Wintzells Gumbo Recipes

WINTZELL'S GUMBO

Steps:

• Sift flour; brown in lard to a golden-brown color, stirring constantly to prevent burning or lumping.
• Add half of the chopped onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery and saute for one minute. Add this mixture to the boiling water and mix thoroughly.
• Add remaining onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery, and the bouillon cubes, and boil for 10 minutes.
• Add oysters and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, bring to rapid boil and add filé powder. Mix well and remove from heat. Let sit for at least 15 minutes and serve over rice.

SHRIMP AND OYSTER GUMBO WITH OKRA

Steps:

• To make the shrimp stock: Peel the shrimp, and toss the heads and shells into a large stock pot; refrigerate the peeled shrimp until ready to cook in the gumbo. Add the crab, onion, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, Old Bay, and lemons to the pot. Cover with 2 1/2 quarts of cold water. Allow the liquid to slowly come to a boil, and then lower the heat. Gently simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Strain the stock into a heatproof container or another pot to remove the chunky solids; at this point you should have about 2 quarts of flavorful broth to use in the gumbo. Cool until needed.
• To make the gumbo, you must start with a roux base: Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps - it may lock-up like cake frosting but just keep stirring through it. Cook the roux until it's the color of a walnut and smells equally as nutty, this should take about 15 minutes.
• Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and okra (if it ain't got okra, it ain't gumbo!); season with salt, cayenne, and Old Bay. Mix in the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are soft. Pour in the cooled shrimp stock and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gumbo is dark and thick. Toss in the shrimp and oysters, cook about another 15 minutes; adjust seasoning.
• To serve: Ladle the gumbo into shallow bowls and pile some rice in the center. Sprinkle the parsley and green onions over the top. Pass the French bread and hot sauce at the table.

GUMBO

Steps:

• For the brine: Combine the chicken pieces, salt, hot sauce, liquid smoke and black pepper with 4 cups water in a large resealable bag and place inside a container (in case of leaks). Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and discard the brine.
• For the stock: If you have the time, allow the chicken to drain and dry out about 30 minutes prior to searing. It will create a better crust on the chicken and more brown bits on the bottom of the pot, ultimately adding more flavor to the gumbo.
• Sprinkle the chicken pieces, including the reserved neck, back and wing tips, with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven (enameled cast iron preferred), heat the oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken pieces and brown well on all sides, turning as needed. Add the celery, carrots, onions and jalapenos, and continue to brown for an additional 10 minutes. Add 1 gallon water and the liquid smoke and bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to maintain a strong simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• After 1 1/2 hours, remove the chicken pieces, discarding the back, neck and wing tips. Strain the stock and reserve. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat and shred, discarding the bones and fat.
• For the gumbo: In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the sausages and cook until the fat has rendered down, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside. Add the bacon fat and, when shimmering, add the onions, celery, bell peppers and Anaheim peppers. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are just starting to color, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, being careful not to let it burn. Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Stir until a dark golden roux has developed, 11 to 13 minutes. Add 1 cup at a time of the stock, incorporating well after each addition, to total 6 cups.
• Add the reserved sausages, shredded chicken, cayenne and white pepper into the pot. Heat through and add the salt and black pepper. If the gumbo is too thick, add a bit more stock to the pot, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
• Serve over rice and garnish with parsley.

VALERIE'S VERY BEST GUMBO

Steps:

• Warm 1 cup oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven until hot. Add the flour to the pot all at once, whisking until the consistency is uniform. Cook the roux, whisking occasionally, until it is the color of a tarnished penny, about 20 minutes. Do not let it darken any further. Carefully add the celery, bell peppers, onion, chopped scallions and garlic to the pot, working away from you as the hot roux may spatter. Stir with a wooden spoon until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add enough stock to just cover the vegetables, about 1 quart, and stir to combine. The roux may separate. Add the tomatoes with their juices, andouille and smoked sausages, cayenne, bay leaves, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper and the remaining stock, about 1 more quart. Partially cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the okra and cook, stirring, until the gel dries out slightly, about 3 minutes. Add to the Dutch oven.
• Taste the gumbo for seasoning and adjust as desired. Add the chicken, cook until warmed through and serve, or simmer up to 2 hours more to concentrate the flavors, adding the chicken 20 minutes before serving.
• Sprinkle with the reserved sliced scallions and serve over rice. Serve with hot sauce and file powder if using.

