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Y'all wanted to see the Cooking with Carville show? You got it. Anything can happen in the Big Easy. See what happens when a celebrity chef and a political consultant come together over a big pot of mama's gumbo. |
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Gumbo is a tradition for our family. Grandpa (from Shreveport, LA) was the one who always made Gumbo for us. No tomatoes – no okra, thickened with file (hence File Gumbo). Lots of crab and shrimp flavored with ham and vegetables. He usually went out on his boat and caught all of the seafood ingredients. Grandpa wrote down the recipe for me when I moved north. It is amazing how one dish can define a family. We make it (or at least try to) in his honor whenever we are alltogether and we're all over the US now. I agree with many other posts–Gumbo is about family, good times and love! Smiles to all.
I saw James Carville at Georgia Southern!!
After carvilles disrepect for our president during the oil spill he can eat cake as far as i'm concerned.
Maybe Donald Trump has a teeny tiny boudin...that's why he's so angry! Or, maybe, just maybe he's related to Howard!
My family's and friends settled old Frenchtown in Houston – creoles who left LA before the war. All the folks we knew, though creole, didn't use tomatoes or okra (praise Jesus). Dark roux, the Trinity, chicken, sausage, crazy seasonings, dried shrimp, fresh shrimp, crab meat, and crab legs. File on top in bag to cook. With hot rice – heaven in a bowl. Says family and love. Now. Someone post their boudin recipe.... :)
@Glenn, thanks for the tip on de-sliming okra. I never heard of that and have live in the NOLA area my entire life. Also, Come Back Inn has a pretty rocking gumbo. Did anyone know that Campbell's Soup makes gumbo? And they actually sell it at grocery stores in SE LA? I bought some "just to see" what it tasted like and OMG, it was absolutely disgusting. How can they possibly call that crap gumbo??? It tasted like all of their soups thrown together, yuck!!!!!
The best gumbo I've had is our own adaptation of my grandmother's recipe–and she was born in a tiny town in southwest Alabama (upriver from the Bay/Gulf). Most gumbo I've had in New Orleans is just so-so (nothing to brag about); I'm sure the real cajuns west of the Mississippi in Acadiana do it MUCH BETTER. Since "gumbo" is an African word for "okra," I think a good gumbo should have some in it (this may be blasphemous, but we use frozen okra and it's not bad). There are also a billion different types of gumbo–I imagine in its beginnings, people just tossed whatever they had into the pot. We like a dark roux. We put one can of diced tomatoes in it–just to add a little lagniappe, I guess–and I love mine with andouille, crawfish, shrimp, and crab (and of course the holy trinity, some Tony's, Tabasco, etc). Be sure to soak it up with a baguette. :-)
"Good gumbo"...now THERE'S a contradiction in terms!
Okra in Spanish is known as o kimbombo; and in Portuguese as quingombo, both words believed to be a corruption of the African word quillobo, a native name for the okra plant in the Congo and Angola areas of Africa. It was brought to this country by slaves, and was a common ingredient in Gullah, Geechee, Creole and Cajun cooking. That said, gumbo is dependent on the roux and the stock; all other ingredients are at the discretion of the family making it.....smiles....that is why they say that you could go to 100 households in New Orleans, and find 100 different gumbos – all of them authentic, and a reflection of each family's own traditions. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
So...does anyonw know where I can get good gumbo in california?
Gumbo can have what you like to have in it. I don't like okra or tomatoes in mine though I know it's a common tradition here. I am a born and raised Louisianian and at 30 I have been cooking gumbo for almost 20 years. The trick is in making homemade roux. Best roux is 2/3 real butter and 1/3 bacon fat to equal parts flour (ex. 2/3 c. butter, 1/3 c. bacon fat to 1 c. flour). Brown as desired in a cast iron skillet.
I am from Opelousas, LA...Acadiana "Cajun Country" and I must say that the majority of people in my neck of the woods do not use okra nor tomatoes in gumbo. Yes, gumbo means okra and was introduced by the West Africans, but they heavily influenced the Creole population. Cajuns were poor, they did not have the fine ingredients which the Creoles had so they improvised. In this region, a typical gumbo is made with roux (made from butter and flour), onion, bellpepper. chicken, smoked sausage and dried shrimp. Depending on the person eating the dish, gumbo file may be added for thickness. The way gumbo is prepeared was unique to each LA region, however, over the years there has been cross-regional adaptations. Cajun and Creole cooking have somewhat intermingled...None the less no matter how it is prepared we can all agree that it is definitely a staple of Louisiana...period. And c'est si bon cher!
Cajun food, and especially gumbo is the most overrated crap in the world. Greazzzy slimy ugly muck.
The same could be said of your wife, Jimmy. If you don't like it, then move along.
My guess is you've never had real Cajun food. Probably ate it at some restaurant in BF Pennsylvania or from a box. Pfftt.....
