Gumbo Shrimp Tasso Ham Andouille Sausage Chicken File Recipes

Steps:

• Add the oil, chicken and sausage rounds to a stockpot on medium-high heat. Sear the chicken to get color and sausage to get color and render fat, but not to cook fully. As the parts finish searing, use a slotted spoon to remove them and place on a plate, leaving the fat in the pot, about 10 minutes total.
• Add the butter, flour and Cajun seasoning to the pot. Cook on medium heat, constantly stirring, until the roux becomes a rich, dark caramel color, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the bell peppers, onions, celery, jalapenos and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, to coat, until everything gets tender, 5 to 8 minutes, then add the stock base and 8 cups water and stir to mix the base into the pot. Add the bay leaves and cover the pot to simmer until the gumbo is thickened, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Add the reserved chicken and sausage, then stir in the file powder. Simmer, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.
• Shred the chicken in the pot. Serve over rice with a shake of hot sauce and file powder.

Steps:

• In a large stock pot fry andouille and tasso in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until browned. Remove meats and set aside. Add 1 cup vegetable oil and allow to heat. Whisk in flour and cook until a chocolate color is reached. Add onion, celery, garlic and bell pepper to roux and cook 15 to 20 minutes. Add chicken, reserved sausages, stock, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and kitchen bouquet and simmer for 45 minutes.
• While gumbo is simmering, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large fry pan. Add okra and cook on medium heat until no longer stringy. After 45 minutes of gumbo simmering, add okra, green onion, parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer 20 more minutes. Serve with rice and allow people to add hot sauce and file, to taste.

Steps:

• Separately, chop / prepare all ingredients necessary as defined above and set aside.
• Heat a large heavy pot (cast iron / enameled cast iron) on medium high until pre-heated. Add some oil and saute each meat separately and in batches to brown nicely. (A pain, but worth it, I promise). Start with Andouille, then Tasso, and chicken. Some of the meat will stick and that is perfect. It imparts a rich flavor that is important to your gumbo. After browning, set aside.
• ROUX: This is a critical step that requires constant tending. The goal is to cook this flour until it is somewhere between brown and black without burning it.Go for the color of a Hershey's kiss or darker. It is required to make the gumbo you want to make and well worth it. This takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get the right color. Each time I make gumbo I try to get it darker and darker. Don't be afraid to turn the heat up and down even if it take you longer. Better to take longer than to burn it. If you have black flecks, you have burned it and must start over. (You can do it perfectly though!).
• Add 2 cups oil and 2 cups flour to the.
• Pour the 2 cups oil and 2 cups flour into your pot. Stir slowly, consistently until it is brown / black. (It will happen. Just keep going.).
• When the roux has reached the desired color, add the chopped celery, onion and peppers and stir constantly for 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to burn. Cast irons hold heat well, so feel free to lower your temperature and just cook longer).
• Add chicken stock one ladle / cup at a time, stirring in between each addition to keep temperature and to make sure your roux doesn't break).
• Add all meats and drippings (except shrimp) and reduce to simmering uncovered for three hours stirring delicately and occasionally. Add shrimp and cook for 15 minutes more.
• Taste a little to adjust seasonings to your preference and then refrigerate in pot for three - four days.
• Reheat when ready to serve. Serve over rice topped with fresh parsley. Allow each diner to sprinkle their own file' for thickening and flavor.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or stockpot, bring the water to a boil. Add the fish and shrimp, stir, and cook over high heat for about 4 minutes. (The water will not have returned to a boil.) With a slotted spoon remove the seafood; place in a bowl, cover, and set aside. Reserve the poaching liquid.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet mix the oil and flour together, and cook over high heat for about 1 minute, until it sizzles. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the roux is a deep mahogany color. Add the sliced onions to the mixture, stir, and then add the roux and onions to the reserved poaching liquid, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, still stirring, and add the rice, stirring well to incorporate it.
• Add the remaining ingredients except for the reserved fish and shrimp and the filé powder. Stir, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover, and boil gently for 20 minutes. Stirring, sprinkle the filé powder on top, mix and cook for another 5 minutes.
• If serving immediately, add the cooked fish and shrimp, return to a boil, and serve. If serving later, reheat at serving time, adding the cooked fish and shrimp at the last minute to warm them through.

Steps:

• Peel and devein shrimp. Reserve shrimp shells for broth. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon garlic. Cover and refrigerate. Make the shrimp broth.
• Make the gumbo base: In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery and cook briskly, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring, until flour-vegetable mixture is well browned. Add tomato paste, paprika, cayenne and remaining garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring well, then add diced tomato and andouille sausage and cook for about 2 minutes. Season mixture generously with salt and pepper.
• Stir in shrimp broth and reduce heat to medium. With a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pot to dissolve any browned bits. Simmer for about 25 minutes, until gumbo base thickens somewhat. Taste and adjust salt. (You may prepare gumbo base up to this point several hours ahead; bring it back to a brisk simmer before continuing.)
• Add okra and let cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn off heat. Stir in filé powder. Serve immediately, sprinkled with scallions, along with steamed rice or cornbread if desired.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove chicken and set aside.
• Make a roux by blending the flour into the oil in the pot and stirring constantly with a long-handled spoon until the mixture is a deep coffee brown. Add the sausage, ham, onion, green pepper and celery. Saute, stirring, for about 10 minutes. Add the browned chicken, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves and enough water to cover, stirring to incorporate the roux into the liquid.
• Stir in salt and pepper and simmer the soup slowly, partly covered, until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour. If you are using the very spicy rind of tasso ham, you will probably not need cayenne or Tabasco. Otherwise, add either toward the end of cooking.
• Take out the chicken and set aside just until cool enough to handle. Pull off the skin and bones and return the chicken to the soup in large pieces. Adjust seasoning if needed. The soup can be prepared in advance up to this point and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 days. Skim fat from soup.
• Bring the soup to a simmer. Five minutes before serving, remove from heat and stir in the file powder. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. Do not boil the soup after the file has been added. Mound rice in soup plates and ladle the gumbo over.

Steps:

• In large skillet brown both sausages on medium-low heat. Set aside till later. You may need to do this in batches.
• In small sauce pan add water and shrimp shells and simmer for 20 minutes covered. Remove from heat and let sit for another 20 minutes, covered. Strain stock and reserve for later.
• Season chicken and shrimp with 2-3 tablespoons of creole seasoning and set aside.
• To make the roux:.
• In 12 quart heavy bottom stock pot, heat oil over medium/medium low heat. Add the flour all at once and stir constantly with wooden spoon until it turns to a dark chocolate color. (approximately 20-30 min.) Do not rush this by turning up the heat, It will burn very quickly, not to mention it might splatter and this stuff is like napalm if it gets on your skin.
• Add the onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic and continue the constant stirring. Cook until they soften (5-10 minutes). This will look like a very thick paste.
• Add the bay leaves, and stir in the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Pour the chicken stock and reserved shrimp stock in and stir till the paste (roux) is combined.
• Put the sausage, the rest of the creole seasoning,and the cayenne in and raise the heat to bring to a soft boil. For about 10 Minutes.
• Reduce heat to a simmer, add uncooked chicken and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Now check the consistency. You can always add a little water or broth if necessary.
• Simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
• Add the shrimp and stir. The shrimp will cook very quickly. As soon as they turn pink you're ready to serve.
• To serve:.
• Place a pressed scoop of rice in the middle of your bowl (I like to use an ice cream type scoop, that way it stays rounded and centered in the bowl) and ladle the gumbo around and over the top of the rice.
• Sprinkle some scallions on top and serve with the file powder on the side.
• Enjoy!