Chicken And Seafood Gumbo

CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine the oil and the flour in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. With a wooden spoon stir the mixture slowly and constantly. After about 5 minutes the mixture will begin to foam. Keep stirring. As the roux cooks, the color will darken and the flour will have a nice nutty aroma. It should take about 15 minutes to fully develop a nice dark brown roux.
• When the roux is ready add the celery, onions and peppers (the Trinity) and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once the vegetables have softened, add the bourbon and stir for 2 minutes, add chicken broth a little at a time to make sure the roux mixes well and is incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients, diced tomatoes, chicken, okra, bay leaves, Hot Sauce and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface and stirring occasionally. In the last 7 minutes, add the shrimp and cook until no longer pink. At the very last minute add the fresh cilantro. Season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Remove bay leaves and serve with rice and crusty flat bread.
• Roughly chop the chiles and jalepenos discarding the seeds. Add to a food processor, along with the tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. Process until desired consistency. If it's too dry add a little water. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes. At this point you can strain it for a loose hot sauce or leave it as it is for a chunky hot sauce. Season with more salt, if necessary.
• In a medium covered saucepan bring salted water to a boil. Add the rice, cover and lower the heat. Cook for 20 minutes until water is absorbed.

AUTHENTIC NEW ORLEANS STYLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
• Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
• Cook the vegetables in broth. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot.
• Add remaining 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
• Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
• Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

CHICKEN SAUSAGE & SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Place a dutch oven or heavy bottomed stockpot over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat until very hot, oil will start to shimmer and have a moiré effect. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until the color of the roux is a deep golden brown.
• Add the onion, celery, red, yellow and green bell pepper and garlic to the roux and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are softened slightly and tender.
• Stir in the cajun seasoning and cook for one minute until fragrant.
• Add the chicken and sausage and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until the sausage is fragrant and chicken is cooked on the outside.
• Add stock one cup at a time, mixing after each addition, so that its well blended and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook with the lid slightly askew on the pot for 1 hour.
• Stir in the okra and simmer for half an hour with the lid askew on the pot, for steam to escape.
• Stir in the shrimp and oysters with their liquor and cook for 5 minutes, just until the seafood is cooked through, but not over-cooked. Remove from heat. Stir in the parsley.
• Ladle the gumbo into a bowl and garnish with white rice, scallions, parsley and hot sauce to taste.

NANA'S CHICKEN SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• In a heavy Dutch oven, heat oil. Add the flour and stir and cook until the mixture darkens to a brown color, about the shade of peanut butter. Add the celery, onion, green bell pepper and garlic and saute until tender.
• Whisk in chicken stock, add the ketchup, chopped tomato, and okra. Let simmer for 2 1/2 hours. About 10 minutes before serving time add cooked chicken, crabmeat and shrimp and simmer. Add lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire.