Keltin
New member
There are a hundred ways to make gumbo. Here is one I just did featuring Alligator meat and Andouille sausage. I took a somewhat unorthodox step and added some red wine. This added color, a new (yet subtle) dimension of flavor, and cut the saltiness of the sausage and Creole Seasoning a bit. If you’re not using chicken or seafood stock as your main liquid, but prefer plain water, you may want to replace the wine with more water instead.
Gator and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
1lb Alligator Meat
1 pack Andouille Sausage (or a good smoked sausage: 14-16 oz)
1 stick Butter
1/2 cup Flour
1 large Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 ribs Celery, chopped
1 pack frozen Okra
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes (not drained)
64 oz Chicken Stock (8 cups)
2 cups Red Wine
2 - 3 small bay leaves
1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
Procedure
In a large pot with some oil, brown the Andouille Sausage and gator meat then set aside. In the same pot, add the butter and flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the roux turns a nice golden brown to dark brown color, add the chopped vegetables.
Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often to coat the veggies (about 2 minutes). Now add the sausage and gator, and stir well to coat. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes more. Next, slowly add the chicken stock a bit at a time, stirring as you go.
Add the Creole seasoning, Bay leaves, and red wine. Stir well, cover the pot, and simmer on low for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the okra and simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
Serve over rice.
Notes
If you don’t want to use okra, then nix it and use Filet powder instead. Start with 1 Tbsp, stir in and check consistency and flavor. Add a 1/2 teaspoon at a time after that to get desired consistency and flavor. Gumbo is traditionally seasonal and cooked with what is available. In the summer months when fishing and harvesting is prevalent, it’s mostly seafood and okra. In the winter months when hunting is required to bag game, then it is meat (chicken, beef, pork, etc) and filet powder. While some recipes mix filet and okra in the same recipe, that is not the traditional method; it should be one or the other.
The Holy Trinity of Cajun Cooking
The Mother of all Creole spices!
Yep, that’s gator meat.
And some Andouille Sausage.
Gator and Andouille play well together.
Start of the roux with butter and flour.
Nice chocolate color. Could have gone darker, but I like it right about here.
Everything in but the okra. Time for the first hour or so of heat.
I took the “easy” (lazy) way out on the okra. Note, frozen okra is pretty much “slime” free, so you’ll lose a lot of the thickening power that okra gumbo relies on. Use fresh when you can; otherwise, reduce the amount of liquid you use - go light upfront, and you can add more later at the end if you need it.
The okra went in for another 30 minutes and it’s now done.
Serve it over rice.
Look at that Gator meat!
Gator and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
1lb Alligator Meat
1 pack Andouille Sausage (or a good smoked sausage: 14-16 oz)
1 stick Butter
1/2 cup Flour
1 large Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 ribs Celery, chopped
1 pack frozen Okra
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes (not drained)
64 oz Chicken Stock (8 cups)
2 cups Red Wine
2 - 3 small bay leaves
1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
Procedure
In a large pot with some oil, brown the Andouille Sausage and gator meat then set aside. In the same pot, add the butter and flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the roux turns a nice golden brown to dark brown color, add the chopped vegetables.
Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often to coat the veggies (about 2 minutes). Now add the sausage and gator, and stir well to coat. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes more. Next, slowly add the chicken stock a bit at a time, stirring as you go.
Add the Creole seasoning, Bay leaves, and red wine. Stir well, cover the pot, and simmer on low for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, add the okra and simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
Serve over rice.
Notes
If you don’t want to use okra, then nix it and use Filet powder instead. Start with 1 Tbsp, stir in and check consistency and flavor. Add a 1/2 teaspoon at a time after that to get desired consistency and flavor. Gumbo is traditionally seasonal and cooked with what is available. In the summer months when fishing and harvesting is prevalent, it’s mostly seafood and okra. In the winter months when hunting is required to bag game, then it is meat (chicken, beef, pork, etc) and filet powder. While some recipes mix filet and okra in the same recipe, that is not the traditional method; it should be one or the other.
The Holy Trinity of Cajun Cooking
The Mother of all Creole spices!
Yep, that’s gator meat.
And some Andouille Sausage.
Gator and Andouille play well together.
Start of the roux with butter and flour.
Nice chocolate color. Could have gone darker, but I like it right about here.
Everything in but the okra. Time for the first hour or so of heat.
I took the “easy” (lazy) way out on the okra. Note, frozen okra is pretty much “slime” free, so you’ll lose a lot of the thickening power that okra gumbo relies on. Use fresh when you can; otherwise, reduce the amount of liquid you use - go light upfront, and you can add more later at the end if you need it.
The okra went in for another 30 minutes and it’s now done.
Serve it over rice.
Look at that Gator meat!
:duncecap:
