Big D Gumbo Salad Recipes

AUTHENTIC NEW ORLEANS STYLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
• Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
• Cook the vegetables in broth. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot.
• Add remaining 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
• Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
• Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

VALERIE'S VERY BEST GUMBO

Steps:

• Warm 1 cup oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven until hot. Add the flour to the pot all at once, whisking until the consistency is uniform. Cook the roux, whisking occasionally, until it is the color of a tarnished penny, about 20 minutes. Do not let it darken any further. Carefully add the celery, bell peppers, onion, chopped scallions and garlic to the pot, working away from you as the hot roux may spatter. Stir with a wooden spoon until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add enough stock to just cover the vegetables, about 1 quart, and stir to combine. The roux may separate. Add the tomatoes with their juices, andouille and smoked sausages, cayenne, bay leaves, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper and the remaining stock, about 1 more quart. Partially cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the okra and cook, stirring, until the gel dries out slightly, about 3 minutes. Add to the Dutch oven.
• Taste the gumbo for seasoning and adjust as desired. Add the chicken, cook until warmed through and serve, or simmer up to 2 hours more to concentrate the flavors, adding the chicken 20 minutes before serving.
• Sprinkle with the reserved sliced scallions and serve over rice. Serve with hot sauce and file powder if using.

BIG-BATCH ANDOUILLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and the sausage, and cook, stirring, until it has browned and much of the fat has rendered, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon; set aside.
• Add the remaining 1/2 cup oil, and heat. Add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, peppers, celery and 2 teaspoons salt, and cook, partially covered, lifting the lid to stir occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes (add a splash of water or broth if the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pot). Add the okra, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and crushed red peppers, and cook, stirring, until the okra begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and reserved sausage, and bring to a high simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a low simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, to heat through the soup and let the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. If you want the soup thinner, add a little more chicken broth or water. Stir in the vinegar, scallions and parsley, and add salt to taste.
• Let the soup cool to room temperature, then divide it among four 1-quart containers and freeze for up to 1 month.
• To reheat: Let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Thin it with a little water if desired, and adjust the seasoning with salt. Serve with steamed white rice.

BIG DADDY'S LOUISIANA GUMBO

Steps:

• Cut all chicken pieces in half except for the legs. Season to taste with garlic powder, seasoning salt and dust with 1/2 cup of flour.
• reserving remaining flour for making the roux. Heat butter and 1/4 cup lard in a large stock pot or dutch oven.
• Add chicken to the pot a few pieces at a time and cook until browned , about 10 minute each side.
• Remove from pan and set aside.
• Before starting the roux put your chicken stock into a pan and start to heat it up, you will want it warm to hot before putting it in the recipe.
• (The Roux).
• Add remaining lard to pan (see notes) and heat to smoking (about 5 minute or so), stirring with wire whisk constantly.
• to scrape up brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Carefully whisk in remaining flour and continue to cook and stir.
• over medium heat until mixture becomes brick red color in nature, about 20 minutes. Be careful to not let the mixture cook too fast or.
• let spatter on skin (southern napalm) as it is extremely hot and scorches easily.
• (The Hard Part is almost Over).
• Reduce heat to low, stir in onion, celery and green pepper, garlic, sausage, peppers, oregano, thyme, parsley and salt.
• Cook for 5 minutes or so until the veggies are soft but not brown.
• Gradually whisk in hot stock a few cups at a time until all the stock is in the pot.
• Return the chicken to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce the mixture to medium or medium high and simmer covered for about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Add shrimp and simmer 5 minutes longer.
• Serve over hot cooked rice and if desired minced parsley and file powder.
• Put out a bottle of hot sauce for those who like a little more heat.
• Notes.
• 1) You can substitute any cooking oil for the lard in browning the chicken and in making the roux.
• Just remember in making the roux it is equal parts of flour to oil or lard.
• 2) You need to be patient in making the roux, if you burn it at all, just throw it away and begin again. I find if the roux is getting too hot remove the pan from the heat for a short period of time but always remember to keep stirring, that point can't be stressed enough.
• Creole cooks have been known to cook their roux for and hour or more depending on the consistency and the color of the roux that they wanted. For extra rich color and flavor cook and stir the roux
• over medium low heat for 45 minutes to an hour but keep stirring.
• 3) This is a big pot, lots of room , if you like more shrimp add more
• I have added split crab claws to the gumbo at the same time the shrimp is added.
• Enjoy and.
• Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez.

"BIG EASY" GUMBO

Steps:

• In 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Gradually stir in flour with whisk; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until flour is chocolate colored. (Do not burn mixture.)
• Reduce heat to medium. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery, Creole seasoning and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in broth. Add chicken, sausage and black-eyed peas. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in shrimp; cook 5 minutes or just until shrimp are pink.