Recipes: Californian gumbo
I can't claim any knowledge of how to cook gumbo that doesn't come from a recipe, but here's what I came up with tonight...
Browsing a couple of recipes, certain things stuck out - onions, garlic, celery (oops, forgot that), parsley, sage, thyme, and an oil-based roux.
OK, so here's what I did...
1/3 of a large zucchini, in big bite-sized chunks
1 giant pattypan squash, in big bite-sized chunks
about 8 small-to-medium tomatoes, in chunks (they cook down and fall apart)
1 large carrot, in bite-sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1 cup cooked black-eyed peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cooked brown rice
4 T oil, divided in half (I used extra light olive oil)
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry, it was near at hand)
1 cup chicken broth and 1 of mushroom broth (but use what you've got of course)
1 cup raw medium size shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
seasonings: salt & pepper to taste, 1.5 tsp each of parsley, sage, and thyme
In a big pot, heat half the oil. Saute the onion over medium heat until it starts to soften, add the tomatoes and cover. Let that cook until the tomatoes start to fall apart. Add the carrots, cover, cook 3 mins. Add all the squashes, recover, another 5-10 minutes or so. When it all gets pretty juicy, add your corn, cooked beans and cooked rice, garlic, and the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and cover and cook until the chicken is cooked, probably 10-15 mins.
Use the rest of the oil and the flour to make roux in a separate pan, then thin it with the second broth. Add this pasty liquid to the main vat once the chicken is done, and throw in the shrimp and your first brush at the seasonings as well. Stir as things thicken up and the shrimp cook. After the shrimp are pink, take a spoon and taste. Adjust seasonings, and check doneness of things. Simmer more as needed, serve when you're happy with it.
You can serve it over more rice if you like, or just eat it as is.
This probably serves 6 people, looking at it - maybe 4 incredibly hungry ones (give those people more rice!)
Browsing a couple of recipes, certain things stuck out - onions, garlic, celery (oops, forgot that), parsley, sage, thyme, and an oil-based roux.
OK, so here's what I did...
1/3 of a large zucchini, in big bite-sized chunks
1 giant pattypan squash, in big bite-sized chunks
about 8 small-to-medium tomatoes, in chunks (they cook down and fall apart)
1 large carrot, in bite-sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1 cup cooked black-eyed peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup cooked brown rice
4 T oil, divided in half (I used extra light olive oil)
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry, it was near at hand)
1 cup chicken broth and 1 of mushroom broth (but use what you've got of course)
1 cup raw medium size shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
seasonings: salt & pepper to taste, 1.5 tsp each of parsley, sage, and thyme
In a big pot, heat half the oil. Saute the onion over medium heat until it starts to soften, add the tomatoes and cover. Let that cook until the tomatoes start to fall apart. Add the carrots, cover, cook 3 mins. Add all the squashes, recover, another 5-10 minutes or so. When it all gets pretty juicy, add your corn, cooked beans and cooked rice, garlic, and the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and cover and cook until the chicken is cooked, probably 10-15 mins.
Use the rest of the oil and the flour to make roux in a separate pan, then thin it with the second broth. Add this pasty liquid to the main vat once the chicken is done, and throw in the shrimp and your first brush at the seasonings as well. Stir as things thicken up and the shrimp cook. After the shrimp are pink, take a spoon and taste. Adjust seasonings, and check doneness of things. Simmer more as needed, serve when you're happy with it.
You can serve it over more rice if you like, or just eat it as is.
This probably serves 6 people, looking at it - maybe 4 incredibly hungry ones (give those people more rice!)