Let's Get Ready To GUMBOOOOOO!

I've been chanting this all morning!  We've had all the ingredients for a few days (even before the snow storm), but haven't had the opportunity.  Today, I'm cooking with my hubby, and attempting to write this blog post at the same time...we'll see how this goes.  (It didn't, the gumbo went fine, the posting did not.  By the time you read this, it will be tomorrow in my world)

I found this great recipe for gumbo at Bacon, Butter, Cheese, Garlic (what a fantastic name!).  And the title of the blog post is "The Rue to Roux."  How can a girl named Roo not give this recipe a shot?

Normally, I hate it when people post another person's recipe and then say "but we used turkey instead of pork, added some ketchup because I really don't like the flavor of mustard (in the mustard pork chops), and omitted what ever other ingredient that is essential to the recipe because we feel like it."  So I really try not to do that the first time I make a recipe.  But I will tell you that we didn't make the shrimp stock--we have two small children and not a lot of time.  I used chicken stock we had on hand, so we added the creole seasoning with the chicken while it was cooking.

Also, after a little distraction named Danielle, I didn't refer back to the recipe and I assumed that the time to add the tomato paste would be after cooking the chicken and sausage.  The recipe says to add it with the shrimp near the end.  Turned out fine.

Here is the recipe
Bacon Butter Cheese Garlic--The Rue to Roux

And here is what we did...

1 cup vegetable oil and 1 1/4 cup flour.  Whisk in a stock pot and stir constantly until the roux is caramel colored.

We are getting there...it took about 20 minutes for us, and in hindsight it could have gone a bit longer...gotten a bit darker.

Onion, green pepper and celery, saute until tender

Chicken (and creole seasoning--Emeril's, made from the link in the post on Bacon Butter Garlic Cheese).

Andouille sausage.  I was halfway through slicing when I said to the hubby "should I dice this?'  So some is sliced and some is diced.

Here is where I stirred in the tomato paste...this looks good enough to eat already!

Add the mixture to the roux--carefully, it really bubbles up at first.  Sorry, not enough hands to take a picture.  Then add stock and bring to a boil.

Add okra and cook to your liking.  We let it go about 20 or 30 minutes.  Long enough to tickle the children for awhile.

We pulled about half the recipe out to freeze before adding the shrimp to what we are going to eat today.  I'm sure that you could also freeze the shrimp, but the hubby has a thing about (not) eating leftover shrimp.  The shrimp cooked way quicker than I expected, so check it often.  Ladle some gumbo in a bowl and top it with a scoop of rice.

Delicious!  Hubby needed a little more heat so he added some hot sauce.  Next time, we will make the stock--I think that is where we'd get more kick.  Also, next time, I'm getting him to take the pictures.  Let me tell you what a joy it is to try to take pictures on a point-and-shoot camera with your photographer husband behind you.  I can only assume that the eye rolling and brow lifting were meant to be pointers.