Juanitas Creole Gumbo Recipes

GOOD NEW ORLEANS CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.

CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender.
• Stir in flour.
• Cook, stirring constantly until flour is browned.
• Stir in the tomatoes, water, green pepper, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, salt and hot sauce.
• Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves.
• Stir in the okra.
• Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir shrimp and crab meat into okra mixture.
• Cook about 5 minutes longer or until heated through.
• Serve gumbo over hot rice.
• (Traditionally, rice is mounded in heated soup plates and the gumbo is spooned around it).

CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Remove legs from crab and smash with back of knife. Remove claws and break in 3 pieces. Remove meat from body and head.
• Heat 1/8 cup clarified butter in large saucepan on high heat. Add crab parts and meat, then add onion, celery and green pepper. Stir in tomatoes and garlic. Mix fish stock with tomato paste and add to crab saute. Bring to boil and add bay leaves. Simmer gently, stirring and skimming top frequently, for 8 minutes. Stir in oysters and their juices, then add shrimp and okra. Season with pepper.
• In small bowl, blend file and cold water. Add to soup and stir briskly. On medium-low heat, cook soup for 1 hour; do not let soup boil. Serve piping hot.

QUICK & EASY CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning and brown quickly. Brown the sausage, pour off fat and reserve meats.
• In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a Cajun-style roux. If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium, peanut-butter color, over lower heat if you're nervous about burning it.
• Add the vegetables and stir quickly. This cooks the vegetables and also stops the roux from cooking further. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes.
• Add the stock, seasonings, chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then cook for about one hour, skimming fat off the top as needed.
• Add shelled and deveined shrimp, the chopped scallion tops and parsley, and heat for 5 minutes. Serve over rice in large shallow bowls.
• Accompany with lots of hot, crispy French bread or serve in bread bowls.
• Make sure to have plenty of Tabasco sauce on hand to give it a kick.

CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Bring water and bay leaves to a boil.
• In separate sauce pan mix oil and flour over medium heat for 20 minutes to make the roux then add onions.
• Add the roux to the pot with water and bay leaves.
• Then Add thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, chilli powder, cayenne, black pepper and white pepper, and tomato sauce.
• Then add green bell peppers, onions and chicken thighs and Andouille sausage.
• Leave simmering until broth thickens and chicken is cooked through.
• Serve over white rice.

GUMBO STYLE CHICKEN CREOLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture is the color of a copper penny. Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add chicken, tomatoes with green chile peppers, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken broth or water if mixture is too thick for your liking.

REAL CAJUN GUMBO (FROM A LOUISIANAIAN)

Steps:

• Using a sharp boning knife cut the stewing hen into 8-10 serving pieces.
• Remove as much of the fat from the chicken as possible.
• Cut andouille into ½-inch slices and set aside.
• In a 2-gallon stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until golden brown roux is achieved. Do not scorch. Should black specks appear, discard and begin again.
• Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.
• Blend in chicken and andouille. Sauté approximately 15 minutes.
• Add chicken stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until all is incorporated.
• Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 1 hour.
• Skim any fat or oil that rises to the top of the pot.
• Add green onions, bay leaf, thyme and basil.
• Season to taste using salt, pepper and hot sauce.
• Cook an additional 30 minutes or longer if necessary, until chicken is tender and falling apart.
• Add parsley and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• Serve over hot, steamed white rice.
• NOTE: You may wish to boil the chicken 1-2 hours prior to beginning the gumbo to tenderize the meat. Reserve this stock, bone the chicken and use the meat and stock in the gumbo.

CREOLE REDFISH GUMBO

Steps:

• Prepare the roux: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high until it's just shy of smoking. Slowly shake the flour into the oil, whisking until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the roux is a deep dark brown, 20 to 30 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook another 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in the stock. Bring to a boil and add the crabs (if using whole blue crabs), gumbo filé, bay leaves, salt, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors have melded, skimming off any foam or skin on the surface, about 1 hour.
• Toss the shrimp and fish with the Creole seasoning and stir into gumbo, along with the oysters and crab meat (if using). Simmer until the shrimp and fish are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the hot sauce. Taste and season with more salt and hot sauce if necessary. Divide among soup bowls and top with rice and scallions.

CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Boil chicken breasts and thighs with onion and bell pepper in a large pot of salted water, for about 40 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Drain, debone chicken and set aside.
• In a large saucepan stir together flour and butter over low heat to make a roux; add boiled chicken, sausage and water and bring all to a boil. Cover saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours.
• Add shrimp and simmer for about 1 more hour, then add seasoning to taste and serve.