JUSTIN WILSON'S GUMBO

Steps:

• "Firs', you gotta make-a-roux, you know dat".
• In a cast iron dutch oven, combine oil and flour on MED heat. Stir the mixture constantly and slowly until it browns.
• "You cook dat til you tink, dat's gonna burn, but dat's not what it did, see y'gots to cook dat til it's like Dutch chocolate, y'see?".
• When the roux reaches it's proper, aforementioned color, you add the onion. Once that onion has cooked clear looking, add your garlic, and whisk in 4 cups of water.
• Next you stir in the worcestershire and hot sauce, and add your andouille sausage.
• Now it's time to add your chicken. "I put the pieces I like most of all, which is all the shicken, and the part what go over de fence last, I like dat.".
• Add your 4 cups of Sauterne wine, and 2.5 teaspoons of salt. Stir all this together and your gumbo is completed,.
• except for the cooking.
• " What you did with dis, now you cook dis today, an don' serve it today, no. You put it in you icebox tonight, an tomorrow, bring it to a boil an let it simmer for about an hour, an den eat dat, cause it taste more batter den, hoooo, it always does.".
• Whether you can wait until the next day or not, cook it a long time until the chicken is ready to fall off the bone.
• Serve it with hot cooked rice and offer ï¬�le powder to you guests.

BIG CHARLIE'S GUMBO

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, onions, celery and okra, stirring constantly until golden brown. Set aside.
• In a large heavy bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat, combine 1/4 cup of butter and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux becomes chocolate brown. Stir in the vegetable mixture, and stew meat. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, and meat is evenly brown. Stir in water, tomatoes and sugar. Season with parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Add shrimp, crabmeat and andouille to stock pot. Stir in hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Remove seeds from lemon and squeeze juice into stock pot. Simmer an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves, sprinkle with filé powder, if using, and serve over rice.

BRIAN CONSTANTINE'S FAMOUS FIREHOUSE GUMBO

Steps:

• In gumbo pot, boil water.
• Add roux, lower heat to prevent boil over, constantly stir.
• Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and parsley.
• Cut sausage into bite size pieces and microwave 7 minutes on plate with paper towel to line bottom. Add to gumbo pot.
• Add in tomato sauce, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce.
• On medium heat cook for 2 hours.
• Add fryers, and cook for 1 more hour.
• After 3 hours add chopped green onions and parsley.
• Serve in bowl over cooked medium grain rice.
• Note: Never serve gumbo without potato salad on side.

LOUISIANA GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large (I mean large) stockpot boil chicken (completely covered by 2 inches of water), chopped okra, celery, sage, bouillon, oregano, black pepper until chicken is done. Remove chicken and set aside to cool, leave the stock in the pot. When cool debone the chicken and shred the meat. Set aside for now.
• Crumble sausage and fry in a skillet. Remove sausage and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup of the drippings. Add flour and make a very dark roux (dark brown). Add the sausage and roux to the chicken broth and let simmer 10 minutes.
• Chop bell peppers and cayennes at this time. Add to pot and let simmer 10 minutes.
• Add shrimp, clam juice, crawfish tails to the pot and let simmer 15 minutes.
• Add the chicken and gumbo file to the pot and bring to a boil.
• I like to let this gumbo rest for a few hours and then reheat it before serving. Serve over rice with crackers and Louisiana hot sauce.
• This gumbo only gets better the next day. It freezes well to make a quick simple meal anytime.

JUANITA'S CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large pot, put 2 cups water, salt [to taste] add crab boil, thyme and peppercorns.
• Bring to a roiling boil; add crabs and boil for approximately 20 minutes, add tomatoes and okra, and simmer slowly.
• While this simmers, make the roux.
• Slice the bacon strips into small pieces and fry.
• Remove.
• Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in the bacon grease.
• Remove.
• To bacon drippings, add enough flour to make a thin gravy.
• Use very low flame, stir continuously, taking care to make it dark brown without burning it.
• Add bacon and onion& garlic bits back to mixture and heat.
• Add roux to simmering seafood pot.
• Stir very well.
• Add shrimp and simmer approximately 30 minutes.
• Add oysters and simmer only until edges of oysters curl.
• It is done, serve over a bed of rice.