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Steel Wolf · **01-04-2016, 12:42 AM**

Winter is one of my favorite seasons for cooking, because I get to do more oven stuff and make hearty fare that lets you curl around a bowl of stuff and purr.

One thing I wanna learn to make....is gumbo.

It seems simple enough, but ultimately sooooo satisfying. And I enjoy warmer spices anyway, so this seems like a good fit. Thing is, though, I have never made it. I'm not totally sure what a gumbo file is. I can make a roux but have never let it darken as much as I've seen it called for. Is it supposed to be a soup, or a stew, or maybe a Louisiana version of curry.

Also, I know I'm gonna start a war here, but I can't use okra. Hubby would never eat it.

So...that said, I'm curious if any of the chefies in this forum have made a gumbo or have a fav recipe. I'd love to give it a swing.

Mae · **01-04-2016, 10:18 PM**

Gumbo is... very varied, as far as I can tell. I've had it where it is more stew/curry like in Louisiana, I've had it where it was more soup-like in Mississippi. I think the general rule is "if it tastes good, you didn't do it wrong". I personally liked the soupier version I got in this backwater truck-stop diner in southern Mississippi the best; it had been cooked so long that everything had basically dissolved into this thick, muddy, oh-so-tasty bowl of sludge that the cook topped with a scoop of rice. I had to pick out bones (I like to tell myself that it was chicken or turkey, but for all I know it was armadillo, gator, or nutria), but it was entirely worth it.

Gumbo file, or 'file powder', is dried powdered sassafras leaves. As I understand it, you don't use file powder with okra unless you want a hagfish-slime mess. Similarly, you don't want to add the file powder until after you take the gumbo off the heat, and you don't even want to add it then if you're not planning on eating the entire batch in one go -- sprinkle it into plated bowls. Seriously, unless your hubby has an allergy to it, you're better off with the okra. Cut it up fine and don't tell him it's in there (or cook it long until it all falls apart), and he won't notice. The characteristics that turn most people off about okra are the things that people look for in gumbo.

When you make the roux, you want continuously stir it and cook it until it looks like peanut butter and smells like Ritz crackers. I suggest making a double batch, because sometimes it doesn't thicken up quite as much as you want it to and, refrigerated, it can last a week or so and makes for my favorite type of roux for macaroni and cheese. Once it's cooked, I would also suggest scooping it all out into a cool dish or taking the pot and placing it in a dish with a bit of cold water in it. Leaving it in the pot with a hot bottom, even off the heat, it can continue to cook and scorch within a couple minutes.

Oh, and this type of roux gets super hot. And sticks. Handle it like you would melted sugar for caramel. It's nicknamed "Cajun Napalm" for a reason.

LiadansWhisper · **01-05-2016, 12:40 AM**

(01-04-2016, 10:18 PM)Mae Wrote: Gumbo is... very varied, as far as I can tell. I've had it where it is more stew/curry like in Louisiana, I've had it where it was more soup-like in Mississippi. I think the general rule is "if it tastes good, you didn't do it wrong". I personally liked the soupier version I got in this backwater truck-stop diner in southern Mississippi the best; it had been cooked so long that everything had basically dissolved into this thick, muddy, oh-so-tasty bowl of sludge that the cook topped with a scoop of rice. I had to pick out bones (I like to tell myself that it was chicken or turkey, but for all I know it was armadillo, gator, or nutria), but it was entirely worth it.

Gumbo file, or 'file powder', is dried powdered sassafras leaves. As I understand it, you don't use file powder with okra unless you want a hagfish-slime mess. Similarly, you don't want to add the file powder until after you take the gumbo off the heat, and you don't even want to add it then if you're not planning on eating the entire batch in one go -- sprinkle it into plated bowls. Seriously, unless your hubby has an allergy to it, you're better off with the okra. Cut it up fine and don't tell him it's in there (or cook it long until it all falls apart), and he won't notice. The characteristics that turn most people off about okra are the things that people look for in gumbo.

When you make the roux, you want continuously stir it and cook it until it looks like peanut butter and smells like Ritz crackers. I suggest making a double batch, because sometimes it doesn't thicken up quite as much as you want it to and, refrigerated, it can last a week or so and makes for my favorite type of roux for macaroni and cheese. Once it's cooked, I would also suggest scooping it all out into a cool dish or taking the pot and placing it in a dish with a bit of cold water in it. Leaving it in the pot with a hot bottom, even off the heat, it can continue to cook and scorch within a couple minutes.

