Gumbo

From: Tea Jenny

On Jun 11, 2008

I have never made anything like this before and not tasted it ether as we don't have this in Scotland and i have never been to America but i have always wanted to try it, so i had the tutorial that Pan Nan did in my favs so I knew what it would look like as I was going along. I must say it was very good tutorial and I would have taken a picture but we didn't have time DH had to rush of to work, and to my surprise it turned out just like Pan Nan's. Well I wasn't disapointed it was great I had a problem with the creole seasoning, could not find it in the shop's so I mixed my own with a recipe on zaar and it is great we had it on pork chops the day before. I used chicken sausage and king prawn and cut the recipe by half and had it with boiled rice I missed out the okra and didn't have file powder. I gave it 5 stars as I loved it and I know I will make it again. Thanks to Kevin and Pan Nan for a fab recipe and great tutorial.

From: tecrz

On Apr 29, 2008

Great recipe! I also added okra since we like it. I used chicken and a smoked beef sausage (allergic to pork). My kids liked it. I also recommend cooking the roux on a lower setting, I used medium-low. My husband threw a fit because I didn't put shrimp in it, so I will have to try it again with some shrimp and crab to make him happy.

From: Bruce Benjamin

On Jan 22, 2008

This is a pretty good gumbo recipe. I was a chef for many years and the last place I worked was a Cajun/Creole restaurant. I was cooking this cuisine long before I worked there but it's there that I perfected my skills. Needless to say I've made a lot of roux and a lot of gumbo. For those who are having trouble with their roux burning I suggest turning down the heat. I know stoves vary in heat output but in my opinion medium high heat is usually too high. I use a cast iron Dutch oven and start with medium heat. As the roux darkens I reduce the heat a little almost to low. The darkest roux I've ever used is a dark reddish-brown color, never almost black. In my book, you're better off with a roux that's too light than one that has a bitter burned flavor. I've also found that the roux will darken slightly when you add the veggies. I don't know why but it does for me. For the sausage the best by far is andouille sausage. It's a spicy smoked sausage. There are countless combinations of meats that can go into a gumbo but I think the use of a good andouille adds a smoke flavor that makes the gumbo taste great. If this isn't available you can substitute another smokey and spicy sausage. Regarding the use of okra, not all gumbos have okra in them. Gumbo File powder is an alternative to the thickening quality of okra and many recipes include either one or the other. I prefer the File powder because it not only thickens but adds a nice flavor. I also added a little tomato paste to this recipe as well as some cayenne pepper. If you are making a seafood gumbo, instead of using chicken stock you can use seafood stock or even bottled clam juice or a combination of these. Again, this made some pretty good gumbo and even if I didn't modify the recipe at all it would've turned out very good.

From: JazzDK

On Dec 11, 2003

Phenomenal! I was trying to "copy" a dish we had in Chicago last weekend and this recipe was it, but better! My DH & I both like more spice, so I added a little crushed red pepper and it was just wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe, Kevin!