> "zxcvbob" <zxcv...@charter.net> wrote in message > news:7vt185FjsmU1@mid.individual.net... >> Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote: >>> In article <barbschaller-BF2748.13510211032...@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net>, >>> Melba's Jammin' <barbschal...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed >>>> recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the >>>> bowl first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The >>>> preparation of the roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a >>>> soup that uses leftover game or poultry?
>>> Good question! I've seen sausage and chicken gumbo, alligator >>> gumbo, shrimp gumbo. I think it might just be Cajun for thickened >>> stew. I make gumbo with chicken thighs and spicy smoked sausages, >>> okra, no file powder, lots of celery, onion and peppers, some garlic.
>>> Regards, >>> Ranee @ Arabian Knits
>>> "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
>> I've just started experimenting with file' powder to thicken watery >> (tomato and bouillon based) soups without adding a starch. Haven't >> quite figured out the amount yet; I know it can get ropey and nasty if >> you cook it more than just a minute. Even tho' I haven't got the >> thickening right yet, I do like the taste it adds.
>> I found one gumbo recipe from Emerill that called for 1/2 cup of file >> powder to about 2 quarts of shrimp stock (plus the fish and stuff.) I >> may not know how much to use, but I know that's way too much!
>> Bob
> Is that the one where he uses 3 cups of oil to make a roux? > Jon
What is LaGasse doing cooking gumbo anyway? He's a Fall River, MA Portugese if I remember right. They cook like sorta weird Spaniards.
>>>> I used to have a gumbo night once a year in winter. Oh, lovely, >>>> marvelous, >>>> delicious. I've made it once here and it cost a month's grocery budget. >>>> It was a bit of an excess I suppose, but there is nothing better in the >>>> world. >>> What made it cost so much?! We use okra, onions, peppers, celery and >>> garlic, oil and flour for the roux, smoked sausage and chicken thighs >>> for the meat, chicken broth or water, basic herbs that we always have in >>> the pantry and serve with rice, scallions and hot pepper vinegar. It's >>> time consuming, but not expensive. I try to make a huge amount and >>> freeze the extras. I may do that after Easter, in fact.
>> I thought the rice had to be cooked with the other ingredients. I don't >> know, just thought I heard that. >> Janet
> I don't know how it has to be cooked, just how I cook it. I am not > Cajun, I do not live in Louisiana and I make food as we like to eat it. > :-)
> Regards, > Ranee @ Arabian Knits
> "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
And that's what gumbo is all about Ranee. Cajuns always made it with ingredients they had on hand so different recipes are all over the map. Generally it contains the catch of the day, whether that be herons, turtle, gator, or whatever.
In article <AradnaVWboH49ATWnZ2dnUVZ_qydn...@giganews.com>, George Shirley <gsh...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> And that's what gumbo is all about Ranee. Cajuns always made it with > ingredients they had on hand so different recipes are all over the map. > Generally it contains the catch of the day, whether that be herons, > turtle, gator, or whatever.
There you go! So, I make authentic gumbo! ;-)
Regards, Ranee @ Arabian Knits
"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
> > "zxcvbob" <zxcv...@charter.net> wrote in message > >news:7vt185FjsmU1@mid.individual.net... > >> Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote: > >>> In article <barbschaller-BF2748.13510211032...@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net>, > >>> Melba's Jammin' <barbschal...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >>>> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed > >>>> recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the > >>>> bowl first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The > >>>> preparation of the roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a > >>>> soup that uses leftover game or poultry?
> >>> Good question! I've seen sausage and chicken gumbo, alligator > >>> gumbo, shrimp gumbo. I think it might just be Cajun for thickened > >>> stew. I make gumbo with chicken thighs and spicy smoked sausages, > >>> okra, no file powder, lots of celery, onion and peppers, some garlic.
> >>> Regards, > >>> Ranee @ Arabian Knits
> >>> "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
> >> I've just started experimenting with file' powder to thicken watery > >> (tomato and bouillon based) soups without adding a starch. Haven't > >> quite figured out the amount yet; I know it can get ropey and nasty if > >> you cook it more than just a minute. Even tho' I haven't got the > >> thickening right yet, I do like the taste it adds.
> >> I found one gumbo recipe from Emerill that called for 1/2 cup of file > >> powder to about 2 quarts of shrimp stock (plus the fish and stuff.) I > >> may not know how much to use, but I know that's way too much!
