Reading, seeing and hearing Part 3

[tink38]

Gumbo Ya-Ya

Making a roux is tricky business. Some pointers to keep in mind: cook your roux over moderately low heat because too high heat will cause the roux to speckle and if that happens you’ll have to throw it away and start over; add the flour gradually to the butter or oil; you must stir the roux constantly with a wooden spoon, your arm will get a workout; and never, but never leave your roux unattended.

This recipe makes a lot of gumbo, 6 quarts, so you’ll have enough for a big party or you can freeze some for later.

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 red bell peppers, in medium dice
2 green bell peppers, in medium dice
2 medium onions, in medium dice
2 celery stalks, in medium dice
1 1/4 gallon (20 cups) chicken stock
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 lb. andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices
3 1/2 lb. chicken, roasted and boned
hot sauce to taste
boiled rice as accompaniment
In a 12-quart stockpot melt butter over moderately low heat. Gradually add a third of the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add a third more flour and stir constantly 30 seconds. Add remaining third of flour and stir constantly 30 seconds. Continue to cook roux, stirring constantly, until it is the color of dark mahogany, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.


Add bell peppers and stir constantly 30 seconds. Add onions and celery and stir constantly 30 seconds. Add the stock to roux, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken, rice, and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer gumbo, uncovered, 45 minutes, skimming off any fat and stirring occasionally. Add chicken and simmer 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with hot sauce. Serve over rice.

Yield: about 6 quarts


For the creole seosoning I use Zatarain's. I can teach you how to make a roux in the microwave, too!

Who's got the mad skillz now?

 

[spectrum-turbo]

In high school I played basketball in the Corn Palace.

Where in South Dakota? It is the Rooster Capital of the World. Don't cha know.

I was born in Yankton.

I had no idea about it being the Rooster Capital of the World.

 

[spectrum-turbo]

Hi!!!!!!
Last edited by sheridac : Today at 11:57 AM. Reason: for an actual honest-to-goodness edit!!!

What could you have possibly messed up?

Did you put a ? where a ! should have gone? Misspell Hi?

 

[Shelby5514]

Continue to cook roux, stirring constantly, until it is the color of dark mahogany, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Whew that IS alot of stirring!!!!!!!

 

[tink38]

Whew that IS alot of stirring!!!!!!!

THAT'S why I said you can make it in the microwave!

Or if you are lucky enough, you can find it at the grocery in a jar. (I get that imported along with the peas.)

 

[tink38]

Last edited by Shelby5514 : Today at 12:58 PM. Reason: Instead of mac n cheese I just ate 2 peaches...not the same...

I would think not!

 

[Shelby5514]

It's an HONEST question!

 

[Frickles]

Congrats to everyone that I need to congratulate!

Mommy P...is that the real thing? Seriously?

Shell-bee...I like your glitter letters! I can't seem to add them to mine - as I am going for major bling over here....

 

[kpk89]

The Cemetery Story

I do 2 miles a day. In the cemetery. Actually. Only part of the 2 miles is in the cemetery.

Otherwise it'd mean I live in the cemetery. Which would be creepy dee. NOCD (that would be no offense cemetery dwellers)

I used to walk it. But recently I've started running. Guilted into it by La and NM.

GASP!!!!

I KNOW!!!

I'm gasping too. From lack of oxygen.

TFI

Anyways.....

I always have my Ipod with me. And. I sing. Along. Loudly. Because I can. Sing. That is.

Also because in the cemetery. There's no one to disturb.

TFI

Not that my singing is disturbing.

And.

I have really eclectic taste in music. As most of you know.

Last Memorial Day weekend. The Friday of, to be precise.
I entered the back end of the cemetery. As usual.

In the back there is a building. I'm not sure what they do in that building. I'm pretty sure I don't wanna know. Either.

I think it's the gardner's. Yep, that's it. Rakes and stuff.

So. This building kind of obstructs my view. Of the rest of the cemetery. Until I round the corner.


On this particular day. The tune of the moment was one by Aretha.

And.

Just as Aretha and me got to the part about feelin' like a natural woman, I rounded the corner of that building.

To a line.

Of 10 cars.

