Gumbo

Recipe for Gumbo – a spicy-colorful southern-style stew, with shrimp, chicken, okra and andouille sausage

Discover the taste of New Orleans - a spicy-colorful southern-style stew, with shrimp, chicken, okra and andouille sausage. And not to forget the "Holy Trinity" of the Cajun cuisine - onions, celery and green bell peppers. The stew is thickened by a "Roux" and gives the Gumbo its typical smoky flavour. Serve over hot cooked rice. The gumbo can be frozen or refrigerated and many people like it better the next day.

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

for the Roux:
80 ml sunflower or peanut oil
65 g all-purpose flour

for the Gumbo:
150 g andouille (or chorizo, or another hot salami)
300 g chicken legs
300 g shrimp
1 green bell pepper
2 stems celery
200 g okra
1 can tomatoes (400 ml)
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 liter chicken or vegetable broth
2 EL Worcestershire Sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika powder (hot)
1 tsp gumbo filé powder * (Sassafras officinalis – or ¼ tsp dried lemon balm)
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp chili powder (Cayenne, Scotch Bonnet)
salt
Freshly chopped parsley
Oil for frying

Preparation

Peel onion and garlic and chop finely. Clean pepper and celery and cut into small pieces. Slice the okra and Andouille (0.5 cm).

Sauté the sausage in a pan for 5 minutes and set aside.

Rinse chicken, pat dry and cut into 1 inch-pieces. Mix together black pepper, paprika and chili powder and rub the chicken meat. Sauté the chicken in a pan from all sides until golden brown (10 minutes). Set aside.

For the Roux, heat 80 ml of oil in large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour while stirring constantly until it turns into a rich caramel colour (approx. 30 minutes). Watch the heat carefully so that the roux doesnt burn, otherwise it will be bitter.

Stir the pepper, celery, onions and garlic into the roux and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile bring 1 liter water to a boil and stir in the broth and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Now reduce heat and mix in the sausage, chicken, bay leaves, the remaining chili-paprika-rub, thyme, oregano and tomatoes and simmer the soup over low heat for 40 minutes. At the end of the cooking time add the filé powder.

Meanwhile, add some oil to a pan and fry the okra until soft for approx. 15 minutes. Remove okra with a slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in shrimp and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 10 - 20 more minutes.  

The soup tastes best when it is eaten the next day.
Serve over hot cooked rice and garnish with some chopped parsley.

 * Filépulver oder Sassafras-Pulver ist ein typisches Gewürz der Cajun Küche mit einem schwachen Zitrusaroma. Es wird  in Europa nur selten angeboten, da man es hier eher als Giftpflanze betrachtet, wegen ihres hohen Gehaltes an Safrol, einer leberschädigenden und wahrscheinlich sogar krebserregenden Substanz. Zitronemelisse ist ein guter Ersatz, aber viel stärker im Geschmack und muss daher geringer dosiert werden.

* Filé powder or Sassafras powder is a typical spice of the Cajun cuisine with a light citrus flavour. It is rarely offered in Europe, as it is regarded as a gift plant there, because of its high content of safrol, a liver-damaging and maybe carcinogenic substance. Lemon balm is a good substitute, but much stronger in flavour and therefore needs to be dosed less

Image source: Fotolia - #44722654 © MSPhotographic