Soup
Weather
The
stormy weather of March brings out the soup lover in me. My favorite is
GUMBO
so hear goes.
There
are several steps in making Gumbo. Number 1 is making the stock. You can
get away with canned chicken stock but it isn't as good so I will give
you a recipe for making your own but if you are lazy skip to the next step.
But you will need 5 quarts of stock which is what this recipe makes.
Stock
8 quarts
cold water
8-10
pounds chicken parts (backs, necks, etc.) and bones, or a whole chicken,
cut up and oven browned
Shrimp shells and heads, reserved from the 4 pounds of shrimp that have
been peeled for the final step of the gumbo (the heads are very important!)
8 ounces
onions, chopped
4 ounces
celery with tops, chopped
4 ounces
carrots, chopped
2 heads
garlic, cut in half horizontally
In a small cheesecloth bag or tea ball, place: 1 tsp. or so black peppercorns,
cracked
A few
parsley stems
1 bay
leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2
tsp. dried tarragon leaves
1/2
tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2
tsp. dried basil leaves
Remove
the skin from the chicken and chop into 3-4 inch pieces, making sure to
cut through and expose the bones. Brown the chicken parts and bones
in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes. Put the chicken in the stock
pot with the water and bring slowly to a simmer. Periodically skim off
any scum that forms, and if you wish use a skimmer to skim off the fat.
(This stock simmering process makes your house smell REALLY good!) Let
this simmer for at least three, and preferably four hours. It is this long
simmering process that extracts the maximum flavor from the chicken meat
and bones, as well as the natural gelatin from the bones. When refrigerated,
a good chicken stock will be clear and gelatinous. Add the onion, garlic,
carrots and celery. Place the peppercorns, parsley sprigs and dried herbs
into a 4-inch square piece of cheesecloth and tie it into a
little sack; add the sack to the stock the sack closed with some twine
and tie the long end of the twine to the handle of the pot; this
makes the bag easier to retrieve.) Simmer for one more hour, then
add the shrimp shells and heads. Simmer an additional 30 minutes. Remember
that during the simmering process, it's best not to stir the stock. The
end result will be much clearer if it is not agitated while simmering.
Strain thoroughly; the best way to do this is to ladle the stock out and
pour it through a strainer which has been lined with a couple of layers
of damp cheesecloth. If you're using the stock immediately, skim
off as much fat as you can with a fat skimmer or a piece of paper
towel, otherwise cool the stock right away by placing the container into
an ice-water-filled sink, stirring to bring the
hot liquid from the center to the sides of the container. Don't just
put hot stock in the refrigerator; it won't cool enough to prevent
possible multiplication of harmful bacteria. To defat the stock easily,
refrigerate so that the fat solidifies on the surface, then skim off.
ROUX
1-1/4
cups flour
1 cup
oil
Blend thoroughly in a thick skillet and cook over medium-high to high heat,
stirring CONSTANTLY. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN IT!! If you see black
specks in the roux, you've screwed it up. Dump it out and start over. Keep
cooking and stirring until the roux gets darker and darker. It's
best to use a very heavy pot or skillet for roux-making, especially
cast iron. With a good cast iron Dutch oven or skillet, you can get
a beautiful dark roux in only about 20 minutes. You should turn the fire
down or off as the roux nears the right color, because the heat from
the pan will continue cooking it. You can also add your onions, bell peppers
and celery to the roux as it's near the end of cooking to arrest the cooking
process and to soften the vegetables. KEEP STIRRING until the roux
is relatively cool. Add the roux to the stock.
THE
REST
1 chicken
or guinea hen, without giblets or if you prefer skinned and boned
chicken pieces.
1 pound
smoked sausage and/or fresh Creole hot sausage, browned
4 pounds
shrimp
6 blue crabs, cleaned, broken in half and claws pulled off or if
in your area this is not available use frozen or canned crab meat.
3 pounds
okra, sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch
green onions with tops, chopped
2 bell
peppers, chopped
5 ribs
celery, chopped
several
cloves garlic, minced
3 bay
leaves
1 bunch
fresh parsley, chopped
Creole
seasoning to taste, OR black, white and cayenne peppers, to taste
Salt to taste
Few
dashes Tabasco, or to taste.
Steaming hot long-grain rice
Sprinkle
the chicken pieces with Creole seasoning and brown in the oven. Slice the
sausage and brown, pouring off all the fat (especially if you're using
fresh Creole hot sausage). Sauté the onions, green onions,
bell pepper and celery if you haven't already added them to the roux, and
add to the stock. Add the chicken and sausage(s). Add the bay leaves and
Creole seasoning (or ground peppers) to taste and stir. Bring to a boil
and immediately reduce to a simmer; let simmer for about 45 minutes. Keep
tasting and adjusting seasonings as needed. Add the okra and cook another
30 minutes or so. Make sure that the "ropiness" or "stringiness" from the
okra is gone, add the parsley, crab halves and claws. Cook for another
15 minutes, then add the shrimp. Give it another 6-8 minutes or so, until
the shrimp are just done, turning pink. Be very careful not to overcook
the shrimp; adding the shrimp should be the very last step. Serve generous
amounts in bowls over hot rice.