Crawfish Gumbo

Here is a Gumbo that I did not grow up eating. In fact, I know my mother never made one. And my Maw Maws never served one to me. The first time I had this gumbo was when I lived in Central Texas. There was a Cajun restaurant we would go to for a little taste of home. We would get a shrimp po-boy and a cup of gumbo. One of the gumbos they served was Crawfish Gumbo. Honestly that was the first time I ever heard of it. It was rich and delivered that rich gumbo flavor I was missing. 

Well dear sister has been asking for a gumbo and I kept saying when it is a little cooler. I told her I was thinking about trying to make a Crawfish Gumbo and she was not thrilled with the idea. Since that conversation I have had both crawfish and gumbo on my mind. So I bought some frozen crawfish tails in wait for the temperature to drop. Well it has been cooler now for three days. With dear sister out of town I thought I would try my Crawfish Gumbo experiment and put my mind to rest.

It was actually a pretty easy gumbo to put together I was able to cook it Thursday evening. I did add some things I don't normally put in my gumbos; rotel, garlic and bay leaf. I thought they would work well with the crawfish. I like the spicy flavor of boiled crawfish and wanted it in my gumbo. I also waited to the end to add the crawfish tails because I did not wanted them to get tough. Well although this turned out to be a great rich pot of Gumbo, I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the crawfish department. I think I will try this one more time in the spring when crawfish are in season. I want to be able to make a stock with the shells. The crawfish was second fiddle to the roux in this pot. I think adding a crawfish stock will boost the crawfish flavor. Or maybe I am a purest and just like my crawfish boiled? No, I love Crawfish Bisque and Crawfish Etouffee. I think this recipe just needs to be re-visited in the spring.

Crawfish Gumbo

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 large onion, small dice

1/2 green bell pepper, small dice

3 ribs of celery, small dice

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced into half moons

10 oz. can rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and creole seasoning to taste

2 lbs. crawfish tails, peeled

1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, sliced

2 cups rice, uncooked

Directions

Prepare rice to package directions. Dice all vegetables and set aside.

To prepare the roux place flour and oil in a large heavy pot. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium -high heat until roux is the color of dark caramel to milk chocolate. When roux is the correct color add onion, bell pepper and celery. Season the roux with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and creole seasoning. Stir occasionally to make sure it does not stick. You can cover pot in between stirs. You are looking for the veggies to be soft and create liquid in the roux. When veggies are soft add the Andouille sausage. Cook until sausage appears cooked. Add the rotel tomatoes and bay leaf stir to combine. Slowly add two quarts of warm water stirring as you go. When all the water has been incorporated bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 1 hour. Next add the crawfish and simmer for 30 minutes. Add green onions and parsley. Check seasonings and add to taste. Serve over cooked rice in large soup bowls. Garnish with more green onion, parsley and file (optional).

To see photos of preparing a Roux, check out this previous post:

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Craving more Gumbo, check out these previous pots:

Gumbo Vert

Seafood Gumbo with Whole Crabs

Turkey Gumbo

Linking to:

My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup Linkie Party
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Crayfish, Lobster & Crab

Gumbo Vert

Gumbo Vert (Verre) is the short name for this Gumbo. It should really be called "Lazy Cajun Daughter's Lowfat Gumbo Vert". Gumbo Vert is Green Gumbo in french. It has a traditional roux with lots of the trinity(celery, onion and bell pepper) then any and every dark leafy green you can think of. Our family always used turnip, collard, mustard, spinach and lettuce. If they had tops of beets or carrots then that would go in there too. My mom, and both Maw Maws; washed their greens, sliced the greens and par-boiled the greens for their Gumbo Vert. I cheat, I buy the frozen greens. Yes! That makes me the Lazy Cajun Daughter. 

In an effort to reduce the fat in the gumbo, I also use a dry fat free roux. You can buy this roux in jars at most grocery stores. It is an oven browned flour. You get that rich flavor without the fat. Now I can see you wrinkling your nose, thinking that is a lot of greens. But in this day and age when people put spinach in their fruit smoothies and eat kale as chips, in soup and salads don't you think you could give it a try. Greens are so good for you. This Gumbo Vert is savory and I think the flavors of the greens blend really well in the roux. I think I taste the spinach the most. Dad enjoys his over rice, Mom likes it as a soup, I think it is great any way you serve it.

