23.5 Gumbo

In Louisiana, gumbo is a pillar of the local cooking. It is thick, close to a stew, and usually comes with rice. There are many kinds, among them chicken and andouille, and shrimp and okra, and it is a regular soup of the day on Louisiana menus. see chapter 10: Stewing

What goes in, and why

• Dark Cajun roux. Dark gumbos traditionally start from this roux, cooked to a deep color without burning. It thickens very little, but it brings color, richness and a full feel in the mouth. Its color shows in the finished bowl.
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• The trinity. Onion, bell pepper and celery, in the proportion of half onion and a quarter each of the other two. It adds flavor, and adding it to the hot roux stops the roux from cooking further.
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• Stock gives extra flavor and body.
• Andouille is a coarse-ground pork sausage, usually heavily smoked and well seasoned, used often in Cajun and Creole cooking. In gumbo it brings smoke and flavor. see chapter 11: Fresh, cured and smoked
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• Filé is ground sassafras leaves, used as a thickener.
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• Okra thickens too. Cook it down in a separate pot first, or it makes the gumbo slimy.
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• Seasonings bring spice and flavor.

Cooking the meat and seafood

• If the gumbo has meat or game in it, brown the meat first. Browning deepens the color and builds flavor.
• Chicken is easy to overcook in a gumbo, and it falls apart into shreds. Keep an eye on it.
• Seafood goes in at the end, so it does not overcook.