Brian Constantines Famous Firehouse Gumbo Recipes

Steps:

• Make the chili. Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the beef, stirring often, until it has begun to brown at the edges. Using a slotted spoon, transfer browned meat to a bowl.
• Pour off excess fat, turn heat down to medium and return the browned beef to the skillet or pot. Add salt, peppers, chile powder, turmeric, oregano and cumin, and stir to combine. Add steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce and diced tomatoes, and stir again. Cover the skillet or pot, and cook, stirring a few times, for 15 minutes or so.
• Make the gumbo. Place a large pot with a heavy bottom over medium heat, and put the butter and oil into it. When the butter is melted and foaming, sprinkle the flour into the pan, and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture is golden brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Add the onion, shallots, bell peppers, celery and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have started to soften, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Make the chili gumbo. Add the beef mixture to the pot with the vegetables along with the tomato paste, tomato sauce, tomato juice and ketchup, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes, then add apple-cider vinegar and hot sauce to taste. Take the pot off the heat, and serve, or allow to cool and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to cure. Heat before serving.

Steps:

• Put chicken pieces in a bowl. Blend salt, peppers, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, granulated garlic and file powder. Rub four teaspoons of the mixture over the chicken. Set rest of spice mixture aside.
• Put the flour in a bowl and add two teaspoons of the reserved spice mixture. Blend well.
• Heat a 10-inch skillet and add the oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat well, shaking off excess. Reserve the leftover flour.
• When the oil is hot and almost smoking, add the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook about two minutes on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook about three minutes on the second side until nicely browned. Do this in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Drain thoroughly on paper towels.
• Pour off all but one cup of fat from the skillet. Heat this oil over high heat until it is almost smoking and add the reserved seasoned flour. Stir rapidly and constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture is golden brown. Do not burn. This is a roux.
• Add the chopped onion, celery and green pepper to the roux and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Add about half a cup of the roux mixture to the broth, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Continue adding the roux mixture, half a cup at a time, always stirring rapidly and constantly.
• Add the smoked sausage and stir. Cook over high heat, stirring often from the bottom, about 15 minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces, bay leaf and finely minced fresh garlic. Cook about 40 minutes, on medium-low, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the chicken pieces. Cut the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Cut the chicken into cubes or shred it and add it back to the pot. Serve with white rice or potato salad (or both) spooned into the gumbo.

Steps:

• In gumbo pot, boil water.
• Add roux, lower heat to prevent boil over, constantly stir.
• Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and parsley.
• Cut sausage into bite size pieces and microwave 7 minutes on plate with paper towel to line bottom. Add to gumbo pot.
• Add in tomato sauce, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce.
• On medium heat cook for 2 hours.
• Add fryers, and cook for 1 more hour.
• After 3 hours add chopped green onions and parsley.
• Serve in bowl over cooked medium grain rice.
• Note: Never serve gumbo without potato salad on side.

Steps:

• Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the canola oil, chicken breast and sausages. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and peppers and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, spices, and hot sauce. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add clam juice, chicken stock, tomato juice and pale ale. Bring to a simmer and add the fish and shrimp. Cook until the shrimp and fish are done, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the okra and clams. Simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve over white rice.

Steps:

• Thaw shrimp and crab if not using fresh.
• In large saucepan, combine flour and oil.
• Cook at medium low heat stirring for 30-40 minutes until dark red-brown.
• Add onions, peppers, celery, broth, ham hock, tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes, parsley, worcestershire sauce, pickapeppa, oregano, bay leaves, paprika, garlic powder and Tabasco.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
• Remove ham hock, cut off meat.
• Chop meat and return to pan.
• Skim off any fat.
• Add oysters, shrimp and crab.
• Continue cooking for 15 minutes.
• Add okra, cook 5 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves.
• Add file powder.