I did buy a local andouille for this Gumbo. It came from Bergeron's. It was not the andouille I am use to from Jacob's in LaPlace, LA but it did have the same texture and great flavor. The best I have bought in Shreveport. It could have used a little less salt and more smoke. All that said, it was great in the Gumbo. I would buy it again if I didn't have Jacob's in the freezer.

Gumbo Vert (Lowfat)
Makes about 5 quarts

1 lb andouille sausage, sliced in quarters 
2 Tbsp olive oil 
2 large onions, diced 
1 green bell pepper, diced 
1 bunch celery, sliced 
1 cup dry fat free roux 
1 lb iceberg lettuce, shredded 
1 lb frozen turnip greens, semi defrosted 
1 lb frozen collard greens, semi defrosted 
1 lb frozen mustard greens, semi defrosted 
1 lb frozen spinach, semi defrosted 
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 bunch parsley, chopped
Season to Taste* (Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and Cajun seasoning) 

Using a large pot. Cook andouille over medium heat until it starts to brown a bit. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add olive oil, pepper, celery, and onion to pot cook until veggies start to soften. Add roux and stir in well. You can add a little water if it begins to stick. Add lettuce to roux cook until it begins to wilt. Then add greens to pot one at a time stirring to combine before you add the next bag. Add green onions and parsley, stir to combine. When all greens are in the pot add water to cover. Season to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer at least one hour. Puree with a stick blender or in batches in a blender. Add the andouille back to the pot. Simmer until the andouille is warm and flavors combine. Check once more for seasoning.

Serve over rice or as a puréed soup.

Makes about 20 - 1 cup servings 

* Season to your taste, the Greens will take a lot of seasoning I would say it depends on the andouille: I used about 2-1/4 tsp Salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning. Add seasoning a little at a time. Taste after adding andouille and simmering a few minutes.

Roux with the first addition of greens

After adding water

Seasoning the Gumbo

Gumbo pureed adding the Andouille

Linking to:
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia - LOUISIANA and Link Party
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

Turkey Gumbo

The first time I remember having Turkey Gumbo was at my aunt's in Reserve, LA. My Dad's younger sister and her family served a HUGE pot of Turkey Gumbo straight from the stove. I am having a hard time remembering the exact occasion, maybe Christmas? The entire family funneled through the galley kitchen serving themselves a bowl of gumbo before the meal. It was so good. I was not there for the cooking just the eating. But I remember it being a little smokey from the sausage or maybe the turkey and it had mushrooms. I love that about the gumbos in Reserve. My maw maw and aunt put mushrooms in their chicken gumbos sometimes.

Gumbo has always been a tradition for my family on Christmas Eve. Usually leftovers become a starter before Christmas dinner. This recipe is a new tradition I have started for the weekend after Thanksgiving. My family enjoys this more than Turkey sandwiches. I got the idea from a Marcelle Bienvenu article in The Forum back in 2007 about holiday leftovers. She published her friend's Turkey Bone Gumbo recipe. I used her recipe, family gumbo recipes and memories to come up with my recipe. I use andouille for that smokey flavor. I add a tomato, that is borrowed from Marcelle's recipe. My family doesn't use tomatoes in chicken gumbo typically. I find you cannot detect it in the finished gumbo but it adds to the flavor of the broth. I also use mushrooms to remember those family gumbos in Reserve. So good! Mushrooms and turkey go together in my opinion. Occasionally if the family eats more turkey than usual, I have to go to the store for fresh turkey to add. I use turkey breast and add it to the roux after the andouille and before the mushrooms. This gumbo is so rich from the stock that my mother and I have discussed making our chicken and andouille gumbo in this style. We will see? That is for another post.