Visitors for the Vets.

TFI

They all got a good look. At me.

I think I brought them back to the day. Of the USO. Show.

Most of them grinned.

I grinned back. Gave a wave. And continued on my way.

TRUE STORY.

DED!!! I am so sorry I missed it, before! But SOOOOO happy to have heard it, now!!



And Ash -- Happy anniversary! 21 years, OMG! That's much to be proud of.


congrats on the new tags, too -- Java and anybody else !

 

[javamom]

Gumbo Ya-Ya

Making a roux is tricky business. Some pointers to keep in mind: cook your roux over moderately low heat because too high heat will cause the roux to speckle and if that happens you’ll have to throw it away and start over; add the flour gradually to the butter or oil; you must stir the roux constantly with a wooden spoon, your arm will get a workout; and never, but never leave your roux unattended.

This recipe makes a lot of gumbo, 6 quarts, so you’ll have enough for a big party or you can freeze some for later.

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 red bell peppers, in medium dice
2 green bell peppers, in medium dice
2 medium onions, in medium dice
2 celery stalks, in medium dice
1 1/4 gallon (20 cups) chicken stock
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 lb. andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices
3 1/2 lb. chicken, roasted and boned
hot sauce to taste
boiled rice as accompaniment
In a 12-quart stockpot melt butter over moderately low heat. Gradually add a third of the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add a third more flour and stir constantly 30 seconds. Add remaining third of flour and stir constantly 30 seconds. Continue to cook roux, stirring constantly, until it is the color of dark mahogany, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.


Add bell peppers and stir constantly 30 seconds. Add onions and celery and stir constantly 30 seconds. Add the stock to roux, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken, rice, and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer gumbo, uncovered, 45 minutes, skimming off any fat and stirring occasionally. Add chicken and simmer 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with hot sauce. Serve over rice.

Yield: about 6 quarts


For the creole seosoning I use Zatarain's. I can teach you how to make a roux in the microwave, too!

Who's got the mad skillz now?

Thanks Tink, Crashdad wants to know if you have a seafood gumbo recipe?

 

[tink38]

But of course I do!

 

[bdg100]

Java:

I don't know you. But, I am happy you got tagged. I feel like one of the misfit toys in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Some Christmas eve Santa will tag me too.

 

[HaleyB]

Hi there fastpassers

Looks like everyone has time to play but me. Today. I'll catch up with you all tonight. Again. I hope

I don't have time to read back, just wanted to post something real quick (gotta keep my stats up). But I will. Read back. Later.

 

[bdg100]

Hello Cajun Tink. Wow. You have been on a roll today. Wait, wait. I didn't ask for a recipe on how to make rolls. Too late. She left already.

 

[Shelby5514]

Shell-bee...I like your glitter letters! I can't seem to add them to mine - as I am going for major bling over here....

Here grab this...



{img}http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/4863/glitteryourwayec88213e96d1c2d33fb074cc816fa6eejy4.gif{/img}

Now replace the '{' with '[' and the '}' with ']'.

 

[tink38]

Frank's Seafood Gourmet Gumbo

A couple pounds of shrimp, about a pint or two of crawfish tails with the fat, maybe a dozen or so cracked and cleaned blue crabs right from the bayou, and a whole bunch of spicy Cajun country sausage-drop all that into a richly seasoned stock made with a dark brown roux, simmer it slowly over low heat, serve it piping hot in deep bowls filled with steamed rice, top it with a sprinkling of home-ground file, and you got one of the best South Louisiana gumbos ever.

Ingredients:
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 lbs. country sausage, precooked
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb. mushrooms, chopped
2 quarts heavy chicken stock
2 quarts heavy shrimp stock
2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
14 small blue crabs, cleaned and halved
2 lbs. medium shrimp, cut in chunks
2 lbs. crawfish tails with fat
3 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
6-8 cups steamed rice
½ cup parsley for garnish


Instructions:
First. . .you make a roux! Take a heavy-bottom stockpot, combine the quarter-cup each of oil and flour, and whisk them together over medium-high heat until the flour turns a rich dark brown—but don’t let it scorch! This is one of those culinary processes that requires your constant attention. Do not leave the pot! Do not talk on the phone! Do not go to the bathroom! Just keep whisking "figure eights" into the hot roux until you get the color you’re looking for!!

