Gourmet Gumbo Recipe

How to make it

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• Stock:
• Combine all ingredients, cover with water and cook for 90 minutes or untill meat on hock is tender
• Remove hock, take skin off and put back into the stock.
• Take off as much meat as possible from the bone, put aside and place the bone back into the stock.
• I tend to cook the stock for about 6 hours, continually checking the water level and adding more as necessary. You want enough liquid for approx 4 to 5 litres of stock
• After cooking, pass stock through sieve, chill stock and remove layer of oil that forms on the surface, a good method is to lay a paper towel across the top, this will suck up a fair amount of the oil. You may have to repeat this step a few times to get all the oil off.
• Gumbo:
• Roux (Cajun napalm!)
• Make sure you have somewhere comfortable to stand and your beers ready, or at least someone to get your beers for you as once this puppy starts cooking you cannot leave it. And be careful, this stuff burns instantly if it comes into contact with your skin
• Combine oil and flour in heavy based saucepan
• heat until it starts to bubble, continually stirring. It should be a light cream colour.
• Turn heat to lowest setting and continue to stir.
• The goal is to get the roux as dark as you can without burning it. If you see dark flecks in your roux you have to start again.
• It changes from white coffee colour to milk chocolate to a very dark chocolate. This usually takes about 30 minutes
• Remove from heat and transfer to cool container instantly, toherwise the roux will continue to cook and may burn.
• The trick is to to stir constantly, cook on low heat and use a good heavy based saucepan, I use Le Crueset. saucepans. Also
• I usually do all of this the day before.
• Gumbo:
• I usually cook the gumbo in at least a 10 litre stockpot.
• Saute diced onions, garlic and diced capsicums untill onion softens.
• At the same time, slice and fry sausages in separate pan and drain of oil and put aside. Then fry up chicken and drain and set aside
• To the onions add sliced okra and fry until Okra changes colour.
• Add a small amount of stock, i.e a cup and then add the roux. The reason you do this is to stop the roux from accidentally burning.
• Add the tomatoes and stir in
• Add remainder of stock.
• Cook for 1 to 1 1/12 hours until the gumbo gumbo thickens.
• Add chicken, sausages (This is when I usually start cooking my rice)
• with about 20 minutes to go add mussels and crabs
• 5 minutes to go add meat from hock and prawns.
• Serve on steaming rice, with bread and have a beer, you deserve it.