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A lot of times my gumbo is made from a basic recipe that I embellish a bit. The trickiest part is the roux (flour and oil). It takes a lot of patience but it gives the gumbo its base. Before making the roux you need to have the Trinity chopped and ready (onion, celery and peppers). The recipe is for a pretty big pot.

1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
1 large chopped onion (about 2 cups)
1 large chopped green bell pepper (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large chopped red bell pepper (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups chopped celery
5 cans chicken broth
1 good sized roasted whole chicken 5-7 lbs deboned (I smoke mine)
1 1/2 to 2 lbs smoked link sausage (beef, not reduced fat)
1 cup chopped green onions
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tsp salt (adjust to taste, you are getting a lot of salt from the chicken fat and sausage)
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp Emeril's Original Essence
4 cups of frozen sliced okra (2 small packages)
2 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp red pepper sauce (I use a few shakes of the tabasco bottle)

roux:

heat oil over a medium low heat in a heavy stock pot (use a big one, everything will eventually go into this), gradually add the flour while stirring constantly with a whisk. After all the flour is all mixed in heat on medium heat, stirring constantly with the whisk. What you are doing is browning the flour in the oil. This takes a while and it is better to take longer than try to rush it. I have been told if you burn the roux (you will smell it) then you need to throw it out and start over. It typically takes about 35 to 45 minutes for me to make a roux. Roux can be a light brown to dark brown color. I usually try to get it to a medium brown color. This may sound stupid but I try to get it a shade or two darker than our brown oak sideboard in our kitchen. Since you don't have our sideboard in YOUR kitchen, it needs to be a couple of shades darker than peanut butter. The roux will have a pleasant, almost nutty smell. If you see the oil bubbling a lot while cooking, you are going too fast.

now it gets easy...well, easier

When you get your roux where you want it throw in all the chopped onions, chopped peppers and chopped celery (this is called the Trinity). These will cook pretty quick. Keep stirring these for 2 to 3 minutes over medium high heat until the onions are translucent. Add 3 cans of broth, green onions, garlic, salt, pepper and thyme.

Debone the chicken and add to the main pot with sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about an hour.

In a side pot, simmer, covered, the remaining 2 cans of broth and add all the chicken bones and skin. Simmer for about an hour. You are trying to render all the goodness out of the chicken bones and skin. This may sound odd but I even simmer the entire carcass in this pot. Since I smoke my chickens, this will give the broth a dark brown color, this adds to the color and flavor of the gumbo.

Add the side pot of broth to the main pot (toss out the bones and skin), add okra, worcestershire sauce, Emeril's Original Essence and red pepper sauce and simmer, uncovered over low heat for an hour minimum.

serve over rice

Ole' Number 7 Chili

Olive oil
5 lbs – coarsely ground beef
1 lb – coarsely ground pork
3 ea – medium onions chopped
5 stalks – celery chopped
5 ea – garlic cloves chopped
2 ea – minced jalapeno peppers
2 ea - minced serrano peppers
1 large can – petite diced, peeled tomatoes
1 pint – dark beer (I usually use a porter)
3 oz – Jack Daniels whiskey
3/4 cup – dark chile powder
1/4 cup – Spanish paprika
2 ½ Tbs – ground cumin
1/8 cup – cocoa powder
1 tsp – cinnamon
2 tsp - sugar
1 tsp – cayenne pepper
1 T – dried oregano
1 cup – black beans precooked and mashed to paste
1/2 cup – strong espresso (optional)
Beef Stock to adjust viscosity

Brown beef and pork over very high heat. The goal is to actually get brown crusty goodness on the meat, so don't stir too often. We aren't simply trying to cook it, the brown crusty goodness is caramelized sugars from the meat and that equals a lot of flavor. Remove meat from pot.
Reduce heat to medium, add onions and celery and cook until tender.
Add garlic, chopped chilies and tomatoes and cook for two more minutes.
Increase heat back to high and add the beer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beer reduces down to almost dry. You're looking for an almost syrupy consistency here. (the french cooking term for this "stage" of dry/wetness is au sec)
Add the whiskey and let cook for thirty seconds
Add all dry seasoning and stir in to coat the vegetables.
Add back the meat, black bean paste and coffee
Add beef stock to adjust to desired constancy and let simmer for at least half an hour... the longer you wait the better it will be. But keep an eye on your liquid level.
Before eating, season with salt to taste. The reason we wait till the end to add the salt is that as it cooks, liquids will cook out and the flavors will intensify. If you add the salt to your taste early and let it cook down, the saltiness will intensify.

Serve over Fritos and top with cheese!
The next day, serve over scrambled eggs topped with cheese.

[This message has been edited by IsleAg11 (edited 2/25/2010 10:10a).]

