Gumbo For Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is a celebration that occurs around this time every year, between February and March, to mark the beginning of the Lent season leading up to Easter. Traditionally it is always the day before Ash Wednesday, a Fat Tuesday that is the culmination of the festivities. It is a time filled with eating, drinking, and merrymaking before the Lenten period of penance, fasting and self-denial.
It’s also the perfect occasion to honor the cuisine of New Orleans, the US city most associated with the pre-Lenten carnival. In this great city, Mardi Gras is celebrated with costumes, balls, parades filled with beads, and of course lots of good food. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina and the devastating events following it profoundly affected New Orleans, forever changing both its landscape and outlook. Despite the recent grim reports of progress in the news, the spirit of Mardi Gras is still alive and well and can be seen in celebrations that keep the city’s hope alive.
I had the good fortune to travel to New Orleans a few years ago (we were there just after Mardi Gras, but we still had a very colorful time) and we thoroughly enjoyed eating our way across the city. While we were there, one of my favorite dishes that we tried was a bowl of gumbo at a little hole in the wall lunch counter just outside the French quarter. Gumbo is a spicy stew that showcases New Orleans’ special blend of ethnic influences in a unique dish that reflects its French Creole culinary heritage, and is perfect for the cold weather.
The foundation of any gumbo is the “Holy Trinity,” a Creole variation of mirepoix containing a combination of three aromatic vegetables (celery, bell pepper and white onions) that is used as a basis of many regional specialties. Gumbo is usually thickened with roux, a mixture of cooked fat and flour. Creole roux differs from classic French roux, in that more economical vegetable oil or lard is often used instead of butter, and this creates a distinctive roux that is a darker, almost caramel color.
From there, okra and other vegetables along with various types of meats and shellfish can be added, including a special spicy Cajun version of sausage called Andouille. Gumbo is usually served with plain white rice and can be thickened with the addition of the spice gumbo filé sprinkled over the top. Keep in mind, combining okra and filé is unusual in Louisianan cuisine, as filé was originally used as an okra substitute to thicken gumbo when okra was out of season.
A big pot of gumbo is the perfect way to commemorate Fat Tuesday-–it falls on February 20th this year. Fresh okra is the star of the dish which is built upon a simple roux that has been cooked until golden brown to deepen the flavor of the gumbo, and of course the Holy Trinity of celery, onion and pepper. This dish is super convenient to make in he slow cooker, as all you will need to do in advance is make the roux and brown the chicken and vegetables. If you are adding sausage and shrimp, these can be added towards the end of the cooking time so they don’t overcook. For a full meal, add cooked long grain rice, some crusty bread, and salad, and you are all set for your Mardi Gras celebration.
Let the good times roll!
Made with bell pepper, onion, rice, gumbo file powder, salt and pepper, shrimp, all-purpose flour, sausage, garlic, corn
Serves/Makes: 6
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cubed
- 3 cups chicken broth, divided use
- 2 cups diced, canned tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup corn, frozen or canned, optional
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 pound Andouille or Creole hot sausage, sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper, to taste
- gumbo file powder, to taste
- 6 cups hot cooked rice
Turn the crock pot to high heat. Add the chicken, 2 cups of the broth, the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun seasoning to the crock pot and mix well.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, corn, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the crock pot with a slotted spoon.
Add the sliced sausage to the skillet. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage is browned. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Transfer the sausage to the crock pot using a slotted spoon. Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet (discard any excess) and increase the heat to medium-high again. Whisk the flour into the fat and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux has turned a rich brown color.
While stirring, slowly add the remaining broth and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and it has thickened. Transfer the roux to the crock pot and mix well. Turn the crock pot to low heat, cover, and cook for 3-4 hours.
Stir the shrimp into the gumbo about 15-20 minutes before serving. Let it cook until the shrimp is pink and cooked through (it's hard to overcook shrimp in the crock pot but keep your eye on it).
Add salt, pepper, and gumbo file powder to taste. Serve over hot, cooked rice.
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