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Whatever you do, make a roux
Special things happen to foods when heat is applied. It’s why we cook a lot of it in the first place. Some of the simplest things can hit a whole new level just with the introduction of some heat.
Among the simplest combos that demonstrate this action are oil and flour. Mixed together, usually in equal parts, they become a roux. Apply some heat and they become fantastic; a deeply flavourful, nutty paste that forms an important part of southeastern U.S. cuisine, most notably in the gumbos and jambalayas of Louisiana.
A dark nutty roux is what turns a pot of tomatoes, okra, chicken, peppers and shrimp into gumbo. Too many recipes that have been adapted to be made in standard kitchens skip the step of the roux and I think that’s a mistake. The roux is where it’s at if you want the real deal when it comes to southern gumbo.
The only ingredient that needs some special care in selecting is the sausage. Andouille sausage is the most common used in authentic gumbos but
So here’s how I make my gumbo. This makes a nice pot that serves two and gives a bit of leftovers too.
Gumbo
For the roux (see photos below):
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Mix the oil and flour together in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring heat to medium. Stir constantly as the flour begins to darken. I like to cook until it’s about a medium-brown and nice and nutty. Set aside. This makes more than you need because you need a critical mass of material in the pot in order to cook it properly, but the leftovers can just be discarded.
For the gumbo:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 green bell pepper
1 cup chopped okra (optional – I don’t usually bother)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28 oz can of tomatoes (roughly chop the tomatoes)
1 cup chicken stock
4 bay leaves
2 or 3 tablespooons of prepared roux
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon each dried thyme and oregano
Good pinch of cayenne powder (optional – it should be good and spicy though!)
1 chorizo or andouille sausage (or other cajun-style sausage), cooked and chopped
10 to 15 shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and black pepper taste
Heat a large soup pot over medium heat for a couple minutes and add the onion. Saute for a couple minutes, then add the carrot and celery and okra (if using). Saute for a couple more minutes and add the garlic. Stir for a moment and add the tomato paste. Fry this for a couple minutes then add in the tomatoes and juice from the can, plus the chicken stock. Stir and add the bay leaves, a couple tablespoons of your prepared roux, the paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne powder and the chopped sausage. Let it all come to a simmer. Let it simmer to blend together and thicken a bit, at least a half hour or so. Add in the shrimp and let simmer for another 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Season well with salt and pepper and more roux if you like, then serve. Great over any kind of cooked rice or even a polenta.
Making the roux.
Whisking the flour and oil together.
After about four or five minutes, now a sandy colour
The finished roux, deeply browned (but not burnt!), very aromatic and nutty.
Vegetarian: no problem. The trick is to caramelize half of the vegetables, and let the other half cook just sufficiently and no more. Either reduce the chile a mite or whisk butter in shortly before serving, off the boil — the butterfat cuts the sharpness of the heat and produces a beautiful combination, which otherwise you usually get from shrimp, chicken, and/or pork fat.
To caramelize the veg, there are two basic methods. One is to make the roux hot and add the veg to cool it, but that’s a very different technique from this one here. The other is to put the vegetables into a hot, lightly-oiled pan over very high heat. Toss to coat with oil, then put on a lid. Wait 5 minutes, then stir and scrape up the brown stuff. Cover again and wait another 3-5 minutes, then repeat stirring and scraping. Repeat as necessary. When the brown stuff is very dark and quite difficult to remove from the bottom of the pan, you’re done: add a cup of stock or water, whatever you’re using in the gumbo, and scrape up everything. Now this whole mixture goes in the soup as a base.
Watch out for okra. It has tremendous thickening power, and if you use both okra and roux you can end up with glue if you’re not careful about quantities.
Andouille: The problem with chorizo and hot Italian sausages is that they are not usually smoked. If you find a smoked chorizo, use that. The smoky flavor matters. You want a cured/cooked sausage, too, not a raw one — another point against Italian. If you can find a spicy kielbasa, that’s a good substitute in terms of texture and general flavor, but most regular kielbasa is too bland.
JFB,
I don’t recall seeing andouille in Saint John either, but what I’ve been using is the chorizo sausage from Kuinshoeve Meats in Rothesay. If you haven’t been into the shop before, you should check it out. The meats are all from the Kuinshoeve farm near Sussex, including their sausages, which are likely among the best you can buy in the region. The chorizo are nice and spicy, as are the hot Italian sausages I often buy. They’ve also got wonderful bratwurst and a whole bunch of others. Anyway, their chorizo is far better, I think, than the commercial chorizo from Superstore.
Mike
Mike,
I’ve seen chorizo at the Superstore in the Saint John area, but haven’t seen andouille anywhere. Is there someplace you can recommend?
Hi Tara, I think a vegetarian version could be made for sure. The base flavour, as mentioned, is the roux, so that can definitely still stay. The dish already has several good veggies in it so instead of the shrimp and sausage, just go with a mix of vegetables such as okra, zucchini slices, and maybe an extra red bell pepper. Then just use a vegetable stock or water in place of the chicken stock. That’d be a heck of a good dish!
I’m personally opposed to faux meats and sausages that a lot of vegetarians eat (I don’t like faux anything), but if you like those, you might be able to find a veggie version of some kind of cajun style sausage that would work too. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them in grocery stores here.
Anyway, whatever you do, make a roux!
Hey Mike,
Is there something you could do to this to give it some heft but adapt it to a vegetarian diet? I’m not opposed to shrimp (I’m a lazy vegetarian) but I’d love to make something like this for my family. It looks wonderful for a dinner after a long cold day in Ottawa. Any suggestions? Hope I’m not offending any purist sensibilities . . .