You're right on the money, except for "the most overrated crap in the world".
That distinction falls to "American Idol".
Gumbo gumbo gumbo!!!
Are you a retardo?
Consuela you make my mouth water like a jalapeno caliente!!!
reading this cracks me up! I make my gumbo no tomatoes, roux the color of an old copper penny, the holy trinity of onions, (except I use shallots) celery and red bell peppers and some sort of hot peppers, the stock is the key...okra only if it is in season. Also you have to use thyme, red, black and white pepper and a bay leaf. I prefer crawfish and crab in mine, but shrimp, chicken, andouille or fish is always welcome. Oh and garlic is in there too. Mardi Gras started today here in Mobile! Let the good times roll! When you add tomatoes, your headed towards jambalaya in my book.
@Glenn, AMEN! It's all in the roux. It takes lots of patience, and a really well-seasoned iron skillet. And no tomatoes, either...
I just use the roux from a jar. Tastes just as good and much quicker to make.
Terry,
You should never admit to using roux from a jar! Complete blasphemy. Not only will you receive dirty looks, but you may encounter threats of bodily harm. Shame on you and a pox upon your house for using a jarred roux.
Use bacon grease for your roux... not oil. Gumbo is Swahili for okra. The viscosity of the okra makes the thick texture of the gumbo perfect. Serve with rice, red pepper hot sauce and maybe some good corn bread to soak up whats left.
maybe not Swahili but it is of West African origin.
The SECRET to a good gumbo is to not put SHMEAT in it! NoShmeat.com!
Clueless how funny!!
CNN sux A$$
True Cajuns don't use okra or tomatoes. The secret is in the rue...dark!
Gumbo is African word meaning OKRA. No okra = no gumbo.
Fish and chips over gumbo any day
Goodness lots of serious talk about gumbo!!! LOL Gumbo is my favorite meal in New Orleans. I am born and raised here. I don't care what ingredients you put in....IT'S GOOOOD!!! Can't wait to taste Besh's tonight!
This is a blog about food. Gumbo is a cajun soup /stew which can contain many ingredients. For the right wing folks it must contain nuts since they chose this blog to hijack for their cause.
In my opinion, it's hard to find a restaurant in NOLA that makes a good gumbo. I say you gotta drive to Acadiana to get a good one. As far as the comments about okra, well my grandma whose first language was Cajun french, put it in her gumbo all of the time. Not tomatoes though. Ewwww. Cajuns make one pot meals like gumbo, and the ingredients depend on what they have at hand...duck, chicken, sausage, shrimp, etc.
I agree completely. I love NOLA, but have never met a gumbo there that I like... I was raised on the gumbos and rice and gravies of Acadiana. Best food in the world. It's hard to find a good gumbo in any restaurant though. Don's in downtown Lafayette, though, that seafood gumbo, mmmm....
When I lived in NOLA after Katrina I would visit different people and have all kinds of Gumbo, some with tom. some with out, some with okra some without, file, brown rice, white rice, craw fish, shrimp, the list goes on, it didn't matter as long as a cold beer and a warm smile was there, it was called Gumbo.
I love South Alabama gumbo...always okra, always tomato, always
lots of crabmeat and shrimp. Rarely oysters.
some say tomatoe some say tomatoe
They may make it but I seriously doubt that they will eat much
I hope that Chef Besh can make better gumbo than he can cook beef ..... ate at his steakhouse in New Orleans, and it was the poorest excuse for beef in a fine restaurant that I have ever seen. I did not go back!
Hey CNN... While you're busy reporting this oh-so-important story, there is a bill in SD that was shelved just today that would have made it legal to kill abortion doctors.
You have abdicated your responsibilities as a news outlet. Let's report news, not fluff, hm?
K, this is the Eatocracy Blog. the news is over there (points). Snap out of it.
Kevin: you clicked on this story & read. Take responsibility for your actions. Here's your ticket for improper clickage. In the future, watch where you click. Move along, please. Move along.
Bubba: keep up the good work!
Just trying to keep the traffic moving . . .
It's in the political section geniuses.
No, dumb@ss..it's in the Living & Eatocracy section.
Politics
Living & Eatocracy
I can see how you could make that mistake – they're spelled the same.
Ordinarily I ignore people like you, but you just blew my mind.
Today, you're going to learn about the INTERNET:
See, you're reading these stories on a WEBSITE. When you're on a website, you CLICK on the things you want to read. CLICK means you make the little arrow go over the thing you want to read and then your finger pushes the button on the plastic thingie in your right hand. Other right. That's called a MOUSE. Hear how it makes a CLICK sound when your finger pushes the button? That's why it's called that.
Okay, if you DON'T want to read something, what you do is NOT make the little arrow go over that article. If the arrow DOES end up there, just move your right hand a little. Other right. Whatever you do, DO NOT make the mouse go CLICK while the little arrow is on the thing you DON'T want to read.