> >> Bob
> > Is that the one where he uses 3 cups of oil to make a roux? > > Jon
> What is LaGasse doing cooking gumbo anyway? He's a Fall River, MA > Portugese if I remember right. They cook like sorta weird Spaniards.- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -
George, Emeril was Head Chef at Commanders for a few years so he thinks he's an 'honorary' cajun.... ;-)
> >>>> I used to have a gumbo night once a year in winter. Oh, lovely, > >>>> marvelous, > >>>> delicious. I've made it once here and it cost a month's grocery budget. > >>>> It was a bit of an excess I suppose, but there is nothing better in the > >>>> world. > >>> What made it cost so much?! We use okra, onions, peppers, celery and > >>> garlic, oil and flour for the roux, smoked sausage and chicken thighs > >>> for the meat, chicken broth or water, basic herbs that we always have in > >>> the pantry and serve with rice, scallions and hot pepper vinegar. It's > >>> time consuming, but not expensive. I try to make a huge amount and > >>> freeze the extras. I may do that after Easter, in fact.
> >> I thought the rice had to be cooked with the other ingredients. I don't > >> know, just thought I heard that. > >> Janet
> > I don't know how it has to be cooked, just how I cook it. I am not > > Cajun, I do not live in Louisiana and I make food as we like to eat it. > > :-)
> > Regards, > > Ranee @ Arabian Knits
> > "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
> And that's what gumbo is all about Ranee. Cajuns always made it with > ingredients they had on hand so different recipes are all over the map. > Generally it contains the catch of the day, whether that be herons, > turtle, gator, or whatever.- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -
One of my favorite Justin Wilson stories was he met a little boy walkin down de road and dat boy had a hawk over his shoulder he just shot. Justin asked him: "what you goin to do with dat hawk?" and the boy answered: "probably put it in a gumbo". Justin asked him: "how does hawk taste in a gumbo"? the boy replied "bout like owl".
> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed > recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the bowl > first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The preparation of the > roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover > game or poultry?
> I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe< I > have a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in > conversation about what makes it gumbo.
> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed > recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the bowl > first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The preparation of the > roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover > game or poultry?
> I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe< I > have a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in > conversation about what makes it gumbo.
Gumbo is like pizza. It is regional. If you visit Louisiana, it is cooked differently across the state. One area uses more roux. Another insists on okra. In New Orleans, their broth is clearer, and they use more seafood. Like most foods, it is a matter of personal taste. And each area claims theirs is the best. People tend to like the style that is from the area they are from. Like New York vs. Chicago pizza.
Originally, it was just a way to stretch the food on hand by making a big pot of what is essentially a soup, and whatever came into the yard went into the gumbo. Rice was a staple, so gumbo over rice. Or red beans and rice with whatever meat was available, often wild.
Gumbo is the word for okra. So, technically it's not a gumbo unless you have okra in it. Personally I love okra in gumbos. There are as many ways to make gumbo as there are cooks.
> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed > recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo?
That depends on who you ask.
The okra?
Okra in gumbo is a personal taste that must be acquired.
The rice in the bowl
> first?
No, gumbo can be eaten without rice.
The addition of hot sauce at the table?
No, lots of good Cajuns don't like hot sauce in their gumbo.
The preparation of the
> roux?
That definitely has more to do with the flavor than anything so far. Roux can be burned. It can also be cooked less and be a light brown, or even a "blonde roux."
Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover
> game or poultry?
I think that is accurate because Cajuns are known for eating most anything that doesn't eat them first.
> I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe< I > have a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in > conversation about what makes it gumbo.
The things that affect it for me are: the roux and how dark it is cooked. The meat that goes into it, and how long that is cooked. A tough yard rooster makes very good gumbo if it is cooked until falling apart and until the marrow comes out to flavor the gumbo. Likewise with wild fowl. But gumbo can be made with cubed chicken and or sausage. I like to boil turkey legs, strip out all the strings, cube the rest, and cook that in the water I boiled it in, then add roux and other things to taste. Turkey thighs also have a lot of meat and flavor, and if you cook it down, the flavor will increase.
> What are your thoughts?
Gumbo is just a big pot of soup served over rice. Some people add file made of sasafrass, but I personally hate the taste of that. Others like hot sauce. If you're hungry, there is no bad gumbo.
I lived on southern Louisiana for about eight years, married a Cajun girl, and had gumbo prepared for me by people who had been cooking it for more than fifty years. You can cook it the same every time, but it always comes out a little different.
> zxcvbob wrote: >> Ran e at Arabian Knits wrote: >>> In article <barbschaller-BF2748.13510211032...@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net>, >>> Melba's Jammin' <barbschal...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>>>> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed >>>> recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the bowl >>>> first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The preparation of the >>>> roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover >>>> game or poultry?
