literally. i got the recipe from gourmet. my one requirement was that the recipe had to ask for fish stock and this one did. i personally wanted an all-seafood gumbo. gourmet bills this gumbo as a “heady, fragrant slurry thick with seafood.” they ain’t lyin’. but, then again, what *doesn’t* taste good when you add a 1/2 lb of bacon and then make a roux using 3/4 cup of fat and 3/4 cup of flour?
i did my own mise en place, cleaned up after myself as i went along, and even managed to snap a few photos of my progress. i cannot be modest: this gumbo was hella good.
left to right – row 1: [1] stirring the roux [2] bacon-y goodness [3] the roux 30 mins later (wb is betraying me here. both were shot with the same wb setting, but digicam has trouble with my 2 competing light sources)
left to right – row 2: [1] onions, sweet italian peppers, celery + roux [2] one of many mise on place (L: thyme, salt, cayenne, bay leaf / R: scallions, parsley [3] #1 but 8 minutes later
left to right – row 3: [1] bubbling nicely (see how well my gas stove simmers my wobbly soup pot?) [2] my signature shishito peppers with hot chili oil (they don’t really go with gumbo but they are fresh from the farmers market) [3] the final product
she’s right. . . it was hella good. . . sad part (or not so sad part depending on ur potty perspective) is that i ended up with a serious explosion post-‘bo. it may have to do with the utter richness of my lunch–extremely tasty, and cheesy, pizza, and my dinner–extremely tasty ‘bo with bacon fat. . . slippery little suckers.
modifications: used 3 tsp of fresh thyme. i used 7 garlic cloves. was tempted to use 9. at my honey’s request, i will probably add fewer oysters and more crabmeat. i had to heat the roux on medium. took way too long to thicken and turn darker. i also didn’t wait for it to look like peanut butter – according to wikipedia, a lighter roux is thicker than a darker roux. thick is definitely what i wanted. i also used my wonderful italian sweet peppers instead of a green bell pepper. next time, i may add more cayenne. packs a great punch, even for a wimp like me. veggies were way tender before 30 mins. they were tender @ 22. added just a bit more salt but didn’t really need too much more.
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
About 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 1/2 qt fish or chicken stock (or a combination)
1 (14-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained and chopped
1 lb frozen cut okra (not thawed)
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 rounded teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 1/2 lb medium shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined
2 dozen shucked oysters with their liquor, oysters picked over for shell fragments
1/2 lb lump crabmeat, picked over
[1] Cook bacon in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon and transfer rendered fat to a heatproof liquid measure, then add enough oil to fat to bring total to 3/4 cup.
[2] Stir together fat and flour in skillet with a wooden spoon, then cook roux over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until well browned (a shade darker than peanut butter), about 20 minutes.
[3] Add celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a 6- to 7-quart pot.
[4] Stir in stock, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, cayenne, and 2 teaspoons salt and briskly simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
[5] Add parsley, scallions, shrimp, and oysters with their liquor and cook, stirring, until seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
[6] Stir in crabmeat and bacon and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt. Discard bay leaf.