Beef Filé Gumbo Food

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.

CLASSIC CAJUN BEEF GUMBO

Steps:

• Brown all sides of beef Shank Cross-Cut in 6-quart pressure cooker using sauté or browning setting, as desired. Add 1/2 cup stock to pressure cooker. Close and lock pressure cooker lid. Use beef, stew or high-pressure setting on pressure cooker; program 40 minutes on pressure cooker timer.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in large heavy-bottom stock pot over medium-high heat until pot is almost smoking. Slowly whisk in flour until combined. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, whisking continuously until it turns a milk chocolate color. Reduce heat to medium; slowly add onions as oil mixture may splatter. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until oil mixture turns dark chocolate color. Add celery, bell pepper, garlic and thyme; cook 4 to 6 until vegetables are soft. Add hot sauce, Worcestershire and tomato paste; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining quart of stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add sausage and Creole Seasoning; simmer 30 minutes.
• Use quick-release feature to release pressure; carefully remove lid. Remove beef from pressure cooker; discard cooking liquid. Shred beef into bite-sized pieces. Add beef to vegetable mixture; stir to combine. Serve Gumbo with rice, onion, okra and jalapeños, as desired.

EMERIL'S COUNTRY FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat the roux in a medium-sized heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions, celery and bell pepper. Stir mixture until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the browned sausage, bay leaves, Worcestershire, hot sauce, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
• Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until gumbo is slightly reduced, about 50 minutes. (Gumbo should cook long enough for the roux flavor to mellow and for any floury taste to dissipate.)
• Season the shrimp with the Essence in a small bowl. Stir in the seasoned shrimp, crabmeat, green onions, parsley, thyme and basil. Cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Sprinkle in file powder and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more, or pass file at the table for guests to thicken as desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.
• Serve in warmed soup bowls over steamed white rice.
• Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color. Be careful not to produce specs of black. The roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear you must start over.
• For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter. Remove about 1 cup of the light colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for the Delmonico's Seafood Okra Gumbo.
• For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready. Remove about 13/4 cups of the medium colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for Emeril's Country File Gumbo.
• For a Dark Brown Roux, cook the mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes. The color should resemble dark chocolate when ready. Remove all of the remaining dark roux from the pan and cool completely. Set aside for the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. (See Cook's Note)
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

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.

FILé GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook chicken if it's not already cooked. Leftovers work fine for this. Set aside.
• Place sausage in a large stockpot over medium high heat, and cook until lightly browned, and some oil is released. Set aside with chicken.
• Add 2 tbsp oil to pot, and saute onion, bell pepper, and celery until soft. Add garlic in the last few minutes. Set vegetables aside with chicken and sausage, wipe stockpot to remove any vegetable pieces.
• Add 1/4 cup oil to pot, and allow to heat over medium until it starts to "shimmer". Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly until the flour and oil mixture takes on a rich brown color. If I'm using sausage or ham, I like to do a chocolate colored roux, for seafood and poultry, I like a caramel color. Use your own judgment.
• When your roux is as you like it, add the chicken broth (You may sub seafood broth, or turkey stock, depending on your ingredients) stir constantly while adding broth to avoid lumps. You should have something resembling a thin gravy.
• Add meats and vegetables back to pot, add cajun seasoning. (I like Tony Chachere's, but you can use any kind you like. If this ingredient is not available in your area, several good ones have been posted to Zaar.).
• Simmer your gumbo for half an hour, or more if you like, keeping the heat low to avoid breaking the roux. This gives time for the flavors to mingle. If you're using a delicate shellfish, like shrimp, add it later in the simmer to avoid toughening it.
• When ready to serve, add hot sauce and filé, stir well, and ladle over a bowl of rice. Keep the filé, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning out on the table, so diners may add more of any they like. This is wonderful accompanied by a loaf of crusty French bread and a crisp salad.

NEW ORLEANS GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in the rice, celery, onion and garlic. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, chicken, kielbasa, thyme, pepper, bay leaves and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes., Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into chicken mixture. Stir in shrimp and green pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and gumbo is thickened. Discard bay leaves., Remove rice from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes; stir in parsley. Serve with gumbo.

SLOW-COOKER GUMBO

Steps:

• Spray 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
• Heat 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil, and add sausage. Cook about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage lightly browns; spoon into slow cooker. In same skillet, add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally; add to slow cooker. In same skillet, add chopped chicken. Cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally; add to slow cooker. Add okra to slow cooker.
• In heavy or cast-iron skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Using whisk, beat in flour; add Cajun seasoning and thyme. Continue to beat and cook 15 to 20 minutes, making roux that is brown and smells very nutty. Add beef stock, and beat well with whisk. Heat to boiling, beating constantly. Cook until thickened; add to slow cooker.
• Add diced tomatoes to slow cooker; stir well. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 hours.
• Serve gumbo with rice. Garnish with green onions before serving.

BEEF FILé GUMBO

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Pat shanks and short ribs dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown shanks and short ribs in oill in batches, without crowding, transferring to a 9 1/2-to-10 quart heavy kettle. In fat remaining in skillet cook onions and bell peppers over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened.
• To beef in kettle add water, beef broth, and onion mixture and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer mixture, uncovered, until shanks are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours, and stir in garlic and cayenne. With a narrow knife ease any marrow remaining in shank bones into mixture and discard shank and short rib bones. Beef mixture may be prepared up to this point 3 days ahead, cooled completely, uncovered, and chilled, covered.
• Skim fat from beef mixture. Reheat mixture if preciously chilled. Bring beef mixture to a bare simmer and stir in filé powder. Cook gumbo over moderately low heat , stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. (Do not let gumbo boil with filé powder; or will become stringy.)
• Serve gumbo ladled over rice in large soup plates.