Ingredients:

1-2 lb venison cubed
1 can diced rotel tomatoes with chilies
1 can beef consomme
2 stalks celery chopped
2 carrots sliced
1 onion, chopped
flour
water
salt, pepper
cooking oil
1tbl Worcestershire sauce
1cup red wine


Cooking Instructions:

Flour meat and brown in oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add consommé, rotel, wine, Worcestershire, onions and celery. Add water to cover. Simmer until meat is fork tender. Add carrots, adjust water and simmer about 1/2 hr. Add potatoes adjust water and simmer 30 min or until potatoes are tender (all cut edges are rounded). Salt and pepper to taste



[This message has been edited by swampstander (edited 3/15/2010 5:50p).]

Red Beans

1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted through, soaked overnight and drained
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
6 ounces smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (1 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
8 to 10 chicken stock
Steamed rice

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Sauté the onions, bell peppers, celery until tender
Add cayenne, black pepper and thyme cook for additional 5 minutes.
Add the bay leaves and sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the beans, garlic, and enough stock to cover the contents in the pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Add more stock if the mixture becomes dry and thick. Use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the mixture against the side pf the pot. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the mixture is creamy and the beans are soft. Add more stock if it becomes too thick. The mixture should be soupy but not watery. Remove the bay leaves and serve with steamed white rice.

Jambalaya

12 medium shrimp, peeled, de-veined and chopped
4 ounces chicken, diced
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3/4 cup rice
3 cups chicken stock
5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
Salt and pepper

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well.
In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, for 3 minutes.
Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add stock.
Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage.
Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

Taco Soup

1-2# ground beef
chopped onion and garlic (optional)
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of black or kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel
1 can whole kernel corn
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 beer (any kind except something with fruit flavor will work)
chicken broth or water

Brown the meat with the onion and garlic and drain off fat. Add the seasoning packets and beer and mix in to the meat mixture. Add all canned ingredients (don't need to drain anything...add all the liquid). Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings as you see fit (add cayenne pepper for some kick).

Serve with grated cheese, fritos or corn chips and a dollop of sour cream.

Chicken pot pie

4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package puff pastry
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss frozen vegetables with canola oil and spread evenly onto a sheet pan. Place into oven and cook until golden brown.
In a sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and sweat the onion and celery.
In another saucepan, heat the stock and milk.
Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the celery mix and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry to the onion/celery mix and cook for 1 to 2 minutes stirring constantly.
Whisk the hot milk mixture into opinion mix and cook until thickened.
Add the parsley, salt and pepper.
Toss with the browned vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking pan, or a large terra cotta pot base, lined with foil, and top with 6 to 8 circles of puff pastry. Place into the oven and cook until puff pastry has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Since all of my recipes call for chicken stock, not broth, I'll give my recipe for stock too.

I make stock about once a month, and freeze most of it in 8oz and 4oz containers. I usually freeze one or two 16 oz containers as well, for soups and such. I use the smaller containers as substitute for water when making rice and polenta.

White Chicken Stock;

The bones from two whole chickens. I buy whole chickens and de-bone them, if you ask the butcher at your grocery store he'll store some bones for you to pick up the next day.

2 each - onion roughly chopped
1 bunch - celery rinsed and roughly chopped
3-4 each - carrots scrubbed and roughly chopped
2 each - dried bay leaves
small bunch of parsley stems
1 tablespoon - dried Italian seasoning.
Ice

Put enough ice in pot to cover bottom by two inches.
Put bones, vegetables and herbs into a large stock pot. You want four or five inches of space between top of ingredients and top of pot.
Cover with ice and shake the pot so ice falls down in with the other ingredients.
Pour COLD water in until the ice floats
Turn heat to med-low.
Cook slowly for two hours, skimming off any bubbles or foam that comes up to the top and discard as it is filth and muck from the chickens.
The goal is a nice slow cook here. The slower it cooks the more flavor you will get out of the bones. Avoid boiling if at all possible.
If it heats up too fast the flavors will be "sealed" in, therefore lost.
After two or three hours, remove all chicken bones and vegetables and strain. I strain through a fine sieve with cheesecloth. The goal is to remove as much sediment as possible. Strain into a clean container, cover and refrigerate, every time your stock changes containers, it should be strained.
The next day there will be a solid layer of yellowish fat on top. Carefully remove the fat, try to not let it break up into small pieces that will be hard to remove.
Then you can transfer into your small freezable containers and freeze.


[This message has been edited by IsleAg11 (edited 2/26/2010 1:35p).]

Duck and Sausage Gumbo coming here soon.

My Irish Stew coming here very soon.

Smokey White Bean and Ham Soup

1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig rosemary
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb dried small white beans, rinsed and picked through
1 lb ham steak, fat removed then diced
1 smoked ham hock
10 cups of water, plus extra if needed
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Place a large pot over medium heat. Add oil to pot. Once the oil is hot, add diced onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Stir. Saute over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are softened.
.
Add the dried white beans, garlic, bay leaf, dried oregano & basil to the pot. Stir and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add the ham hock, diced ham, parsley and rosemary sprig to the pot. Cover the ingredients with about 8 cups of water. Add 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Stir.

Raise heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Once you reach a boil, reduce heat to medium low. Simmer soup over medium low heat for 2 - 2 1/2 hours until the beans are tender. If soup starts to get too thick, add a bit more water.

