Gumbo - to make Indy tolerable

Whew, it’s been a while since I have added a new recipe, but it’s getting cold in Indy and we needed something to keep us warm and in love. We love gumbo and creole food in general, so this seemed fitting. I have made gumbo for years, but never wrote down a recipe till now. Gumbo, like jambalaya and chili and chicken soup, can be made a lot of ways with lots of twists. This is what I have found suits my taste cravings for gumbo. It’s rich, warm, salty and slightly spicy. 

Grocery list at the bottom.

In a large stock pot add the following:

3-4 pounds of bone in chicken pieces. I use thighs and split breasts. 

1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon of Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning

1 tablespoon of Old Bay’s seasoning

2 whole bay leaves

1 Dark beer 

Add the enough water to cover the chicken and give plenty of room room to cook and stir. 6 cups at a minimum. 

Bring stock pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat slightly and keep a low boil for 10-20 minutes until chicken pieces are done. Check after 10 minutes, then every 5 minutes. Overcooking makes the chicken tough and rubbery. Once the chicken is done, remove from pot and allow to cool. 

While the chicken is cooling, return the stock pot to a full boil and add 2 pounds of large easy peel shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes. Cooking the shrimp in the stock adds flavor to the shrimp and the stock. 

Remove shrimp from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. Peel them when you have time, we’ll add these to the bowl just before we eat, instead of adding to the pot. You can add them back to the gumbo as well, but add them just before serving so they don’t get over cooked. 

I like to keep the kitchen mess to a minimum, and try to cook with as few dishes as possible, so here’s how I do the rest... you can use a second stock pot if you have it, or a cast iron Dutch oven. I pour the stock off into a large mixing bowl to save and use the same large stock pot for the remaining cooking. 

In the stock pot, over medium high heat, sauté 1 pound of smoked sausage. Brown both sides and set aside. Add chopped veggies and sauté till tender. Set aside to add later. 

In the empty (not cleaned) stock pot, I make my roux. 2/3 cups of oil heated up and add 1 heaping cup of white flour. Stir continuously over med heat until the flour is roasted and the roux turns dark brown. If this is your first roux, do some more googling for better instructions. 

Once the roux is dark brown, reduce heat to low, stir in 4 cups of the stock we saved earlier. Bring to a simmer and add 1 pound of okra and 2 cans of chopped tomatoes. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the okra is soft. 

Start a pot of water for rice. Cook rice according to the package. I like extra long grained white rice best. 

Next add the pulled chicken, the sausage, and the sautéed veggies back to the gumbo and turn to low heat while the rice finishes cooking. You can add additional stock if needed to get the right consistency. 

Serve the gumbo in a bowl over the rice and top with 4-6 shrimp. “The Bread” makes a great side. 

Grocery list:3-4 pounds of bone in chicken pieces. 1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon of Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning

1 tablespoon of Old Bay’s seasoning

2 whole bay leaves

1 Dark beer 

2 pounds of large easy peel shrimp

1 pound smoked sausage, Conecuh is possible

3 sticks of celery, chopped

1 Large sweet onion chopped

2 bell peppers chopped

2/3 cup of oil

1 cup of white flour

1 pound of okra, cut bite sized. Frozen works. 

2 8oz cans of chopped tomatoes.  

1 pound of extra long grain white rice