Archive for March 10th, 2010

Every week for almost six months, our little group of friends have come over once a week for dinner, beer brewing (if you’re Andy, Rick or Ethan) and Doctor Who watching (if you’re me or Brittany). Sometimes I have absolutely no problems coming up with recipes to try on our guests, and sometimes I’m just completely stumped. For those drawing a blank kind of weeks, I’m very thankful for foodnetwork.com and allrecipes.com!

Last week, I attempted a gumbo recipe. I’ve never tried anything like it. It was rated at an intermediate level, and took a long time to cook with lots of steps. But in the end, I think the work payed off with a delicious pot of simmering sausage, shrimp, chicken, and veggies. There certainly wasn’t very much leftover at the end of the night! That’s always a sign of a successful dinner! So, if you’ve got a little extra time on your hands and are in need of some comfort food, I would definitely give it a try!

Yum! We love gumbo here at the Trommer house!

Gumbo

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

(though I’ve tweaked it a little bit to my tastes, view the original here)

Ingredients

3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves

extra virgin olive oil (I prefer the taste of EVOO to plain vegetable oil)

1 pound smoked pork sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons butter (Really? Paula Deen calls for margarine?)

1 large onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic minced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

(I omitted the despised celery and green onions, surprise surprise!)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Dried parsley, freshly ground black pepper, and kosher salt

4 cups hot water

3 beef bouillon cubes (I was concerned 5 cubes would make it too salty)

1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice

2 cups frozen sliced okra

1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined (I bought the raw variety and just threw them in at the end)

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.

Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving, add the shrimp, letting it cook until just pink and cut/shred the chicken breasts.