Wyotex
Assistant Cook
My grandfather's gumbo recipe. Although guarded like a Soviet state secret, he told me it a few months before he died. He wasn't too keen on measurements and I mostly learned how to make it just by "the feel" of things. Granted, Paw Paw was also a Navy cook, and was used to cooking things in LARGE QUANTITIES (I mean large). So, I have tried to condense it in recipe form. Here it is.
Hal's Gumbo
*Serves about 8 to 10*
Ingredients:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy cast iron pot or dutch oven over medium to low heat. Brown chicken and remove. Add sausage. Brown and remove. Sprinkle flour over the oil and set to low heat. Add the butter bit by bit, stirring constantly until roux is the shade of a pecan shell. Add your mirepoix (celery, green onions, and bell pepper) and chopped tomatoes, allowing them to cook for a minute in the roux. Cool the roux down immediately by adding the chicken stock. Add coffee and Armagnac/cognac. Whisk vigorously to blend the liquids together, adding water if needed. Add chicken and okra (if you don't use okra, use filet gumbo. But put it in at the end before serving) cook over low heat for one hour.
Just before serving add the shrimp, cooking them until whitish pink. Serve in a soup tureen or bowl, sprinkling liberally with cayenne pepper to your tolerance.
Serve with a pinot noir. I find using other meats besides chicken work just as well. Venison gumbo is a big hit with my family during hunting season.
Hal's Gumbo
*Serves about 8 to 10*
Ingredients:
- 3 large chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup of Vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup of butter, not melted
- 1 lb of smoked sausage, cut into medallions
- 1/2 of flour
- 1 bunch of Green onions, chopped coarsely
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped coarsely
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped coarsely
- 2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup of okra (filet gumbo may be substituted)
- 1/2 pound of shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cleaned.
- 4 cups of chicken stock (preferably homemade)
- 1 demitasse cup of espresso or strong French roasted coffee (yes, you heard me)
- 2 shots of Armagnac (if you don't have Armagnac, you can use cognac. I use Courvoisier since Armagnac is hard to come by here in this part of Wyoming. I have also tried good single malt scotches, preferably Highland).
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy cast iron pot or dutch oven over medium to low heat. Brown chicken and remove. Add sausage. Brown and remove. Sprinkle flour over the oil and set to low heat. Add the butter bit by bit, stirring constantly until roux is the shade of a pecan shell. Add your mirepoix (celery, green onions, and bell pepper) and chopped tomatoes, allowing them to cook for a minute in the roux. Cool the roux down immediately by adding the chicken stock. Add coffee and Armagnac/cognac. Whisk vigorously to blend the liquids together, adding water if needed. Add chicken and okra (if you don't use okra, use filet gumbo. But put it in at the end before serving) cook over low heat for one hour.
Just before serving add the shrimp, cooking them until whitish pink. Serve in a soup tureen or bowl, sprinkling liberally with cayenne pepper to your tolerance.
Serve with a pinot noir. I find using other meats besides chicken work just as well. Venison gumbo is a big hit with my family during hunting season.
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