Gumbo is a staple ’round these parts, but up until recently, I’d left all the Gumbo-making to other people.  It was time to learn when we had my sister-in-law’s baby shower here.  Gumbo is one of her favs!

Ok so, people say Gumbo needs a good roux, which is a mixture of fat and flour, used as a base to stews and sauces.  It’s really easy to burn a roux, and since this was my first foray into Gumbo-making, I decided to go instant roux.  Bam!  But I’m jumping ahead here.

First, I started with a mirepoix.

  It’s sold down here in tubs (fresh) or bags (frozen) and labeled as “seasoning blend.”  So it’s not exactly whats in a traditional mirepoix, but it’s close enough to count.  “Seasoning blend” is basically white onion, chopped celery, and red and green peppers…just in case you don’t have it in your freezer or produce sections.

Get a big ‘ole stew pot and cover the bottom of it with a generous amount of your chopped veggies.  New Orleans gumbo usually has okra in there too, but my sister in law doesn’t like it, so today, we made an okra-less gumbo.  If you want okra, this would be when to add it. 

Throw some olive oil over those veggies (about 1/4 cup) and toss it all around.  Saute this until you can see your veggies are “cooked down” (basically means they’re a little smaller and a darker in color and seem soft to the touch with the spoon). 

After the veggies are done, add the chicken stock and the instant roux.  For this recipe I used 2 boxes of store bought liquid stock. Be sure to read the directions for how much roux to put based on the amount of servings you want. 

Let this simmer all together while you prepare your meats.   I pulled all the meat off of a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and cut up four links of andouille sausage.  You can use any sausage for gumbo, but andouille peppers it a bit, which we like.  I also like the rotisserie chicken because both the light and dark meat help to give it that full chicken flavor. 

Now I toss those meats into the crock pot and pour the gumbo mixture over the top of the meat.

 

Let it sit on low for at least 1 hour because the longer it stays in the crockpot, the more delicious it will be!  (I mean, within reason.  We don’t want ‘cha burning your gumbo!). 

This dish is one our party favorites because it takes very little time on the stove, and it is truly a dish where you can set it and forget it.  You can serve it with a scoop of white rice mixed in, or – to be like a true New Orleanian – a scoop of potato salad right on top.  Heck, you could even do both!  Who’s stopping you?

Let me know how you like your gumbo – chicken and sausage or with shrimp and okra?  Ok, who’s coming over to eat this with me? 🙂

Until next time, ya’ll!

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