>>> Good question! I've seen sausage and chicken gumbo, alligator gumbo, >>> shrimp gumbo. I think it might just be Cajun for thickened stew. I make >>> gumbo with chicken thighs and spicy smoked sausages, okra, no file >>> powder, lots of celery, onion and peppers, some garlic.
>>> Regards, >>> Ranee @ Arabian Knits
>>> "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
>> I've just started experimenting with file' powder to thicken watery >> (tomato and bouillon based) soups without adding a starch. Haven't quite >> figured out the amount yet; I know it can get ropey and nasty if you cook >> it more than just a minute. Even tho' I haven't got the thickening right >> yet, I do like the taste it adds.
>> I found one gumbo recipe from Emerill that called for 1/2 cup of file >> powder to about 2 quarts of shrimp stock (plus the fish and stuff.) I >> may not know how much to use, but I know that's way too much!
>> Bob
> Most of the gumbo cooks in this part of Louisiana use file as a spice or > herb and just use a little in the gumbo proper and a little more when they > have it in the bowl.
> Many people think of file as a thickener but okra works much better to > thicken and a good roux does too. To much file turns the gumbo very bitter > to my taste.
Where I was in Louisiana, file was added by each person to their taste, NEVER to the gumbo itself. And I had gumbo that was cooked by relatives who had been cooking it for over fifty years.
> Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover > game or > poultry?
> Leftover? I never knew you could?
>> I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe< I > >> have a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in > >> conversation about what makes it gumbo.
>> What are your thoughts?
> Being a New Englander, I went straight to Louisianans for recipes and > settled on one that was I think Prudhonne. His roux instrructions are > almost literary. > I used to have a gumbo night once a year in winter. Oh, lovely, > marvelous, delicious. I've made it once here and it cost a month's > grocery budget. It was a bit of an excess I suppose, but there is nothing > better in the world.
If it's costing that much, it's not the traditional gumbo. Traditional gumbo is cooked with what's at hand, and can vary a lot from season to season. Traditional gumbo inland in Louisiana doesn't use a lot of seafoods like it does on the coast.
> And that's what gumbo is all about Ranee. Cajuns always made it with > ingredients they had on hand so different recipes are all over the map. > Generally it contains the catch of the day, whether that be herons, > turtle, gator, or whatever.
In article <3uadnX-bLLwIzgTWnZ2dnUVZ_v-dn...@supernews.com>, "Janet Bostwick" <nos...@nospam.net> wrote:
> I thought the rice had to be cooked with the other ingredients. I don't > know, just thought I heard that. > Janet
That's Campbell's Chicken Gumbo Soup, Janet. :-) Whenever it's been served to me by another (maybe twice) the rice was always added to the bowl first, then the gumbo poured over. I have some pictures of how I do it on my web page, link in sig line. You have to link to them from the home page. -- -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ http://web.me.com/barbschaller Gumbo - March 11, 2010
>That's Campbell's Chicken Gumbo Soup, Janet. :-) Whenever it's been >served to me by another (maybe twice) the rice was always added to the >bowl first, then the gumbo poured over.
And then the file' poured on top of that. Very important!
> I'm a purist I guess, gumbo is either chicken and sausage or seafood, most > around here don't mix them together. I've never seen ham in a gumbo > though, with beans and rice yes, but not in gumbo.
> Melba's Jammin' wrote: >> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed >> recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the bowl >> first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The preparation of the >> roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover >> game or poultry?
>> I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe‹ I have >> a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in >> conversation about what makes it gumbo. What are your thoughts?
> If you're a purist okra makes the gumbo as "gumbo" is a West African word > for okra. In daily use in this area gumbo is simply a word as many Cajuns > here don't put okra in their version of gumbo.
When I lived there, any time gumbo had okra in it, it was specifically called "okra gumbo." Plain gumbo had no okra. Ever.
In article <arabianknits-84947B.12065911032...@nothing.attdns.com>, Ranée at Arabian Knits <arabiankn...@gmail.com> wrote:
> make gumbo with chicken thighs and spicy smoked sausages, okra, no > file powder, lots of celery, onion and peppers, some garlic.
Do you put tomato in your gumbo, Ranee? My Gumbo By Committee recipe includes a can of sliced tomatoes; I added fresh tomatoes at the end of last night's batch, in addition to the can of stewed that I put in early.
In article <barbschaller-188C8C.17370411032...@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net>, Melba's Jammin' <barbschal...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> In article <arabianknits-84947B.12065911032...@nothing.attdns.com>, > Ranée at Arabian Knits <arabiankn...@gmail.com> wrote: > > make gumbo with chicken thighs and spicy smoked sausages, okra, no > > file powder, lots of celery, onion and peppers, some garlic.
