On a cold February evening, there’s nothing better than a bowl of gumbo. Gumbo, which originally comes from Africa, and is the word for okra, has become a staple of southern cooking. The recipe in Craig Claiborne’s Southern Cooking (in the Andes Public Library) is far different from the one our daughter, Cara, prepared for us. Her recipe is much healthier since it eliminates the flour and most of the fat found in most authentic recipes. It’s delicious served over rice, either with chicken or shrimp.• In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown 1/2 lb. of pork, beef or turkey kielbasa, cut into 1″ pieces
• Add about 3 lbs. chicken pieces and brown
• Chop 1 medium onion, 1 small red pepper, 1 small green pepper and 1 clove garlic
• Cut off the tops of 3/4 lb. of fresh okra and slice into 1/2″ slices (or you can use a package of frozen okra); add to chicken and keilbasi.
• Add:
► 1-15 oz. can plum tomatoes, halved, with their juice
► 1 bay leaf
► 1 tsp. Goya adobo spice
► 3/4 tsp. chipolte powder (or to taste)
► 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (plain is good too)
► 1 Tbl. cumin
► 1 can beer
► 1 qt. chicken stock
• Bring to simmer and cook over low heat for 1 hour.
• Add 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro and adjust seasonings.
• For shrimp gumbo, eliminate chicken and add raw shrimp 5 minutes before serving.
• Serve in bowls over steaming rice. Leftovers freeze well, but cook only the amount of shrimp needed. (Shrimp becomes rubbery if cooked too long.)
I make this dish with chicken, use up the chicken, and for the next meal, add the shrimp.
Serves 6 ~