Gumbo

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour
1 whole chicken
1 lg onion, peeled and quartered
1 cup diced celery
1 bay leaf
2 tbls coarse salt
1 /4 cup olive oil
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced red onion
1 teas red pepper flakes
1/2 teas white pepper
1/2 teas black pepper3/4 teas gumbo file'
3/4 teas dried thyme
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 lb bacon, coarsely chopped
1 lb andouille sausage, cut into 1/4" slices
one 16-oz can tomato puree
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb picked crabmeat (optional)



1. Place oil and flour in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns a dark caramel color. This is called a roux and it will take about 15 min to produce a smooth paste that will not only thicken your gumbo but lend a deep, rich color. Transfer the roux to a small bowl and let cool to room temp. When the roux is cooled, drain the excess oil.

2. Place the chicken, onion, and bay leaf in a large stockpot. Cover chicken with water, add the salt, and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is tender and the water is infused with flavor, about 60 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool. Strain the stock and reserve. (You'll need at least 4 1/2 cups.) When chicken is cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones and shred into bite-size pieces.

3. Wipe out the stockpot and return it to med-high heat. Warm the olive oil and add the green pepper, celery, and red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and color lightly on the edges, 12 to 15 min. Combine the red, white, and black peppers, the file', and thyme together in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are well coated, about 8 min. When the spices are cooked, mix in the garlic and cook for another 5 min.

4. Heat the stock in a saucepan over med heat. Whisk 1/4 cup of the stock into the roux until it forms smooth paste. Add it to the stockpot along with the shredded chicken and the remaining stock, stirring well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. While the gumbo is summering, cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 5 to 8 min. Add the andouille sausage and stir to coat with the bacon drippings. Reserve.

6. After the gumbo has simmered for 60 min, add the tomato puree and bacon and sausage mixture. Take 1 cup of the hot gumbo liquid out and deglaze the bacon pan. Add these pan juices to the gumbo and continue simmering until the gumbo is slightly thickened, about another 30 min.

7. Stir in shrimp and crabmeat (if using), cooking only until the shrimp are pick, about 10 minutes.

*I always serve this over rice.

Madras Curry

Serves 4

2lb skirt or chuck steak
¼ cup ground coriander
6 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
½ tsp. cracked black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. crushed garlic
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2-3 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. oil or ghee
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ c. tomato paste
1 c. beef stock

1. Trim the excess fat and sinew from the meat, and cut it into 1-inch cubes.

2. Place the coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, peppercorns, chili powder, turmeric, salt, garlic and ginger in a small bowl; stir to combine. Add the vinegar and mix to a smooth paste.

3. Heat the oil in a large pan; add the onion and cook over medium heat until just soft. Add the spice paste and stir for 1 minute. Add the meat and cook; stirring, until it’s coated with the spice paste. Add the tomato paste and stock. Simmer, covered, for 1.5 hrs, or until the meat is tender.*

*This part I did a bit differently than what the recipes says. I took whatever kind of chuck/roast/etc meat I had in the freezer and left in the fridge over night. When I started dinner, the meat was slightly frozen still, but I cubed into 1-inch pieces and tossed in a pressure cooker with about 1 tablespoon of madras curry powder (It’s a lovely mix of all the above spices!) and some crushed garlic. I pressure cooked it for about 40 minutes (I’m sure it would have been finished in 20-30 minutes, but I got a bit distracted…). Love how tender the meat ends up.

Anyways, I used roughly 3 tbsp of the madras curry powder and mixed in 2 tbsp vinegar with ¼ tomato sauce (I didn’t have any paste on hand…oops!). Then, I just followed the rest of the recipe and let the sauce simmer until thickened, which only took a couple minutes.



Serve with rice and enjoy!

Creamy White Chili

(The Taste of Home Cookbook p. 67)



1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½” cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oil
2 cans (15.5 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
½ c. heavy whipping cream

1. In a large saucepan, sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

*I used grilled chicken that I had in the freezer. After thawing it out, I cubed it and tossed it into the pan with the onion. I served the chili with cornbread—this was big hit tonight.