gumbo

Stevarino’s Louisiana Gumbo File’

A favorite cooking “project” that I picked-up from a buddy down south. Putting this together would usually be an all day endeavor and would feed a host of football fans at the house throughout game day.

KPaul would be proud!

This recipe can feed anywhere from 4 to 12 people, depending on the kind of people. Adjust the yields to meet your expected needs by increasing/decreasing amounts using a ratio applied to all ingredients listed here.

Yum

Louisiana Gumbo File'

  • Servings: 6-12
  • Difficulty: difficult
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1/2 whole fryer chicken (for the stock)
  • 3 deboned chicken breasts
  • 1 lb. of Andouille sausage or kielbasa
  • 1 lb. of shelled crawfish or shrimp
  • 2 onions
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 can sliced okra (fresh is better)
  • 1 can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 carrot
  • cayenne pepper
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • Gumbo file’
  • Lousiana hot sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • olive oil or other cooking oil
  • white rice (sometimes I use Boil-n-bag)

How to make it

  1. In a large stock pot, add 1/2 fryer(rub fryer with salt & pepper), 2 quarts water, 1 celery stick, 1/2 onion, 1 carrot. Let simmer for 4-6 hours on low-medium heat. See my post on making basic chicken stock here on Fusion Culinaire.

  2. Drain stock from the pot, and put aside.

  3. Cut deboned breasts into bite-sized pieces, dust in flour (I use a paper bag), and brown chicken in large skillet using a tablspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil.

  4. Remove browned chicken and set aside.

  5. Using the hot oil and drippings, add the remaining flour to the skillet and whisk over low-high heat until the desired texture and color is achieved. (See also, Making the Roux on Fusion Culinaire).

  6. If the roux gets black specks in it, it’s burned and you must start over with fresh oil. (half oil, half flour)

  7. Remove skillet from heat and add diced onion, celery, crushed garlic and okra. The heat from the roux should cook the vegetables very quickly.

  8. In large stock pot with strained chicken stock, slowing spoon in the roux, always stirring on medium heat.

  9. When all roux is mixed with stock, add cayenne, black pepper, salt, tomatoes, hot sauce, bay leaves and browned chicken pieces…let simmer for a couple of hours.

  10. Steamed rice is preferred or prepare a bag or two of boil-n-bag rice on the side (should take about 15-20 minutes).

  11. Slice the sausage up and slightly brown in your skillet, then add that to the gumbo.

  12. About 20 minutes before serving, add the crawfish or shrimp.

  13. Ladle the gumbo over a scoop of rice and season to taste with the file’, hot sauce, etc..

Makes about 4 quarts of Gumbo.

Geaux Tigers!

Steve D.

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