Chicken, Andouille and Shrimp Gumbo

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

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The origin of gumbo has always been controversial, purely grounded in the claims of if it came from the Creoles or Cajuns. If you don't know the difference, there are many books about the history of the two. My heritage is Creole, so I fall into the that camp, because who wouldn't want to claim gumbo as theirs. If you go by the Creole's story, gumbo was made as a holiday dish or made for a special occasion. It was made from all of the expensive items Creole slaves could gather and make into a rich soup. Melding flavors from seafood, pork and of course the trinity and the patience of a roux. All Creoles, or even Cajuns, will tell you that their mother or grandmother makes the best gumbo. And they would all be right. Gumbo can't be rushed. It takes time to develop the flavors. Time that is only done out of love. It is that love that comes out of every gumbo. Gumbo recipes can be family or even individual secrets, and often, families don't know how their grandmothers make it. Almost all gumbos are made by taste - a pinch of this, a dash of that. My grandmother will literally slap it on the back of her hand to taste. It's methods like these that can't be reproduced or taught. My aunts and uncles have told me childhood memories of my grandfather taking them down to the docks of NOLA to buy fresh seafood for gumbo. Or trying to learn, from my grandma, how to cook the slime out of the fresh okra. Or even having cousins video my grandmother making her gumbo to try and learn the recipe. Gumbo is special. The roux is the base to the success of any gumbo. Equal parts fat to flour, with the flour whisked into the hot fat and then stirred consantly until you develop a nice, dark flavor. There is also the beer. Before you ever start a roux, grab a beer. The old story is that it takes exactly one beer to make a gumbo roux. Try it and you will find that it is correct. As you stand in front of the hot stove, constantly stirring, a nice cold beer will keep your mind off of how long it takes to make a dark, nutty roux. Another point to make, is to prep all of your ingredients ahead of time. Once your roux has developed, you will need to add the onions and other items as you are constantly stirring, keeping the roux from burning on the bottom of the pan. Dicing up your trinity in the middle, will set you up for failure everytime. This recipe is what many would call a "Northerner recipe" or fancy gumbo. Most gumbo comes with the chicken still on the bone and the crab still in the shell, which is part of the secret of developing the full flavor of a gumbo. It's the simmering of all of the marrow from the bones and shells that help develop the flavor of a good gumbo. Though don't shy away from making this one. There is still a rich flavor. Be sure to serve with a white rice. Creoles only make gumbo for the people we truly enjoy in life. For any Creole, gumbo represents our heart and our love. All a little different, but rooted in the unique heritage of being Creole.

Ingredients

Creole Spice Mix

2 Tbsp. celery salt

2 Tbsp. smoked paprika

1 Tbsp. Kosher salt

1 Tbsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1 Tbsp. onion powder

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1½ tsp. ground all-spice

Gumbo

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 beer

2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs

2 lbs. andouille sausage

2 stalks celery

2 medium green bell peppers

1 large heirloom tomato

2 garlic cloves

2 medium yellow onions

2 sprigs thyme leaves, fresh

3 qt. chicken stock

2 bay leaves

Filé

Tabasco

6 cups cooked white rice

Instructions

Creole Spice Mix

Combine all the spices together and store in an air tight container until needed.

Gumbo

Season all of the chicken thighs with the Creole spice mix and set aside.

Dice the onions and set aside in a bowl. Dice the celery, green bell peppers and garlic then set aside in a bowl.

Remove the seeds from the tomato, dice and then set aside.

In a stock pot or large Dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat, until it begin to glisten.

Crack open your beer.

Slowly begin to whisk the flour into the oil. It will begin to sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir.

Continue whisking the roux until it takes on a deep brown color. About the time it takes to drink a beer. Hence you cracking open a beer. The key here is to keep things moving, do the roux doesn't burn.

Add the onion and continue stirring with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low until the roux is a glossy, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken to the pot. Raise the heat and cook the chicken, turning them until brown. About 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool.

Add the andouille, celery, green bell peppers, tomato and garlic to the pot. Cook for another 3 - 5 minutes.

Tie the thyme with butcher string. Add the tied thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and then simmer for 45 minutes. Stirring occasionally to skim off the fat that will rise up.

While the gumbo is simmering, remove the chicken from the bones. Store the bones in the freezer for making stock later. Add the chicken meat to the gumbo.

Add a couple of dashes of Tabasco and ½ tablespoon of filé to the gumbo. Simmmer for another 45 minutes and continue to skim off any fat that rises to the top.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme. Add the shrimp and simmer until the shrimp have turned pink. About 5 - 10 minutes.

Serve in a bowl over the white rice. Sprikle a bit of filé over the top. Enjoy!