General musings on the ups and downs and ins and outs in the life of a 30 something, unmarried, life loving, some times interesting and sometimes not, mostly happy girl just trying to figure it all out!

Monday, June 13, 2011

File Gumbo

Our weekend plans went a bit awry when Niki woke up sick Saturday. So I took the opportunity to make some of my Daddy's famous File Gumbo. I guess it's only famous in our circle of family and friends. But he makes amazing gumbo and I am pretty darn good at copying.

There are about a million different ways to make gumbo and also combos of meats and veggies. use what you like. Read different recipes. The main key: time, time, time and more time!

I use a dry roux and I make my own. It's just flour, folks. I use about a cup in my gumbo (yes, that's a lot- no, I don't care if you think so).
Note: it freezes fine so make a bunch and freeze it. It's great for soups too.

Turn your burner on medium-low (resist the urge to do it faster) and slooowly let it brown. it will take an hour or more. Stir every few minutes. This is almost done- I like it a bit darker.

I use about a 6 onions and 3 bell peppers- give or take. Also use celery. Satee until they're super soft and then add what herbs and spices you use. Sprinkle the roux on about 1/4 cup at a time and stir to coat the veggies. Add water or broth to just cover it and let simmer at least half an hour, preferable longer.

It'll get very thick. Add a bit more water and okra. Simmer another half hour or so.
After that you add your meats in stages and simmer all day. Seriously. Do not plan on eating the Gumbo the day you start it. Nuh-uh, big no no.

This is how mine looked at the end of day 1. I let it simmer from Noon until about 7pm.

We did this while it cooled :)

After it cools enough sprinkle with File put it in the fridge over night. It's KEY to let it sit at least one night. More is even better. The flavors meld in gumbo.


The next morning I pull it out and scrape the oil off the top, then heat it back up. It's good to let it simmer again about an hour or so before you serve.
Don't freak out if it looks like this (above). It always looks kinda iffy in the pot. :)

Serve over rice- DELISH!

If you want more on what I put in it and my steps leave me a comment and I'll send you my "outline." No recipe, gumbo is personal!

2 comments:

All About Ashley

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Spring, TX, Southern, United States
Playing with and keeping up with my nephew and niece take up a lot of my time. Van Geaux takes up the rest of it. Work is an afterthought most days! I like to be outside- but not when it's too hot. I get bored at my desk all day. Niki keeps my world spinning and without her and AC I'd lose it. My work ethic crashes at 4 p.m. daily and I live my sweet puppy and my hedgehog whenever I am not at Niki's. I truly believe naps are quality pass-time events, and sometimes I say bad words at work. I'm pretty sure I'm insane on multiple levels and I believe rules don't apply to me.
It seems that my life is quite entertaining. I didn't realize this myself, but was informed of it by my friends- who are rather entertained by tales of my life occurrences.

I'm far from a professional writer. These are just stories, comments, and other items for simple amusement. Hopefully it's a fun read, as Shannon plans to edit it into a book one day! Maybe we'll become famous, and maybe we'll just have some good laughs at my expense (and some other characters in my life). Either way, happy reading!