Most of us have a food that instantly brings us back to a happy moment in our childhood. You know, that aroma coming out of the kitchen that transports you to a simpler time. Some people love the scent of fresh-baked cookies or a turkey roasting all day on Thanksgiving. Others melt away into bliss when that first bite of apple pie hits their lips. All these foods are deserving of fond memories, but for me, nothing comes close to homemade gumbo.
Growing up in New Orleans means gumbo is a sacred delicacy. It can soothe your soul on a crummy day or warm your belly when the temperatures start dropping. People regularly brag about their gumbo and even fight over ingredients like whether tomatoes belong in a proper recipe or if roux or file’ make a better thickener. Even if we can’t agree on the ingredients, we’ll gladly take a bowl and enjoy it just the same. One of our favorite Disney movies has a scene that shows just this when Tiana and her dad make a big pot of gumbo to share with the entire neighborhood.
That scene from The Princess and the Frog caused my daughters to want to learn our family recipe for traditional roux gumbo, and I jumped at the chance to share it with them. I decided to document the process since it’s more about how you make it and less about the recipe itself. I’m going to share the process with you, but before we begin, you should know that cooking gumbo isn’t for the faint of heart.
Gumbo is best when made with love, and from scratch. In this recipe, that means roasting a chicken and boiling the leftovers to make a stock before we even start the gumbo. I recommend doing these steps the night before in preparation so making the gumbo isn’t an all-day process.
Making the stock is a pretty simple process. After I have fully deboned the chicken, I add the remains of the carcass to a stock pot filled with about 2-3 quarts of water. Putting the stock over high heat I add in onion, celery, garlic, kosher salt and black pepper, bringing it to a boil then reducing to a simmer. Once the stock is simmering, I then let it sit for at least 3 hours before taking it off the heat and straining the broth. Be sure to reserve some of the shredded chicken meat for the gumbo later on!
Once we have the stock and chicken ready, it’s time to start making the roux and cooking your okra. Now, if you’ve never made a dark roux before, don’t worry, I will walk you through it. Making a roux can be tricky the first couple of times, but it’s no big deal if it gets burnt; you just throw it out and start over. When I first started making this recipe, I went through 3 or 4 batches before I got it right. Oh, and if you do burn the roux, don’t try to salvage it, as the flavor will ruin the dish (I know from experience).
To make the roux, we are going to start off by adding ½ cup of oil to a hot, heavy-bottom pot. I like to use our cast-iron ceramic-coated Dutch oven, but any large heavy pot will do (and this will now be known as your gumbo pot!). Once the oil is hot, add ½ cup flour, making sure the pot is on medium-high heat. The flour should start frying, which means you need to begin stirring, and you’re not going to stop for 20-30 minutes normally. As you stir the roux, you’ll notice various stages or darkening color and different aromas, which make this a unique experience.
As the roux darkens to a golden cream color, it will begin to smell almost nutty. A few minutes later, it will transform into a copper-like tint, and those nutty flavors will intensify. At this point, I normally alternate pulling the pot off the burner for a minute and back on while stirring just to make sure the roux doesn’t overcook. If you start seeing a lot of smoke or the roux is thickening too quickly, then that’s a sign you may need to take it off the burner for a minute. It will continue to darken until we get to dark brown, like melted milk chocolate. This is when we want to cut the burner and move the roux off but continue stirring to allow it to cool.
Now, this is where many people will jump right into throwing their veggies in, but I prefer to let the pot cool a bit first. Adding veggies to hot oil will make the water quickly evaporate out of them and steam the roux, which could instantly burn it. Instead, I stir the roux for another 5 minutes or so to allow it to cool to a medium temperature. Throwing in a small piece of chopped celery should cause it to start sautéing in the roux but not fry.
Once the roux has cooled, I put it back on the burner at medium heat and toss in the onion, celery, and bell pepper. This is where the smell I mentioned at the beginning of this post really starts to shine. There is nothing like the aroma of the holy trinity cooking in a dark roux. You’re going to let the veggies cook until soft here, generally 5-10 minutes, before tossing in your grated garlic for a minute, followed by a ladle full of the chicken broth. Stir that mixture until the broth is incorporated and let it cook on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes or until you see the oil start to separate.
While waiting, go ahead and toss your frozen chopped okra into a small pot and coat with EVOO. Put the lid on and let it sit at medium-medium-high heat. Stir the okra every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t stick, and once it’s no longer stringy, we are ready to introduce it to the roux mixture.
Pour your okra into the roux and stir until combined. Keep the fire on medium and let it cook another 10 minutes. Now you’re going to add in the rest of your stock (as much or little as you want depending on desired thickness) along with salt, pepper, cayenne, and Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, rosemary). Stir it well and let cook partially covered for 45 minutes, then add your andouille and cook for another 45 minutes.
Now add in your shredded chicken and start tasting. Just like Tiana, you’re going to decide what else the gumbo needs based on your tastes. Adjust the seasoning and even add a dash of Tabasco. With the flavor where you want it, toss in the peeled shrimp and turn off the heat. Stir until the shrimp are cooked through and enjoy with a few spoons of rice!
TLDR:
Roux Gumbo
Prep Time: Overnight (for stock and chicken) + 2-3 hours Cook Time: 2+ hours Servings: 10-12
Ingredients:
- For the Chicken Stock:
- 1 chicken carcass
- 1 onion quartered
- 4 stalks of celery quartered
- 6 toes of garlic smashed
- 3 Tbs coarse kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 quarts Water
- For the Roux:
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup flour
- For the Gumbo:
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 oz) bag frozen chopped okra
- 2 Tbs EVOO
- 2-3 quarts Chicken stock (reserved from earlier)
- 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (dark and white meat)
- 1 -2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
- Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste
- Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, rosemary) to taste
- Tabasco sauce (optional)
Instructions:
- Make the Stock: Roast a whole chicken, then use the carcass and leftover meat to make a rich chicken stock. Do this the night before to save time.
- Make the Roux:
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
- Add flour and stir constantly for 20-30 minutes until it reaches a dark brown color (like melted milk chocolate).
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Cook the Vegetables and Okra:
- Add onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux and cook until softened.
- Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add a ladleful of chicken stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the oil separates.
- Cook frozen okra in a separate pot with EVOO until no longer stringy.
- Add okra to the roux mixture and cook for 10 minutes.
- Assemble the Gumbo:
- Add the remaining chicken stock, salt, pepper, cayenne, and Italian seasoning to the pot.
- Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.
- Add andouille sausage and cook for another 45 minutes.
- Finish and Serve:
- Add shredded chicken and adjust seasonings to taste.
- Add shrimp and turn off the heat. Stir until shrimp are cooked through.
- Serve hot with rice and enjoy!
Tips:
- Don’t rush the roux! It takes time and patience to achieve the perfect dark color.
- Be careful not to burn the roux. If it starts to smoke or smell burnt, remove it from the heat for a minute while continuing to stir.
- Let the roux cool slightly before adding vegetables to prevent steaming and burning.
- Taste and adjust seasonings throughout the cooking process.
- Make it your own! Add your favorite seafood or vegetables to create a unique gumbo.
Remember: Cooking gumbo is a labor of love. Enjoy the process and the delicious results!
Discover more from Passports and Park Maps
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Passports and Park Maps 