It's currently winter in the lower hemisphere. And while the world is facing its hottest year on record, I live just above Antarctica.. so things are pretty nippy!
The cold weather and long nights has given me the perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite winter recipes, Gumbo! I picked this up when I was interning in Texas, and tweaked it for my meager student budget back home, it was a real hit with my flatmates and I hope you'll enjoy it too 💜
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of vegetable oil (we need a high smoke point)
- 1 Cup of flour
- 4-5 sticks of celery
- 3 small or one huge onion
- 2 Capsicums (if they're out of season just use frozen)
- 8 Cups of chicken, or vegetable stock
- A pack of your favorite sausages (preferably smoked)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 or more jalapenos
- A bulb of garlic
- White rice
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Crock-Pot/Dutch Oven
- Whisk and wooden spoon
- Measuring cups
Method
Start by prepping all the veggies. You'll want them all diced into medium chunks and ready to go, be sure to keep the garlic separate. Once they're all neatly prepped its time to make the roux.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER MADE A DARK ROUX BEFORE READ THIS CAREFULLY
A roux is equal parts flower and oil, slowly cooked into a sauce. Light rouxs are simple and easy to make, however dark rouxs take allot longer, sometimes over an hour. We are going to speed this up significantly by getting the oil as hot as possible, this method only takes 15 minutes, but you must continuously stir it, and DO NOT WALK AWAY. At best you will burn your roux and have to start again, at worst you will cause a kitchen fire.
Heat the oil in the pot on a medium heat until it's near its smoke point. Add the flour and whisk constantly, you will see the colour go from white to blonde, then brown. You will want to keep whisking it until it's the colour and consistency of milk chocolate. Once the roux has reached this point pour in your vegetables and mix with your wooden spoon. (you are now out of the danger-zone)
Add a teaspoon of salt to help release the water in the vegetables. Once the onions have started to turn clear you can add your garlic and cayenne pepper. keep mixing until the onions are clear and cooked through.
Now to add the stock. Pour in about a cup at a time, and mix it in well before adding more. Once all the stock is added you will have quite a thin gumbo, bring this to a rolling boil and start chopping your sausage. Just slice it into small coins, and add them to the gumbo with a generous helping of black pepper.
Now the gumbo is on a rolling boil leave the lid off to let it reduce down a little. There really is no perfect consistency for this, so just let it thicken to your own preference. Once it's thick enough put the lid on and leave on a medium-low heat for 2-3 hours.
Now is a perfect time to do the dishes, practice guitar, get your ass handed to you in Strive, or start writing this recipe down to share online.
After a couple of hours, its ready! 🥳 Serve on white rice with a hot sauce and garnish of your choice!
This really is a lovely meal for a cold day, and perfect to share with flatmates or friends. It'll taste even better the next day, and makes a fantastic lunch!
I hope you all enjoy,
take care
-Violet (and Freya)💜
