Best 5 American Kitchen Classic Louisiana Gumbo Recipes

GOOD NEW ORLEANS CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.

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!)

MY LOUISIANA GRANDMOTHER'S GUMBO (MY VERSION)

Steps:

• Take a thigh/leg portion and separate the drumstick from the thigh.
• Skin all or half of the chicken pieces.
• Broil off the chicken and sausage until well-browned.
• Cut the sausages into 1/2" slices.
• Add olive oil and butter to a 5 to 6 quart pot on low heat.
• Add 1/3 c flour, the cayenne, nutmeg and wisk gently and quickly until it begins to thicken.
• Add enough juice from the tomatoes to stop the thickening and add the chicken and sausage pieces to the pot.
• Add all the tomatoes, the okra and the rough cut onions .
• Use the tomato can to add water to the pot to just cover the contents of the pot and bring to a boil.
• Using a wooden or plastic spoon that reaches the bottom of the pot and gently loosen any flour which begins to stick to the bottom.
• Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is almost falling off the bone.
• Adjust seasonings to taste and stir occasionally.
• Serve in big bowls and top with boiled rice.
• NOTE: SMALL BONE FRAGMENTS will be present so take care to screen each mouthful before chewing! Nice to have bread plates or saucers for each guest so that they can discard any bones.
• Great with a crispy warm, buttered baguette or garlic bread.
• VARIATIONS:.
• You can pull the chicken off the bone after broiling and cooling and add to the simmering pot until fully cooked and tender.
• We frequently add shelled, jumbo deveined shrimp to the ingredient list.
• Would translate to a slow-cooker easily if you don't require the meats to be broiled first.

LOUISIANA CHICKEN GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt in a plastic or paper bag.
• Add chicken pieces, close bag, and shake to coat well.
• Heat oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Shake excess flour from chicken and place in hot oil, cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Remove chicken from pot and set aside.
• Add onion, celery, green onion, and garlic to pot and cook 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Return chicken to pot.
• Stir in broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, and TABASCO Sauce and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add okra and cook 10 minutes longer.
• Serve in bowls and top each serving with a scoop of rice.

LOUISIANA GUMBO

Steps:

• Place the chicken and water in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Skim fat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30-45 minutes or until chicken is tender. , Remove chicken; cool. Reserve 6 cups broth. Remove chicken from bones; cut into bite-size pieces. , In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, mix flour and oil until smooth; cook and stir over medium-low heat until browned, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the onions, peppers, celery and garlic; cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the sausage, ham and reserved broth and chicken; cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. , Add the shrimp, okra, beans, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink.