gumbo party!
by michelletranny
These are old photos.. from over Spring Break. Basically this recipe is a mix between my Dad’s and this one from Food & Wine. It turned out amazingly.
Step 1: Saute the mirepoix (celery, carrots, onions) for a bit then add a few bay leaves, a few cups of clam juice and a few dollops of tomato paste. Bring to a simmer.
Step 2: Chop up some okra, bell pepper and potato. (I was a little out of it at the grocery store and bought potatoes even though neither of the recipes called for them but it ended up being a nice and hearty addition!)
Step 3: Make the spice mixture! It consists of chili powder, thyme, gumbo file, cayenne, paprika, oregano and a pinch of cilantro.
Step 4: Saute the okra and bell pepper with olive oil, minced garlic and green onion, add the spice mixture, and then stir-fry it a bit more.
Step 5: Put the okra and bell pepper mixture into the original pot, along with some canned or fresh tomatoes and some chicken stock.
Step 6: Don’t forget to make the rice! I found this saffron jasmine rice in a box at the store. Maybe next time I’ll infuse my own rice with saffron (or not). The color combination was unbeatable!
Step 7: Prep the seafood — wash, peel and devein the shrimp and drain the canned crab!
Step 8: Add the seafood to the pot in the last few minutes of cooking… make sure the soup comes to a boil one last time before you take it off the heat!
Step 9: Enjoy! Cooking this meal was truly a feat, especially given that we lit shots of absinthe on fire and took them when the gumbo was only halfway through cooking, causing me to become almost too inebriated to finish :S
