rwv2055 said:

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biobioprof said:

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Rusty GCS said:

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that can be your opinion but that doesn't make it true. It's not uncommon to not have roux in okra gumbo

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And oddly, of the three thickeners, roux is the only one that isn't considered a possible origin for the word "gumbo

Quote:

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The dish likely derived its name from either a word from a Bantu language for okra (ki ngombo) or the Choctaw word for fil (kombo).

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I don't pretend to be authentic, so I use all 3, with chicken, sausage, and shrimp.

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I also use all three, but I put the file on the table for people to add for themselves.

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That's what I do too. I learned about gumbo from a grad school housemate who used to save all his money all year and then bring back a cooler of food from Louisiana after going home for the holidays.

He was from Alabama, so not a Cajun. IIRC, his dad was an MD in Tuscaloosa. But compared to all the Yankees in Madison, he was the expert. It was long before Cajun became trendy, fwiw, if you set that as some time after Justin Wilson's PBS cooking show or Paul Prudhomme getting national attention.

Even getting file powder up north back then was a pain.

Bulldog73 said:

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I'm still waiting on a recipe!

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Ok here's what I got out of her:

Bone in legs and thighs... season well. Salt, pepper and favorite Cajun seasoning.

In a 5qt pot that's wider than it is tall, cook the chicken off in some vegetable oil. Remove and set aside.

Put in Savoie's. (That's Cajun lingo for onion, bell, celery, garlic and parsley.) Lots of Savoie's. Quart and a half or so. Be sure to season it too. Salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. You can get quarts of this premixed and cut at HEB in the produce section. It's worth it. They call it Cajun Mix.

Cook that down until it starts to look dry. Rehydrate with ~2-3 cups chicken stock. Cook it down again until it starts to look dry. Rehydrate. Cook it down again. Rehydrate again. By this time the Savoie's should be mostly falling to pieces and thickening the remaining stock into a gravy of sorts.

Put the chicken back into it and braise for a good long while. 1.5-2 hours? Add chicken stock as it evaporates and reduces.

At this point, remove the chicken one more time and add Wondra presifted flour. It comes in a blue can and has a sifter built into the lid that rotates like the top of Kraft Parmesan Cheese can. Sprinkle it in until it starts to thick up to the consistency where it'll coat the back of a spoon.

Put the chicken back in the pot and cook another 20-30 min until it's good and thick.

Serve over rice.

phideaux_2003 said:

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Bulldog73 said:

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I'm still waiting on a recipe!

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Ok here's what I got out of her:

Bone in legs and thighs... season well. Salt, pepper and favorite Cajun seasoning.

In a 5qt pot that's wider than it is tall, cook the chicken off in some vegetable oil. Remove and set aside.

Put in Savoie's. (That's Cajun lingo for onion, bell, celery, garlic and parsley.) Lots of Savoie's. Quart and a half or so. Be sure to season it too. Salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. You can get quarts of this premixed and cut at HEB in the produce section. It's worth it. They call it Cajun Mix.

Cook that down until it starts to look dry. Rehydrate with ~2-3 cups chicken stock. Cook it down again until it starts to look dry. Rehydrate. Cook it down again. Rehydrate again. By this time the Savoie's should be mostly falling to pieces and thickening the remaining stock into a gravy of sorts.

Put the chicken back into it and braise for a good long while. 1.5-2 hours? Add chicken stock as it evaporates and reduces.

At this point, remove the chicken one more time and add Wondra presifted flour. It comes in a blue can and has a sifter built into the lid that rotates like the top of Kraft Parmesan Cheese can. Sprinkle it in until it starts to thick up to the consistency where it'll coat the back of a spoon.

Put the chicken back in the pot and cook another 20-30 min until it's good and thick.

Serve over rice.

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I use Guidry's creole seasoning blend

Guidry'a works too.

AlaskanAg99 said:

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We do a chicken and sausage gumbo with a house made dry roux. It does loose some of the depth of flavor without the oil, but it's healthier. Personally I love tossing in a pound of crawfish peeled tails, the seafood really adds depth, but the wife is not a fan. At least now she's eats crawfish, small victories...

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Is crawfish really seafood though? I feel like you're safe there.

schmellba99 said:

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Maybe. But i wouldnt call it gumbo. Without roux, it is a soup or stew. My opinion, of course.

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I don't know if it's gumbo rules, or Cajun rules, but my wife (from Greenwell Springs) always quotes some cookbook that starts out:

• Who's your mama?
• Are you a Catholic?
• Can you make a roux?

She kinda frowned when I told her someone on TexAgs was making Gumbo without roux, so there's that.

She agrees with you, by the way. So do I.

BQ75 said:

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No. 11: Must have okra. 'Gumbo' means 'okra.'

Gumbo without okra is like chili without beans.

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FIFY

Alton Brown method, 2 hours in. Figure another hour and a half or 2 before it's where I want it. Used fresh pork lard and a dab of bacon grease instead of vegetable oil. Going with grilled/smoked quail and andouille.

I go Alton brown method (also used by Emril) with beef fat, supplemented with bacon grease if I don't have enough.