Cooking Resources

Uncle Bob · 12-01-2010, 08:47 AM

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo is one of the easiest Gumbos to make.
One of the best too!!!

Brown off about 3/4 Lb Andouille and 1/2 Lb Tasso... remove from the pot

Brown your chicken thighs, and start your roux!

Add your Vegetables (2 Cups Onion, 1 Cup each of Bell pepper and Celery) Bay leaves, and Spices. Continue to cook for 10 minutes or so. Continue to brown chicken thighs.

Add the Andouille and Tasso back and continue to cook. Continue to brown Chicken thighs

Next add the browned chicken thighs to the pot. Add water to cover well.

Bring up the fire (heat) and simmer until done...2-3 hours or so.

Turn the heat down (raise the pot) and allow any fats from the chicken, Andouille, and roux to rise to the top...Skim and discard.

Time to eat!!! ~~ Serve with Rice, and File. ~~~ Enjoy!!

**Zhizara** · 12-01-2010, 09:11 AM

Ah Man. No fair. I went shopping Yesterday! Now I need to make a new list and make arrangements to go to Rouses where I know I can find the sausages.

I thought to be gumbo it has to have okra. I won a bet from a friend once that okra and gumbo are the same thing (learned from Xword puzzle clue).

I've been using that criteria to differentiate between gumbo and jambalaya in that both are stews with lots of variables, but one has okra and one doesn't. I'm guessing here so if you can explain the difference I'd really like to know.

I'm new in New Orleans so I don't want to seem like an outsider right off the bat by mixing my gumbos and jambalayas up. These people are serious about these foods!

Andy M. · 12-01-2010, 09:16 AM

Uncle Bob, that looks fantastic. It's on my menu for a cold weather treat. Thanks.

Do you use any herbs or spices other than the filé?

Bolas De Fraile · 12-01-2010, 09:22 AM

Bravo Bob, that is quite a set up, I am envious.

**PrincessFiona60** · 12-01-2010, 09:30 AM

That looks scrumptious! I love a good gumbo and that one looks great! I need to work on getting my etouffee' recipe down and posted.

Uncle Bob · 12-01-2010, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zhizara

Ah Man. No fair. I went shopping Yesterday! Now I need to make a new list and make arrangements to go to Rouses where I know I can find the sausages.

I thought to be gumbo it has to have okra. I won a bet from a friend once that okra and gumbo are the same thing (learned from Xword puzzle clue).

I've been using that criteria to differentiate between gumbo and jambalaya in that both are stews with lots of variables, but one has okra and one doesn't. I'm guessing here so if you can explain the difference I'd really like to know.

I'm new in New Orleans so I don't want to seem like an outsider right off the bat by mixing my gumbos and jambalayas up. These people are serious about these foods!

Gumbo and Jambalaya are two different "animals"...Apples and Oranges...Worlds apart. ~~ Gumbo is basically a Soup. Jambalaya is rice. Specifically, seasoned rice..much like the Spanish dish, Paella. Some "think/believe" the Spanish dish Paella was the forerunner of Jambalaya...Probably so, but facts are sometimes cloudy. ~~ Long ago on another web site a lady was talking about serving her Jambalaya over rice.
WHAT???? One does not serve Jambalaya OVER rice...Jambalaya IS Rice.

Gumbo can have Okra or not. Depending on the cook, type of Gumbo etc.
At one time Okra was used in the summer when it was fresh and available. and File was used in the winter months when Okra was out of season..There being no "frozen" product available.

Okra and gumbo are not the same thing...Again Gumbo is a soup...Okra is a vegetable that can be cooked in numerous ways. HTH

**Zhizara** · 12-01-2010, 10:11 AM

Thanks for the info. I get it now. The gumbo/okra thing is a Xword clue as the african word "gumbo" originally meant okra.'

I had a feeling that the dish didn't necessarily have to have okra in it any more and that the word, as used here in the very heart of gumbo land, gumbo means gumbo (soup).

I really appreciate the clarification, Uncle Bob. Your post has inspired me to make a true gumbo, especially since the Rouses store is just around the corner.

Would I be correct then, if I make gumbo and add enough rice to the leftover soup I would end up with jambalaya?

I often morph my chicken soup into a sort of gumbo by adding sausages, corn, okra and stewed tomatoes.

Uncle Bob · 12-01-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy M.

Uncle Bob, that looks fantastic. It's on my menu for a cold weather treat. Thanks.

Do you use any herbs or spices other than the filé?

Yes...In addition to the Onion, Celery, Bell Pepper, Parsley..I used bay leaves, garlic,and onion powder. Fresh garlic Thyme, Oregano, Basil, and Marjoram. Of course black pepper, crushed red pepper, salt and my personal blend of spices. Amounts of each?? I really don't know....Instead of carrying several different jars of spices 100 yards behind the house...I opened up the cabinet and began to throw in pinches of this and that into a Mortar and Pestle. After muddling it well, I tasted and added a little more of this and that until it tasted right...poured it into a sandwich bag and put it in my pocket. "Cowboys" have to travel light.

...I added about 3/4 of it early on...The remainder during the last 30-45 minutes. Salt was not in the mix...It was added along, a little here, a little there, until it suited my taste.

File powder was not added to the pot...Only served at the table as a condiment.

Andy M. · 12-01-2010, 10:18 AM

Thanks, UB.

Uncle Bob · 12-01-2010, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zhizara

Thanks for the info. I get it now. The gumbo/okra thing is a Xword clue as the African word "gumbo" originally meant okra.'

Yes it is widely accepted that the word "Gumbo" is a bastardization of a West African dialect word for the vegetable Okra. Thus the name of the dish....However the origins of the dish are unknown, and are lost forever in history. Another idea has it's name coming from Sassafras ~~ When the very earliest French explorers entered the lower Mississippi Valley the Choctaw Indians taught them to thicken their soups with Sassafras (file). So who knows..or who cares. Just enjoy!! ~~~Oh the Choctaw word for Sassafras?...Kombo

I had a feeling that the dish didn't necessarily have to have okra in it any more and that the word, as used here in the very heart of gumbo land, gumbo means gumbo (soup).

I really appreciate the clarification, Uncle Bob. Your post has inspired me to make a true gumbo, especially since the Rouses store is just around the corner.

Would I be correct then, if I make gumbo and add enough rice to the leftover soup I would end up with jambalaya?

No that would not be correct. That would be Gumbo with a whole lot of rice in it!! With Jambalaya the raw rice is cooked in the pot..it absorbs the flavors of the ingredients/stock etc that are in the pot as it cooks. There is a 'red' (with tomatoes) version, a "brown" (no tomatoes) version and a "white" version. The "white" version is cooked by rank amateurs that can't cook the other two...Rice is cooked in one pot (rice cooker)..the vegetables/meats in another pot...then the two are mixed together...
The red version is very common in NO

I often morph my chicken soup into a sort of gumbo by adding sausages, corn, okra and stewed tomatoes.

...

Sounds delicious!!

Enjoy!