 The Story
I have been on a quest for the perfect bowl of gumbo. Once you come to grips with the notion that there are many times more recipes than there are cooks and that each batch will have it's own personality, you get a feel for the size of this task. After many attempts to develop a good recipe I think that I may have finially created one that will rival some of the best gumbo in cajun country. But if y'all disagree with me, please don't shoot me because I'm only the cook.
The Plan
I can hear you saying why would I make a dish that I won't eat for 3 days. If you are really in a hurry you could do the whole thing in a day. The first day is mainly some preparitory cooking, and you can eat it on day 2. A good mess of gumbo takes time to brew properly. All I am going to say on this matter is if you are some kind of heathen (been one myself too) you can eat it on the first day but I pity you for your lack of patience. This recipe makes a lot of gumbo, so invite your friends and family over to share a bowl, or freeze a bunch for later. It freezes well and it's always good to have something festive put away that you can grab to eat quickly.
The Fixins
- 1 medium sized Chicken cut up
- 1 pound Andeline, or Smoked Sausage sliced thin
- 1 pound peeled Shrimp any count
- 1 pound pasterised Oysters
- 1 pound Crawfish Tails or 3 pounds whole
- 1½ pound sliced Okra
- 1 large Red Bell Pepper diced
- 1 large green Bell Pepper diced
- 1 pound cut Corn canned or frozen
- 3 stalks Celery split and diced
- 2 medium sized Yellow Onions diced
- 3 tablespoons chopped Garlic
- 2 14.5 oz. cans diced Tomatoes
- 2 8 oz. oz. cans Tomato Sauce
- 6 cups defatted Chicken Broth
- 1 liter Dry Red Drinking Wine
- 1 teaspoon liquid Crab Boil
- 3 tablespoons Tobasco
- 2 tablespoons Worchestershire
- 1 teaspoon dry chopped Thyme
- 1 2 teaspoons of Gumbo Filé
- 1 teaspoon Table Salt
- 1 teaspoon course ground Black Pepper
- 4 large whole Bay Leaves (laurel)
- ½ teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour
Lets Get Busy!
Project Gumbo Day 1
- Boil the chicken in a large pot with the following ingredients
- Table Salt
- Black Pepper
- Crushed Thyme
- Cayenne Pepper
- When the chicken is very tender remove and chill.
- Chill the broth overnight
- Cook the shrimp and crawfish in water that has the crab boil in it
- Remove from the boil and chill overnight
Project Gumbo Day 2
- Bone the cold chicken and cut into small pieces.
- Peel the Shrimp and Crawfish Tails
- Skim the fat from the chicken broth save to make the roux.
- Saute the sausage with the onions, garlic, celery, and peppers
- In a large pot combine the following Ingredients and simmer an hour.
- Diced boiled chicken
- Peeled Shrimp and Crawfish Tails
- Raw shucked oysters
- sausage vegetable mixture
- sliced okra and cut corn
- the chicken broth, and the wine
- Tomato Sauce & chopped tomatoes
- Tobasco, worchestershire, and the remaing spices
- In a frypan brown the flour in the chicken fat.
- Add this to the pot and stir well simmer at low heat.
- Cook 45 minutes, then cool and refrigerate till tomorrow.
Project Gumbo Day 3
- Remove from the refrigerator, remove and discard the fat.
- Bring the gumbo to a simmer, thin with broth or water if too thick
- Make a batch of rice to put in the bottom of your gumbo bowls.
- Call your friends & family, pour some wine, & kick the dog.
- Roll up the rug put away the breakables and warn the neighbors.
- Serve the gumbo on the rice and watch em smile. Bon appetit y'all.
F I N 
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