Passport & Plate - Granny's Lousiana Creole Gumbo

hauteboheme — Wed, 4 Mar 2015 11:03:28 GMT

Ingredients
Roux (flour and oil)
Gumbo File
Shrimp
Crab Legs
Roasters/Chicken/Hen
Okrah (optional)
Water
Minced Garlic
Creole Seasoning Blend (green bell peppers, celery, onion)
Creole Seasoning (We use Tony Chachere's)
Garlic Powder
Rice to Serve Over
Your Preference of Sausage (Traditionally Andouille, but Smoked Turkey from a Cajun Meat Store Is Also Great!)

How to prepare this recipe
Most great gumbo cooks will tell you there is no recipe, and they haven't even thought about measuring anything! Taste the gumbo as it gets close to being finished, and make adjustments as necessary. Most importantly, have patience. This can take roughly four hours to complete, but it's worth it.

Make your own roux by adding vegetable oil to a deep pot and adding flour after the oil has heated. Let the flour brown, stirring the mixture so that it doesn't stick, and voila, you've got roux!

Add water to the pot one cup at a time, making sure it isn't too cold or your roux will curdle. Don't use too much water or the roux won't be able to do it's job as a flavor and thickening agent.

Saute Creole seasoning blend (also referred to as the holy trinity), minced garlic, and okrah, in a skillet

Add chicken to the pot raw (some choose to brown before hand but this is only to rush the process)

Slice sausage and add slices to the pot

Add seafood (shrimp and crab legs) near the end of the process

Add Creole seasoning blend, okrah, and garlic to pot

Boil rice separately, making sure to keep an eye on the pot of gumbo and stir occasionally

Sprinkle in a dash of gumbo file

Add seasoning and garlic powder to taste

The story behind this recipe
Long before I'd ever had the gift of traveling out of the country, taking trips usually meant visiting family in Lafayette, Louisiana. Both of my grandparents are originally from LA, and come from a Creole background, which means the cooking and appreciation of food like this is ingrained!

Everyone's gumbo recipe is a little different, even amongst relatives, but granny's is always a hit. I've made some tweaks here and there to this one, but the essence is maintained, and this is the closest I can get to a family recipe that I'm always eager to sit down in front of with a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce and pair of crab crackers!