> Do you put tomato in your gumbo, Ranee? My Gumbo By Committee recipe > includes a can of sliced tomatoes; I added fresh tomatoes at the end of > last night's batch, in addition to the can of stewed that I put in > early.
There are no tomatoes in my gumbo. I don't know that I've ever had it with tomatoes in it. But, what do I know? I'm not Cajun.
Regards, Ranee @ Arabian Knits
"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
In article <4b995fd3$0$8688$ec3e2...@unlimited.usenetmonster.com>, "Pete C." <aux3.DO...@snet.net> wrote:
> I got tasked with making the gumbo for my dive club's Mardi Gras party > when the regular LA native cook was unable to make it. The recipe I used > was chicken and Andouile sausage and did not include any Okra. It was > reported by quite a few people as "best ever".
Some people do not care for okra... -- Peace! Om
"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down." --Steve Rothstein
"jmcquown" <j_mcqu...@comcast.net> wrote: > "Melba's Jammin'" <barbschal...@earthlink.net> wrote in message > news:barbschaller-BF2748.13510211032010@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net... > > Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed > > recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the bowl > > first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The preparation of the > > roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover > > game or poultry?
> > I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe< I > > have a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in > > conversation about what makes it gumbo.
> > What are your thoughts? > > -- > > -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ > > http://web.me.com/barbschaller > > Gumbo, 3-11-2010
> No recipe offered, but hot sauce is *not* required; never should be. It's > the dark roux that "makes" taste like gumbo, IMHO. That and file :)
> Jill
Everyone seems to be forgetting the crawfish... ;-) -- Peace! Om
"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down." --Steve Rothstein
Steve B wrote: > "George Shirley" <gsh...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message > news:Aradna9WboEg-wTWnZ2dnUVZ_qydnZ2d@giganews.com... >> Melba's Jammin' wrote: >>> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed >>> recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the bowl >>> first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The preparation of the >>> roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover >>> game or poultry?
>>> I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe‹ I have >>> a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in >>> conversation about what makes it gumbo. What are your thoughts? >> If you're a purist okra makes the gumbo as "gumbo" is a West African word >> for okra. In daily use in this area gumbo is simply a word as many Cajuns >> here don't put okra in their version of gumbo.
> When I lived there, any time gumbo had okra in it, it was specifically > called "okra gumbo." Plain gumbo had no okra. Ever.
> A little known fact: not every Cajun likes okra.
> Steve
My friends the Heberts only put okra in it when Kenny demands it, Debbi doesn't like okra or any vegetables other than tomatoes, lettuce, cukes, and potatoes. Strangest cajun I ever met. I reckon she lives on meat, taters, rice, etc.
> In article > <barbschaller-188C8C.17370411032...@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net>, > Melba's Jammin' <barbschal...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> In article <arabianknits-84947B.12065911032...@nothing.attdns.com>, >> Ranée at Arabian Knits <arabiankn...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> make gumbo with chicken thighs and spicy smoked sausages, okra, no >>> file powder, lots of celery, onion and peppers, some garlic. >> Do you put tomato in your gumbo, Ranee? My Gumbo By Committee recipe >> includes a can of sliced tomatoes; I added fresh tomatoes at the end of >> last night's batch, in addition to the can of stewed that I put in >> early.
> There are no tomatoes in my gumbo. I don't know that I've ever had > it with tomatoes in it. But, what do I know? I'm not Cajun.
> Regards, > Ranee @ Arabian Knits
> "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13
Omelet wrote: > In article <7vtb1hFbt...@mid.individual.net>, > "jmcquown" <j_mcqu...@comcast.net> wrote:
>> "Melba's Jammin'" <barbschal...@earthlink.net> wrote in message >> news:barbschaller-BF2748.13510211032010@news-2.mpls.iphouse.net... >>> Forgive me if I've asked before; forgive me if it's been discussed >>> recently: What makes gumbo be gumbo? The okra? The rice in the bowl >>> first? The addition of hot sauce at the table? The preparation of the >>> roux? Or is gumbo *only* the cajun name for a soup that uses leftover >>> game or poultry?
>>> I made another potful last night and I'm not looking for a recipe< I >>> have a couple in my files that provide guidance; I am interested in >>> conversation about what makes it gumbo.
>>> What are your thoughts? >>> -- >>> -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ >>> http://web.me.com/barbschaller >>> Gumbo, 3-11-2010
>> No recipe offered, but hot sauce is *not* required; never should be. It's >> the dark roux that "makes" taste like gumbo, IMHO. That and file :)
>> Jill
> Everyone seems to be forgetting the crawfish... ;-)
That's about the only way I will eat mud bugs, just don't care for them all boiled up with taters, corn, and onions, and forget about sucking the fat out of the heads.
