We had some food items that needed using. That added up to Creole.Gumbo.
Which is just a fancy way of saying "cream of bottom-of-the-refrigerator soup," Louisiana style.
To be honest, we bought some stellar andouille sausage from the local boys to ramp this thing up. We already had some shrimp in the cool freezer cooler. There was turkey in the freezer too, but we decided not to go quite so heavy on protein. Oh, and there were all those roasted green tomatoes. "Pretend okra."
So we did a basic Paul Prudhomme version. I love cooking a roux. I can go through maybe two beers getting it brown enough. The best part, though, is the seasoning. I am not a Southerner, much less a Cajun. I can hardly wrap my head around the spices that go into a gumbo. But follow the rules, and you will get a mouthful.
There is no other cooking in North America that so closely approximates the awesome taste of Hunan food. Creole. Happy tasty.
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20 comments:
Gumbo is pretty cool, but no where near as much fun to say as "Jambalaya" :)
You know you're a poet. But I think you'd rather eat gumbo. I'm trying to think of a word that rhymes with gumbo.
Foo. Slumbo?
:(
Pssst. Okra is used in the summer months when it is in season. The rest of the year one uses gumbo file. I like to make it in the winter months because I am not a fan of okra. Have you ever picked okra?
And I think all those Creole/Cajun words are pretty. One of my faves? Zydeco.
Kailyn: I can't *find* my jar of file gumbo, which is fine, because it's ancient. I do love the stuff. I actually do like okra, fried in cornmeal. But.
Hey: les haricots! Zydeco. Language is fun.
Thanks for the cuisine hint. xx
fried okra is my best friend
Doggie! Oh, you are my best friend. Woof.
How about mumbo? A sort of soupy dance!
Looks delicious! I think there are endless variations on this type of dish, all tasty!
I love bottom of the fridge soup! We have some almost every week (because I almost always have too much of something) but I've never had gumbo makings. Must fix immmediately.
Morgan: And, to think, I actually watched West Side Story the other night. Mambo!
Kalyn: Pretty photo. Yes, this dish seems to be infinitely variable. Cranky is out buying some Dungeness crabmeat to extend the leftovers! Lucky me.
Alecto: It's actually a bit odd in my household to have gumbo makings. Well, yeah, there's always rice and spices and flour. Usually some chicken stock. Anyway. I hope you give it a try. Yumz.
I am so glad to see you cooking up a fabulous New Orleans dish! And roasted green tomatoes sound like an excellent addition.
It had never occurred to me that Creole and Hunan were similar, but I guess they kinda are.
(psst...Columbo)
PE: I'm so excited about what's happened to your culinary repertoire since you moved. And I'm still grateful to you for cooking lessons. ;)
Heather: I can't insist the two cuisines are similar, but they are about the spiciest, most flavorful foods I know. And... they seem similar. Yep.
(I don't know what to think about "Columbo." Was that the captcha? Weird.)
micized
It totally IS "cream of bottom-of-the-refrigerator soup"! My grandmother (who's from Louisiana) always said that it's comprised of "everything in the fridge that's about to go bad plus lots of spices so you can't tell"
not a huge cajun fan
even though i know this was wonderful
because I KNOW YOU
but, also
dontcha think it's so awesome that chef paul dropped that 340 pounds!
yep 560 to 220.
that is unfathomable.
mumbo jumbo gumbo...its all yummy, okra or file. i love any recipe that dictates you cook something for two beers.
EB: Thanks for the endorsement. I know I've made it a thousand ways, but always with the "trinity" of celery, onion and pepper. And I've grown very fond of Prudhomme's dried spices.
FRET: You don't need to love it. It's so not New York!
But. Zowie! Yes, it is awesome and unbelievable that Chef Paul lost all that weight. He looks good on his website photo. Some other NOLA chefs used to tease him for riding around on his motorized cart, when he could barely walk: "Looks like an ant carrying a muffin!"
Pea: Kindred spirit. I met a guy once at Squaw Valley who said, "This is a one-beer chairlift. Want one?" Oh, he had a sixpack in his pack. (What, and ski drunk? No thanks.)
Merry Christmas to You and Cranky. Your Holiday Roast may be the Ultimate Meat Adventure. A Roast that is Aged and tied. Please tell me that is Nirvana. It was the best piece of MEAT! MAD GENIUS
Yum, but, not creole. Cajun is the word for the one-pot, spicy cooking, preferably using Louisiana charcuterie like tasso and andouille, as well as whatever you just shot in the swamp. Creole is more fancified and cream-sauced, harking back to the French and Spanish gentry of the Crescent City...
OutOfDoors: I had a suspicion I was making a mistake, so thanks for clearing it up (and so well explained). The one is not the other, and that's what I get for speaking a non-native language. :-)
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