Once beans are soft, remove the ham hock and rosemary sprig. Taste then season as necessary with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Soup can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve hot with hot sauce on the side for those who like it

Gumbo from an email:

Gumbo:

Cajun seasoning
1 fat clove of garlic
1/2 small onion
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt

(or just pick up a can of Zatarains or Tony C’s)

Gumbo Ingredients
oil and flour to make your roux (or a jar of roux)
1 large onion diced
1cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 lb of andouille smoked sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 lb bone chicken thighs or breast diced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3 quarts chicken stock

make your roux if you are doing this from scratch, heat your oil in the bottom
of a cast iron pot and add flour (much like you do when making a cream gravy for
chicken fried) do over a low heat and stir until you get to the desired color of
the roux you want. Once the roux is where you want add the onion, celery,
garlic, and bell pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they
soften and then add chicken and sausage. Add chicken stock (make sure that the
chicken stock is heated so that the roux does not separate. Add spice to taste,
bring to low boil and then simmer. I prefer to simmer mine for several hours
but the amount of time is up to you. I also prefer to cook my rice seperately
and put my rice in the bottom of a bowl and add my gumbo to it. If you cook it
in the gumbo add it about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve so that the
rice does not get mushy.

the problem with a lot of my "recipes" is that I don't know measurements and always cook by "taste"

quote:

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Ham Bone Soup


1 bag Black eyed peas
1 bag Pinto beans
1 bag Split Green peas
1 bag Navy beans
1 bag Red kidney
Cream of potato soup (2 cans)
Onion
Carrots
Garlic
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Cook beans, add bone & ham, then add veggies (add veggies in amount to taste - I like lots of carrots)

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quote:

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French Onion Soup

2 large onions
¼ cup butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cans (10.5 oz each) condensed beef boullion
2 ½ cups water
6 slices French bread
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup grated swiss

Peel & slice onions. Separate into rings, sauté in butter until soft & golden. Stir in flour. Gradually add bouillion & water. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toast bread slightly. Place in oven-safe bowls Ladle soup over bread, top with cheeses. Bake at 425O for 10 minutes.

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quote:

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 large cans of chicken broth
2-3 skinless chicken breasts with bone
Cilantro
2 -3 cloves of Garlic
Bag of corn tortilla chips
2 avocados
1 can of Rotel
Monterrey jack cheese

Pour both cans of broth in to a large pot. Add chicken breasts and boil until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Once cooked, remove chicken from broth. Shred chicken off the bone and put it back in to the broth. Chop two table spoons of cilantro and 2-3 cloves of garlic and add to soup. Add 1 can of Rotel without draining. Let simmer for 30 min.

When serving, cut avocados into wedges and add to soup along with Monterrey Jack cheese and crumbled tortilla chips to taste.

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quote:

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Chicken Noodle Soup

1 tbs vegetable oil
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup sliced carrots
1/3 cup frozen peas
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup uncooked egg noodles

heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Fry chicken pieces in the oil until slightly browned and the juices run clear. Remove form skillet and dry on a paper towel.

In a large saucepan, heat chicken broth over medium heat. Add carrots, peas, and celery. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Add the noodles and cook for 10 more minutes or until noodles are soft.

*Add salt to taste.

*Measurements for carrots, celery, peas, and noodles are not precise. Add more until desired consistency is reached. I like thick soup, more like stew, but when I'm making it for someone who is sick, I keep it fairly dilute.

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people always are shocked by this when i tell them, but i make my roux in the microwave. its really easy and fool proof once you get it down. you need a glass measuring cup(easiest thing i've found) measure one cup of oil then add one cup of flour and stir. all microwaves are a little different because of wattage differences, which is the only tricky part at first. my microwave takes 5 minutes 30 seconds, so there's a good starting point. let it cook straight through and stir when its done. it will be screaming hot so use a hot pad to take it out. you may burn it the first time or not cook it enough. this is part of the initial trial and error. once you figure out the right amount of time you can make it anytime very simply. also if you need more then obviously you would need more cooking time. to double it mine needs about 9 minutes so don't just double the recipe and time. i know it sounds strange, but it tastes just like you make it on the stove and no constantly watching and stirring.

Roux is very easy to make in the pan, and you're going to get that dirty anyway. Why not just make it in the pan?

hey you don't have to use it if you don't want to, but many people struggle with making roux. its not hard but it took me about 10-15 times before i felt comfortable making roux in a pan. it was for those who may be intimidated because they've never done it before.

Isleag, your red beans and rice recipe is almost identical to mine.

Chili "Starter"

I think I've found a good consistency for chili sans all the spices -- just meat and tomatoes. I'm still experimenting on the rest but thought I would share this to those of you who have a home chili lab.

Two to two and a half lbs. of ground beef or (whatever) with 4 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes. I chop up the tomatoes further with a hand blender, but you do what you want.

If you are planning on adding any other wet ingredients like beer, you might drain some of the cans. I made this tonight and while I still need work on the overall product, the consistency was near perfect.