optional Ingredients:

  • Shrimp
  • Scallops

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

  1. Cut a large piece of parchment paper or tin foil.
  2. Lightly oil the paper or foil with the teaspoon of olive oil.
  3. Lay the leafy vegetable on the one half of the foil.
  4. Season catfish with salt, white & black pepper, and old bay seasoning.  Lay on top of lettuce
  5. Place lemon slices on top of catfish
  6. Add a little salt & pepper
  7. Place shrimp and/or scallops on the lemon slices
  8. Toss other vegetables a little salt and pepper and the remaining oil.  Place these on top of  the last layer
  9. Add another piece of leafy vegetable
  10. Fold over the parchment paper and fold in the edges to seal them. You are making a little pocket.  Leave a little room for air to circulate.
  11. Cook in an oven on a cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes at about 400 degrees.(Depending on the size of the fish)
  12. Here's the part that appears impressive to guests.  Bring the fish to the table in the paper, make an "X" cut in the top with a sharp knife and roll back the paper on top.  Serve with rice on the side.