Heartwarming Gumbo

Passport & Plate - Gumbo with Gulf Shrimp over Quinoa

USA | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup flour
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces andouille sausage*
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
1 cup okra, cut (frozen OK)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning salt
2 cups seafood stock*
½ cup cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 pounds head-on, unpeeled Louisiana gulf shrimp
pepper, to taste
Tobasco sauce, to taste
2 cups cooked quinoa

*chorizo or smoked sausage may be used as a substitute for andouille sausage

*Seafood Stock Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp heads and shells
1/2 onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
2 cloves garlic, halved
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste

 

How to prepare this recipe
This recipe demystifies gumbo. Follow the simple steps below, and you'll have a delicious bowl of gumbo in under two hours. I updated this recipe by serving it over quinoa, though is traditionally served over rice.

1. Prepare shrimp stock. Peel shrimp, separating heads and shells from tail meat. Add heads and shells to a pot with all other shrimp stock ingredients listed above. Cover the ingredients with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmering. Simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and preserve stock. Discard remaining ingredients.
2. Prepare the roux. Melt ¼ cup butter in a heavy-bottomed pan (e.g., a dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Once melted, add flour and stir with a wooden spoon continuously for 10-15 minutes, until brown in color. It is imperative to stir continuously so that you don't burn the roux. Remove from heat.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Sautee for 3 minutes. Add sliced andouille sausage. Sautee for additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add to roux.
4. Over medium-high heat, add the diced tomatoes, cayenne pepper, salt, Creole seasoning salt, okra, cooked chicken, and seafood stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Cook shrimp until pink throughout (about 2 minutes per side). Add shrimp to the gumbo and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Adjust seasoning by adding Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning salt to taste. Serve hot over quinoa or steaming white rice.

 

The story behind this recipe
I miss Louisiana the most on bitter cold New York days when the powdery snow falls on top of mounds of grimy ice, and the swirling wind whips me in my face as I scurry into a subway station. I yearn for the unrelenting sun, the friendly folks, and the chatter of broken French echoing in the background. But what I crave most on these dreary winter days is a piping hot bowl of Louisiana gumbo. Just one bowl transports me to south Louisiana--the heat from the spicy Andouille sausage and tabasco sauce, the simmering stew over a stovetop flame, and the warmth of being surrounded by loved ones who love food.

The melding of flavors—from the shrimp caught in the Gulf of Mexico to the deep brown roux—melts my Manhattan heart and holds me over until I can get my next fix of Cajun country in the flesh. Cajun Country is where shrimp are caught daily and purchased from local shrimpers, delivered fresh in a cooler. Cajun country is a place so foodcentric that “the Holy Trinity” isn’t just about religion—it’s the base of Cajun cooking: onion, celery, and bell pepper.

My grandmother’s gumbo recipe is my round-trip ticket to Louisiana. Tracking down fresh gulf shrimp on the island of Manhattan is nothing short of a scavenger hunt, so I've wizened up and bring back whatever ingredients will fit into my suitcase when I visit. My most-prized souvenirs from any trip are local ingredients. This is especially true of Louisiana, where patronizing local shrimpers helps boost Louisiana’s hard-hit seafood economy, still reeling from the devastating effects of manmade disasters.

This recipe demystifies gumbo from something that “only natives can properly prepare” to something that will melts hearts, satisfies bellies, and warms souls. This gumbo recipe transports me to Cajun Country--where generations of my family remain, although we are now as diverse and scattered as the ingredients in a gumbo pot.