My first time cooking gumbo was definitely an interesting one. I’m a Michigan girl, born and raised an hour north of Detroit, so I’m pretty sure it can go without saying that gumbo wasn’t a dish that was frequently whipped up in my household growing up. I recently traveled to New Orleans (twice last October!) and fell in love with the creamy creole goodness that is gumbo. We’ve been through what seemed like 365 days of January, a snow storm, and then a cold, wet rain/sleet mixture, so naturally I’ve been reminiscing back to warm New Orleans and felt the need to recreate the gumbo that I grew so fond of.
Disclaimer: Let me just remind you that this was my first attempt at making gumbo, so there were most certainly a fair amount of mistakes made (man, that roux is tricky!). I have faith that the next attempt will be even better!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 1/2 cups (gluten-free) flour
- 1 1/2 cups oil – We used canola oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups (4 whole) sliced chicken andouille sausage
- 2 quarts gluten-free chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt, cayenne peper, creole spice
- 2 cups shredded cooked turkey meat
- Steamed rice
- Large soup pot
Now, here’s what you need to do:
- Make your roux: In your large soup pot, heat oil and GF flour together over LOW heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until it becomes a nice, dark brown color. This is where I messed up – I didn’t stir long enough before moving to step 2, so my roux was a more golden brown color vs. the darker, nutty brown that you’ll typically see. I didn’t notice a flavor profile difference in mine, but the visual just wasn’t the same.
- Once your roux has gotten pretty fragrant and met the dark brown color of your gumbo dreams, add in the onions, pepper, and celery. Stir frequently for about 4 minutes.
- Add in your minced garlic and the sliced chicken andouille sausage. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add stock, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper seasoning, and creole seasoning to taste. I added more seasonings to taste over time, so I advise starting with a little bit at first.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour.
- Add shredded turkey and simmer 30 more minutes. Feel free to taste test your yummy concoction and add more seasonings at this time.
- Gumbo gets better as the seasonings expose their flavors over time. Feel free to stop here, or simmer for even longer.
- Serve over steamed rice.
Enjoy!
This recipe makes A TON of gumbo – I feel like we’ve been eating leftovers for years (I was naughty and made this a week or so ago and haven’t had time to post – sorry!). We’ve been keeping our leftover gumbo stored in our freezer and feel like it’s just as good or better each time we serve it.
I really feel like I went outside of my comfort zone with this recipe since it’s something I typically wouldn’t cook. To be completely honest, before my Celiac diagnosis, a lot of these recipes that I’ve been sharing I wouldn’t have made, but life throws you curveballs and you just have to adapt, right? I know it’s not the healthiest gluten-free meal option out there, but it’s comforting and definitely something we Michiganders need with this yucky weather.
If you try this recipe out, give me a shout – I’d love to see your results and know what you think! Give yourself time and enjoy the process – I know I did 🙂
Until next time, friends.
Bon appĂ©tit!Â
Nice recipe
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