The best Cajun in the world
In case someone is interested, Cajun cuisine emerged from the junction of French cuisine, Indian American and African slaves, in the area of Louisiana.
If our encyclopedia is not lying, that is. We could say that gumbo is a soup, but we read somewhere that calling a gumbo soup is like calling a Rolls Royce 'a car to move around'. Enjoy!
This is, of course, not the definitive recipe for gumbo. There are infinite ways of preparing it, but this is the one used by most.
We call it our "everything gumbo". It has little unusual characteristics, like scenting the chicken broth with shellfish, specifically with shrimp heads and skin.
We believe that this give more rich and complex flavors. Get your hands on this recipe while you can! If we ever sell it to a restaurant we won't be able to share its secrets anymore!
Remember that the broth preparation process is essential for this dish. It may not be replaced for water or broth cubes. We must insist in the importance of this step.
Yes, there are many gumbo recipes made with cold water, but we don't think it's the best choice of preparation. You will not be able to achieve the complexity and flavor diversity without beginning with a good homemade broth.
You can also make it beforehand and keep it in the freezer.
FOR THE BROTH:
8 L of cold water
10 lbs of chicken carcasses and remains (necks, wings, etc) or a whole chicken chopped in pieces and browned in the oven.
Shrimp heads and skins, reserved from the three pounds we will have peeled by the end of the recipe (heads are really important!)
1/2 lb of minced onion
4.5 oz of celery stem and leaves, everything chopped
4.5 oz of chopped carrots
2 bulbs of garlic chopped in half lengthwise
A small gauze bag or ball to prepare infusions, like:
1 tbsp black pepper, crushed (not grounded)
A few sprigs of parsley
1 bay leaf
½ tbsp of dry thyme
½ tbsp of dry tarragon
½ tbsp of dry oregano
½ tbsp of dry basil
(If possible, please, buy shrimps with heads. Shrimp heads will give the broth a marvelous flavor, without them it will not be a true New Orleans gumbo. Get the heads anyway you can!).
Remove the chicken skin and chop it into 4 inch pieces, leaving part of the bones uncovered. Brown the chicken pieces and bones in the oven for 20 minutes at 360° F. Place the chicken in a large pot with the water and let it boil slowly.
Remove the dirty foam every now and then (this broth preparation process makes the house smell terrific!). Let it boil for another 3 hours at least.
This long boil extracts the entire flavor from the chicken meat and bones, as well as the natural bone gelatin. When refrigerating, a good chicken broth should be clear and gelatinous.
Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Make the herb sack with the gauze (a square piece of about 4 inch) and place the pepper, parsley and dry herbs with it.
Tie it well to keep it from opening. If you wish, tie it with the cord and tie the cord to the saucepan, that way it will be easier to retrieve later). Let it boil for an hour and then add the shrimp heads and skins.
Boil for another half hour.
Remember that it is best not to stir the broth while it is boiling, that way it will be much clearer.
Strain thoroughly. It is best to do this through a strainer with a couple of layers of clean and wet cloth. If you are using the broth immediately, remove all the fat possible with a paper towel; if not, scrub the pot immediately in the kitchen sink full of water with ice, stirring to take the hot liquid from the center to the sides.
To skim the broth easily, refrigerate until the fat solidifies at the surface and then remove it with a skimmer.
You will get about 5 L of broth.
(If you remove the shrimp skins, this is a great chicken broth for other uses. The skins and heads are added at the last moment to give it an additional shellfish flavor that we specially like for this dish.
On the other hand, it is best to make chicken or fish broth for other recipes and not mix. The broth will hold up in the fridge for a few days and up to 6 months in the freezer).
FOR THE ROUX:
10.5 oz of sugar
1 cup of oil
Mix well in a deep pan or saucepan and cook over medium flame, always stirring. Be very careful, don't burn yourself! If you see specks in the roux, you've done it! Throw it away and start over.
Continue cooking and stirring until the roux gets darker. With a good deep container you can get an excellent dark roux in about 20 minutes.
The people of New Orleans usually prefer a golden or peanut roux, so you can make it like that if you wish. On the other hand, Cajun prefers it dark and so do we. If you are sure you are not burning the roux, cook it until it has a brown color, reddish brown, almost as dark as chocolate milk.
When the roux is almost done it will smell similar to toasted coffee, yum!
If you prefer a halfway or golden roux, reduce the amount you are using; dark roux will not have such a thickening effect, since the starch has is mostly toasted.
As the roux comes closer to the appropriate color, we need to lower the flame or turn it off completely, because the container's heat will continue cooking it. You may also add onion, pepper and celery to the roux when it is about to finish cooking to stop the cooking process and soften the vegetables.
Continue stirring the roux until it is relatively cold. Then add to the broth.
If the roux is called "Cajun napalm" it is for a good reason. Don't let even a single drop splash.
If you have it in container with a deep enough bottom or if you are concerned about preparing the roux over strong flame, remember that the dark roux Cajun style will take about an hour over low flame, always stirring.
So, if you have little time, a good golden roux will give you an equally good result and in half of the time. Remember that the roux can be prepared beforehand and then kept in the fridge or the freezer. With a little of practice it will turn on great.
FOR THE REST:
One chicken, without giblets and in pieces
1 lb of smoked or spicy sausage
3 lbs of prawns
6 blue crabs cut in half and with the claws set aside
2 1/2 lbs of okra (you can replace it with peas)
2 minced onions
1 bunch of chives with stems, everything minced
2 chopped green peppers
5 minced celery stems
3 bay leaves
Several crushed garlic cloves
1 bunch of fresh parsley, minced
Seasoning to taste or black, white and cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste
A little Tabasco or to taste
Long grain rice, freshly cooked
Sprinkle the chicken pieces with seasoning and brown in the oven. Slice the sausage and brown also, removing all the fat it releases.
If you hadn't added the vegetables to the roux yet: sauté the onions, chives, peppers and celery and add them to it. Add the chicken and sausage.
Add the bay leaf and seasoning or pepper to taste and stir. As soon as it begins boiling, reduce the flame until the liquid barely shakes and cook for 45 minutes. Try every now and then and rectify seasoning as necessary.
Add the okra (or replacing) and leave for another half hour. As soon as it is tender, add the parsley, crab cut in halves and their claws. Cook for 15 minutes and add the prawns.
These should be only cooked for the necessary amount of time according to its size, between 5 and 8 minutes, just enough to turn them pink. We must be careful of not overcooking it, which is why we will add them at the last minute.
If some fat has formed on the surface of the gumbo it is best to remove as much as possible.
Serve generous amounts in bowls over hot rice. Let’s not forget that the rice is the first thing that has to be placed in the bowl first, this is not optional, despite there being a trend in some New Orleans restaurants of serving gumbo without rice.
