Gumbo Ya-Ya

I'm a big fan of Cajun food.  Jambalaya, Etoufee, Craw fish (not really Cajun but prevalent in Cajun cooking), and of course Gumbo.  Ah Gumbo.  There are many different versions of the Gumbo.   Some have seafood, some have sausage, some even have turkey.   As a fan of soups, I decided a while ago to come up with my own version of a Gumbo to call my own.  I looked over many recipes and after making many different versions, I have come up with one that I make many times a year.  Whenever I make the Gumbo and serve it to family and friend, it's a huge hit.  I even tried recently to freeze a batch and have learned that it doesn't defrost well so make it, and eat it.  The good news with that is that the dish lasts about a week in the fridge.  

Here are the list of ingredients:

1 Cup Flour
1 Cup of Canola Oil
1 1/2 Cups Onion Finely diced
1 Cup Celery Finely diced
1 Cup Green Pepper Finely diced
1/2 tspn Kosher salt
1 lb. kielbasa cut into medium cubes ( you can substitute chorizo here if you would like)
1/4 tspn cayanne pepper
3 bay leaves
2 Quarts of Chicken Stock
1 lb. Chicken cut into medium cubes and mixed with seasoning below
1 lb. shrimp (51-60 size) peeled, deviened with the tails removed

Chicken seasoning:
2 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tspn Onion Powerder
1 tspn dried basil
1 tspn dried thyme
1 tspn dried oregano
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn freshly ground pepper
1 tspn file powder (This is optional)

Before you start, this dish is for someone that doesn't mind lots of prep work and and a good long afternoon to make this dish.  But trust me, it will be worth it.

Get a cast iron dutch oven (or large pot) and set heat to medium heat.
Add flour and oil into pot and mix so it forms a roux.
Mix the roux often to prevent it from burning on the bottom.   This part will take time.  like 45 minutes time.  it's important to keep the temperature at medium otherwise all your work here in the beginning will be for naught.
When the roux reaches the color of chocolate it's done.

Now besides eating the Gumbo, this is my favorite part.  Add the Onion, Pepper, and Celery and mix with the roux.  When the veggies hit the roux it creates an wonderful steam that has a nutty smell that takes you away.
Cook up the mixture for about 5 minutes till the veggies are softened.
Add the salt, cayanne, and Kielbasa and mix so it's all mixed up and cover for 5 minutes.
Take top off and put it in the sink to clean because you won't be covering this dish anymore
Add Chicken stock and mix everything so that the veggie roux mixture gets thinned out.

Bring soup up to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour.
After an hour, mix up the soup and add the chicken that is mixed in with the seasonings.
Stir soup so all the pieces of chicken are separate and cook for another hour.
Stir soup after the hour and add the shrimp.  stir and cook another hour.
When Soup is reduced to the thickness you like, your done.
I like to add a large scoop of white rice on the bottom of the bowl and ladle the soup over the rice.

 Enjoy.

Fall is here.....Time for Soup

The fall season is one of my favorites because it's time for soup.  Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of soup.  I have a good arsenal of soups and now that I have a big stand up freezer, my cauldron will be used often.

I decided today that I would make a batch of Mushroom Barley.  I like to double this recipe because it gives me a nice bowl for that day, and two bowls for the week in addition to the two servings I freeze.

I got this recipe from the Culinary Institutes book of Soups.  Its a great source for soups as I've made many from here.

It calls for the following:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion finely diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 carrot finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 celery stalk (about 1/2 cup)
1 parsnip finely diced (about 1/3 cup) it says this ingredient is optional but I have never made this soup without it.
3 cups of sliced mushrooms ( I use the regular white mushrooms)
2 Quarts of Chicken Broth ( I use Swanson's)
3/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
1 Tbsp chopped parsley ( I never add it)
2 Tbsp dry sherry or sherry wine vinegar ( I never add it)

Now remember that these are the regular amounts.  I double this recipe.

Start by heating oil in a soup pot till it shimmers.
add onions and saute  till they are golden brown (about 10 minutes)
Then add carrots, celery, parsnip, and mushrooms and stir to mix with onion and cover for 3-4 min.

Uncover and mix again, then add Chicken Broth and barley.  Bring to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.

Now I usually cook it for another 15 mins.  I like my soup thicker so this almost overcooks the barley making it a little bit starchy and it reduces a little bit as well to thicken up and bold up the flavor.

This batch turned out real great and will enjoy it this week and down the road from the freezer.   I hope you can enjoy it too.  Look forward in the future to other fun hearty soups.