Filed under: recipe
I realized today as I was searching for my gumbo recipe that I had not yet posted it to kevinomara.com so here we go again. I’m lazy, so I’m copying and pasting the old entry from my last blog. Nothing’s changed, it’s still delicious.
This comes to you today because this is a great way to get rid of an entire pound of leftover turkey, especially the dark meat. If you’ve still got some turkey left then now you know what to do.
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Here it is, folks, my favorite of my recipes of all time ever. Now I know I told you how much I love the sausage casserole but that’s not technically my recipe. This one is. It’s nothing special, really, just a standard gumbo, but it’s mine. The first time I went to make gumbo I couldn’t find a recipe online that I liked so I just took the best parts and directions from a couple of sources and made basically this. A bit of time and testing has perfected it, and here you have it.
I love this recipe. I share it with everyone. It is my personal signature dish and I wish the internet had Smell-o-vision so I could waft it towards you as you read.
Sometimes it’s hard to find the right kind of sausage depending on where you live. During difficult shopping trips I have fallen back on kielbasa or “Louisiana Hot Sausage†but if at all possible, man, get some andouille. It is pretty much necessary to make this dish as it should be.
Kevin O’Mara’s Gumbo Recipe:
STOCK:
6 cups stock – whether from chicken or bouillon, doesn’t matter. I usually do it out of the water in which I boiled the chicken plus some bouillon.
ROUX:
1 cup vegetable oil or shortening
1 cup flour
FIRST VEGETABLES:
2 onions (diced)
2 green bell peppers (diced)
2-3 long sticks celery (diced)
2 big tomatoes or 4 small tomatoes (diced)
SECOND VEGETABLES:
1/2 lb okra (sliced)
1 bunch green onions (diced)
1/2 bunch parsley (diced)
12 cloves or 1 pod garlic (diced)
MEATS:
1 lb andouille sausage (sliced)
1 lb chicken (boiled and hand-shredded (with fork))
SPICES:
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp red (cayenne) pepper
1 tbsp hot sauce
2 bay leaves
RICE:
Usually 2 cups (pre-cooked) is sufficient.
2 cups rice
4 cups water
In the beginning:
Create stock.
To make the roux:
Heat oil in skillet to medium high. Add a little flour, whisk until dissolved. Use s-shaped or sine-wave-shaped whisking motion, not circular. Continue adding flour bit by bit until it’s all in, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until the roux has taken on a dark brown color. If black flecks appear you have burned the roux and must start over. Sorry. No way to save a burned roux.
Add first vegetables, stock, meat, spices:
Remove roux from heat. Add first vegetables (onion, bell pepper, celery, and tomatoes). Use the residual heat from the roux to sautee the vegetables, mixing well. Place vegetables in pot.
Note: I have stopped cooking the roux in a skillet and transferring it to a pot. Because I’m tall enough to do it comfortably I make it in the pot, but you might not be able to reach down in there and whisk the whole time without making your wrist sore. It’s up to you.
Turn to medium-high heat, add stock, andouille, chicken, and spices. Bring to boil and then lower to simmer. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Add second vegetables:
After one hour of simmering, add second vegetables (okra, green onions, parsley, and garlic). Cook for 10 minutes or until okra is soft.
Serve over a bed of hot white rice.
That, my friends, will produce an awesome gumbo. I hope you make it and love it.
4 Comments so far
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thanks! i’ve been looking for this.
Comment by mary November 26, 2007 @ 11:12 amQuestion: What is the benefit of using an s-shaped motion in whisking, O Gumbo Guru man of many talents? Thank for posting this!
Comment by Valerie December 1, 2007 @ 4:34 amValerie, it’s mainly to ensure that you cross the middle of the pot. When people stir in a circle they tend to ignore the middle even when they think they’re not.
Comment by Kevin O'Mara December 1, 2007 @ 7:21 pmThanks. I should have known that.
Comment by Valerie December 5, 2007 @ 11:50 pm