Oh, and this type of roux gets super hot. And sticks. Handle it like you would melted sugar for caramel. It's nicknamed "Cajun Napalm" for a reason.

What makes gumbo "gumbo" is the roux. You need to buy a good roux, or learn to make a good roux (which, thankfully, I have learned how to do!).

File powder is totally used with okra, it just changes when you use it. It doesn't mess with the okra at all from what I've seen. It's not gumbo if there's no okra, tbh. At least not gumbo that anyone here would claim. And, no offense, but Mississippi ain't Louisiana, and they ain't Cajun. And Cajuns are who came up with gumbo.

The okra will be slimy unless you pan fry it for a few mins before you add it to the gumbo. That stops it from being slimy when you put it in the gumbo.

There are some really good recipes on the internet that I'm sure you can try and make with good success. You can also buy roux for a gumbo in jars at the grocery store, or at least you can here.

Edit: This is a fairly accurate recipe similar to ones I've seen and made here, you can swap out the meats really easily, just throw whatever in there and it should come out great:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-cultu...92/?no-ist

Edited to Add: I mentioned this to my boss at work. She's from Baton Rouge and makes...divine gumbo. She said that the nice thing about gumbo is that it can accommodate allergies and likes/dislikes, so if you're allergic to seafood, you don't have to use it in there, or maybe you don't like crawfish, you don't have to put it in there. Just use chicken, or sausage, or even something else. Could probably get away with pork if you really wanted to.

LiadansWhisper · **01-17-2016, 04:26 PM**

I have a new amazing meal to share.

https://www.facebook.com/buzzfeedtasty/v...nref=story

Click the link. It's for a chicken, bacon, ranch bake, and I can confirm it is DIVINE.

All you need are a pyrex baking pan (I used an 8x8 because we don't have the casserole dish) 2-3 chicken breasts, salt and pepper, some ranch dressing, 6-8 strips of bacon, and lots of cheddar cheese.

I'm not even kidding when I say it is AMAZING.

LiadansWhisper · **01-28-2016, 08:40 PM**

Found an excellent Lemon Garlic Tilapia recipe that I tried tonight, and it was perfect. Here are the details:

3-6 Tilapia filets (6 oz. each)
6-8 cloves garlic, crushed and diced large
2Â½ tbsp butter (4 tbsp â€“ if no cooking spray)
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tsp fresh Parsley (or dried)
1 tsp Oregano (fresh or dried)
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400Â°.
2. Melt 2Â½ tbsp of butter on a low flame in a small sauce pan. (the rest will be melted and placed into the pan for baking if not cooking spray is available)
3. Add garlic and saute on low for about 1 minute. Add all but 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, shut off flame, and remove from heat.
4. Spray the bottom of a baking dish lightly with cooking spray (or remaining melted butter) and 1 tbsp of the lemon juice.
5. Place the fish on top and season with herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour the lemon butter mixture on the fish and top with fresh parsley for garnish
6. Bake at 400Â° until cooked, about 15 minutes. (or until semi-golden)

I used olive oil cooking spray in place of the extra butter. It came out beautifully.

Credit goes here: http://www.shrutisdilectabledilites.com/...pia-baked/

Cato · **01-28-2016, 08:56 PM**

Afternoon tea:

[Image: uou28eT.jpg]

The desserts were definitely the highlight for me and I liked that there was such a variety to choose from. I'd say that the scones were my favourite treat given how fluffy they were. They also went exceptionally well with the actual tea.

The more savoury food was lovely too. The highlight of that platter for me was definitely the red pepper mousse which is the food in the glass container in the second picture.

Kage · **11-28-2016, 08:31 PM**

I think this needs to be revived.

Have mochi lined chocolate dumpling.
[Image: HhpDiHY.jpg]

This was delicious. Korean joint that does seafood bbq.
[Image: kENaHpZ.jpg]

I now bake a really simple chicken thigh dish. Salt and black peppercorn overnight. Next day, get the thighs to room temp and then put it in the oven for 45 minutes at 375.
[Image: NWGsIV3.jpg]

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