Then, when the roux is "right," drop in the sausage, the onions, the celery, the bell pepper, the garlic, and the mushrooms and uniformly stir everything together. This mixture should cook—stirring every so often—for about 10 minutes to soften the veggies. Note that the temperature of the roux will drop as the vegetables cook in the residual heat. The dropping temperatures also stop the browning effect of the roux. So it is important not to stir in the vegetables until you have the roux color you want.

Next, it’s time to start building "gumbo."

With the pot still on the stovetop, one at a time pour in both the chicken stock and the shrimp stock and work the broths into the roux and vegetable base. If you did everything right up to this point, the gumbo base should not be watery, but it should not be thick and pasty either. Now drop in the Kitchen Bouquet, the bay leaves, the red pepper flakes, and the cracked crab pieces.

Once again, stir everything together. Then reduce the fire to medium-low and simmer the crabs for about 20-25 minutes or so. This is also the time when you should adjust the liquid in the gumbo. If the roux has thickened the base too much, simply add extra water or chicken stock to lighten it up; if the roux hasn’t thickened the base enough, just leave the cover off the pot and allow some of the stock to evaporate.

At this point, add the remaining ingredients to the pot—the shrimp, the crawfish tails, the seafood seasoning, and the green onions. Then after stirring everything one more time, put the lid on the pot and simmer the gumbo for about 15 minutes more. About five minutes before you’re ready to serve, re-season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste. And when you’re ready to eat, generously ladle the gumbo into deep bowls filled with steamed rice. All that’s left is to garnish each serving with minced parsley and a sprinkling of ground file.

Chef's Notes:
1. It's best to use "fresh" sausage (as opposed to pre-smoked sausage) when making this gumbo. To precook the sausage, place the links into a baking pan, pour about a cup of water over them, and bake them uncovered at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until the sausage is a golden brown. You can make this gumbo with country sausage, Italian sausage, or even hot sausage.

2. To make heavy shrimp stock, take the heads and shells from the shrimp you peeled for the gumbo, place them into a 3-quart saucepan, cover the shells with water, and gently boil them (adding water from time to time) for about 30 minutes until the resultant stock becomes rich in flavor. To ready the stock for the gumbo, simply strain out the heads and shells through a layer of cheesecloth or a find-mesh sieve. The greater the reduction the greater the intensity of the stock.

3. To clean the crabs, remove the top shell, cut out the eyes and mouth, scrape away the gills, brush away the innards , and cut off the back flap. Then wash the crabs thoroughly under cold running water. They're ready at this point to be dropped into the gumbo. Note: you can either leave the legs on or snip them off-the choice is up to you.

Oh, you want to be careful not to make the gumbo too watery at the outset, because you got to remember that once you add the shrimp and the crawfish the moisture rendered from the seafood will thin out the base.

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

I wouldn't let BDG play here. If I were you.

Just a heads up.

He's mean and clearly doesn't appreciate fine photography.

Oh.

And ask him about the panties.

TFI.

Hi Shelbie!

Hi Haley!

 

[Shelby5514]

Hey Melly

Last edited by 1000thhappyhaunt : Today at 02:50 PM. Reason: Can I subsitute in that recipe? For somethin' else????

I'm sure you could always use placenta. Right MommyP?

 

[tink38]

Hello Cajun Tink. Wow. You have been on a roll today. Wait, wait. I didn't ask for a recipe on how to make rolls. Too late. She left already.

Here's the thing. The REVEALING thing. That nobody here knows about me. Well NOW they will. Gee, thanks, Brucey.

I don't bake. Because I'm not really that good at it. I'm getting better every year, though. And I have a breadmaker. That I used. Twice. Shame, that.

I DO have mad skillz when it comes to recipes, though. What type of rolls are you looking for? Dinner rolls? Throwed rolls?

 

[horsegirl]

Is it wrong to buy 5 tops, 3 pants, 2 dresses, 2 sweaters and some intimate apparel all in one fell swoop? I could not control myself, which is so unusual for moi.....