First lets start with this - there ARE two types of gumbo..those with a tomato & okra base and those without - mine is the latter so ENJOY but don't expect tomatoes and slimy okra :)
Budget Tip:
Almost everything you should have already. Get the shrimp when they go on sale, but even if you don't, it's only a pound, so it's still pretty inexpensive considering how much it makes.
Shawna's Take on Gumbo - NO Pork Allowed!
Suggested Ingredients
Protein
6 chicken thighs - skin removed, but don't remove ALL the fat
Either a full package of turkey kielbasa sausage + 1/2 a fresh jalapeno OR Adelles Chicken Andouille Sausage
1 lb of medium raw, unshelled deviened shrimp
Veggies
1 very large sweet yellow onion
4-5 large stalks of celery
3/4 of a package of small sweet red, yellow and orange peppers
Green onions (for the end product - definitely optional)
Roux
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup flour
Stock
7 cups home-made chicken stock (see my recipe) plus 1 cup of water or 8 cups of store bought low sodium broth
1 cup of yummy beer (yes you can leave it out and just substitute more broth if you like) - use something with flavor - no BUD LIGHT or MILLER LIGHT! YUCK!
Seasoning
3 Bay leaves
1/4 tsp Cayenne (if you use the jalapeno do about 1/8 instead)
a little salt - about a teaspoon
1 TBSP file powder
Creole Seasoning Mix
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and place in a air-tight container. This mix is good on just about anything!
Suggested Cooking Method
Chop up all the veggies. Cut up the sausage however you like it. I like mine in chunks others like theirs in round slices.
Prepare the meat:
You need either a deep cast iron dutch oven or a cast iron skillet + pasta pot.
Brown the sausage for a few minutes in the pan. Here is the trick: because these sausages don't have a lot of fat, you need to add a little bit of oil to the pan. AND if you use a sausage that isn't spicy to begin with, you may want to dice up the jalapeno and throw it in with the sausage. A word to the cook: if you do this, you WILL breathe in jalapeno and you WILL sneeze and your eyes WILL water..you may want to push the small children out of the room because it'll prolly smoke it up!
Remove the sausage and set aside. Add a little oil to the skillet. Sprinkle about 1/2 TBSP of Seasoning Mix on the chicken and add to the pan seasoned side down. Sprinkle the rest of the seasoning onto the chicken. Let the chicken cook for 2 - 3 minutes on each side, just long enough to get it nice and brown on the outside. Remove the chicken and place on a plate. Once the chicken has cooled a bit feel free to stick it in the fridge until you need it, because it will be a little while.
Make the Roux:
Quickly, before you move on, potty break and then arm yourself with a snack and something to drink!
In the same skillet, add 1/2 cup of oil. Sprinkle in 1 cup of flour. Stir together until most of the lumps are gone. Now, for the next 25 minutes (or until the color is a chocolaty brown) use a broad flat spatula to slowly stir (push) the flour and oil mixture. To have a fabulous roux, you MUST continuously stir the roux. If you must take a break, have someone step in for you.
If you are using a skillet instead of a large dutch oven, go ahead and put the liquid ingredients: stock, water, beer into the pasta pot and bring it to a simmer while you stir the roux.
Once the roux is a dark chocolaty brown, put in the Cayenne and salt. Add the veggies you chopped up and cook for a couple of minutes. If you are using a dutch oven, slowly add the liquid ingredients to the mixture. If you are using a skillet, slowly add the mixture to the simmering liquids in the pasta pot, stirring between additions to make sure the mixture smooths out. Add the bay leaves once everything is together in one pot.
Simmer
Now, you get a break! Let this simmer (about medium heat) for 1 hour uncovered. Be sure to stir it every once in a while and give it a little taste. It should already have that classic gumbo flavor.
Add in the chicken pieces that you've reserved. Cook for another 1 1/2 hours, stirring and tasting periodically. It should be getting a bit spicier! While this is going on, go ahead and shell your shrimp.
After the hour and half has gone by, remove the chicken pieces and put them on a plate. Use two forks to pull the chicken off the bone. Discard bones and cartilage. Shred the chicken pieces and return to the pot.
Add the shrimp and remove the pot from the heat. The heat of the soup will cook the shrimp so don't worry! Add the file powder in last and stir.
At this point, it's ready to go over some rice, topped with green onions and serve with cornbread. Or, you can do what I do, make it a day ahead and put it into the fridge for the flavors to really meld together!