Turkey Gumbo

Makes 8 quarts, 16 servings

Broth:             1 Turkey Carcass

                        2 medium Onions, quartered no need to peel

                        2 Carrots, cut in two inch pieces no need to peel

                        3 ribs of Celery, cut in two inch pieces

                        2 bay leafs

                        1 Tbsp of black peppercorns

                        2 tsp kosher salt

                        cool water to cover ingredients

Place all ingredients in a large stock. (I use a pot with a strainer basket) Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer on medium low for two hours uncovered. Remove from heat and strain out all solids and discard. Pass the broth through a fat separator. Set broth aside for future use in recipe below.

Gumbo:        3/4 cup flour

                        3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

                        2 medium onions, diced small

                        1 bell pepper, diced small

                        3 ribs of celery, diced small

                        1 medium tomato, diced small

                        2 lbs andouille sausage, sliced into 3/8 inch slices

                        8 oz mushrooms, sliced

                        Turkey broth

                        2 1/2 to 3 lbs leftover turkey meat, cut into large pieces

                        1 bunch green onions, sliced

                        1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

                        2 cups rice, uncooked

                        Salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and creole seasoning to taste

Prepare rice to package directions. Dice all vegetables and set aside. You can place onion, bell pepper and celery in the same bowl. Keep other ingredients separate.

To prepare the roux place flour and oil in a large heavy pot. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium heat until roux is the color of caramel to milk chocolate. I like it just shy of the chocolate color. When roux is the correct color add onion, bell pepper and celery. Stir occasionally to make sure it does not stick. You can cover pot in between stirs. You are looking for the veggies to be soft and create liquid in the roux. When veggies are soft add tomato. Continue to cook until tomato almost disappears. Add sausage and then mushrooms. Stir until mushrooms and sausage appear cooked. Add leftover turkey meat. Slowly add Turkey broth until desired constistancy. You are looking for a full bodied soup broth not a stew. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add green onions and parsley. Check seasonings and add to taste. Serve over cooked rice in large soup bowls.

Note: Leftover stock can be frozen for later use. I had about a quart leftover this year.

Linking to:
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Leftovers

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Mom just had foot surgery, so my sister and I went over to make a gumbo for our parents. Our family gumbo is a compromise. Dad's family made a lighter roux. Mom's family made a darker roux. Ours is in between. Today we made a Chicken and Andouille Gumbo. The andouille capital of the world is in LaPlace, LA. It lies between the two towns where my Mom and Dad were raised. To this day we still bring andouille home from Jacob's in LaPlace(WARNING Link has music) when we travel to south Louisiana. Andouille is a highly smoked sausage that we just have not found here in north Louisiana. My Mom's recipe is a little different from my grandmothers' recipes. She uses chicken breast where my grandmothers used a whole hen. I remember growing up being served a bowl of gumbo with chicken on the bone with the skin still attached on ocassion. My sister and I really did not know what to do with that. Grant it using a whole bird does add a lot of flavor. Often my grandfather would sift through the finished gumbo and de-bone it then serve it. My mother's recipe eliminates that task and is still delicious. Today I used boneless, skinless chicken breast and thighs.

Shown with File



Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
Makes 16 servings, about 8 quarts

1 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large onion, chopped fine

1 green bell pepper, chopped fine

9 stalks celery, chopped fine

3 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 2" pieces 

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 2" pieces

2 lb andouille, sliced

10 cups water
salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Cajun seasoning to taste

1 bunch of parsley, chopped

1 bunch green onions, sliced

2 pints oysters (optional)

 

Heat flour and oil on medium heat stirring constantly until milk chocolate or dark caramel color.  

Roux

Veggies in the Roux

Add bell pepper, celery, and onion cook stirring often until softened and liquid starts to form.

Season chicken with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add seasoned chicken cook until chicken is cooked.  Add andouille. Cook until liquid forms.



Seasoned Chicken

Andouille



Chicken and Andouille
in Roux

Water, Parsley and
Green Onions added

Add hot water until desired thickness is achieved. Simmer and season to taste.  



30 minutes before serving strain oysters, reserving liquid.  Add liquid to Gumbo and oysters one by one to make sure oysters are free of pieces of shell.  Add parsley and green onions.

    

Serve over rice.