Here's the beauty of a WEBSITE: if you DON'T want to read something, you don't HAVE to read it! Also, not every story is going to be about the thing you're thinking about right now. There are lots of stories about other things. You can even SEARCH for things on the Internet so you ONLY read things you want to read, but that's really complicated and I don't have time to get into it right now.
There is one more thing about the Internet: you can sometimes say things (or COMMENT) on stories you read. If you don't read the articles or stories first, or make comments that have anything to do with them, people will react in a BAD way to you. They may insult your intelligence to a severe degree, which is called HYPERBOLE (hi-PUR-bow-lee, not hi-pur-bowl). This is also called GETTING PWNED (say: "poned"), and it's what is happening to you right now.
ROFLPWNAGE even! :D
LOL. Thank you for making my day.
I hope you don't mind, but I do belive I will cut and paste your post-it is simply to "spot on" to not unleash again! Thanks!!
LMAO!!!! perfect Mr. Bones! perfect.
Kevin, you are way too serious. Life is too short for that. relax,relate, and for GODS sake, release!
Okra yes, but true gumbo does not have tomatoes
Not even okra...unless you're making okra gumbo. In Acadiana, you'd be hard pressed to find a lot of folks who enjoy okra in their seafood/chicken/chicken and sausage gumbos.
My grandmother was born in 1923 and I grew up Abbeville, the parish seat of Vermilion parish. She made shrimp and okra gumbo and my family is most certainly cajun. I've had okra in seafood gumbo at many households of friends and family. There is no tomato, but there is most certainly okra in traditional cajun gumbos.
WHAT??? Gumbo is French for Okra! Okra was used to thicken it. I agree with the tomato part tho.
when i make it I take out the okra before serving, but most of the time I use homemade file.
Well all I know is that I am Acadian. We're related, but I'm still sitting here in the east coast of Canada in the Maritimes, and all this talk of Gumbo is making me hungry. Ocra, no Ocra... Tomatoes, no tomatoes.... Hell I'd just love to try a good plate of Gumbo from my cousins. Gumbo is not a traditional meal around here, I imagine it got started when the brits deported some of us to the south. For sure, when I hit the Big Easy, and I will for sure someday. I will be spending much time in the french quarter getting to know relatives. It never ceases to amaze me. When I look at video from Louisiana, the look of the people, their facial features, they look like us lol it's awesome! Vive L'Acadie!
Go head KLee. My sentiments exactly. my gradma made her okra gumbo with chicken, sausage and shrimp with tomatoes. and no roux. It was really good. My mom started adding a little roux but I think it makes it fattening.
Talk about straining hairs. I'm from and live in New Orleans. Gumbo is certainly made with okra (optional) and/or chopped tomatoes (optional, too). Roux is NOT made with oil. The Cajuns and early Creoles did not have hydrogenated oil... I can't believe the responses here. Ya'll are unreal.
SarahB – what type of fat do you use to make your roux?
put tomatoes in spaghetti sauce NOT gumbo
Obama has been systematically dismantling our constitution, our history, our traditions, our economy, and our national security ... and, he will destroy America, if he is allowed to continue !!!
You're entitled to your opinion, but can he make a good gumbo? That's what we're talking about here.
Isn't there a bridge somewhere that you should be under?
Dude needs to make like a turd and hit the trail.
Can you just let nature take its course and EVOLVE into a higher life form? Now, back to the gumbo...
Retard Tea Beggar, Obama loves "Okra" that's why he's REAL COOL under ALL those Tea Bag idiotic racist nonsense rants. Eat your retard Tea Bag Heart out. Try and eat some "Okra” once in a while and you will have a REAL intelligence between your stiff shoulders. “Okra” it’s also good for your heart, blood pressure, stomach, muscles, smooth blood flow to your brains and your whole human SOUL. You’re really MISSING out! Make some light soup with “Okra” and crabs dry fish etc. and you will feel. It’s also a good natural sleeping remedy and helps you sleep better. It also helps with your ridiculous delusional mental self. I bet you call yourself some American Flag draped FAKE Christian as well.
Now back to “Gumbo” topic on the floor that intelligent people are talking about.
You really know your Okra Che!
howard, he also had the word "gullible" removed from all dictionaries. Don't believe me? Look it up.
Durr, I thought I was the one who dismantled the Constitution and made a mockery of our way of life. Already they have forgotten me.
"he will destroy America" You mean he'll put tomatoes in your gumbo? Gasp! You must be very frightened.
gasp!! oh god, not tomatoes!
Really Howard...Is it hard for you to connect the dots?
Give it a rest, you gaseous imbecile.
Give it a rest, you gaseous moron.
Well, what do you expect from a brown-skinned, foreign-born, non-Christian who wants us to take care of the poor. Oh, sorry.....that’s Jesus
Jesus was fair, as a descendent of the Ptolomeic Greeks on Mary's side.
Hey, I don't care for da man either, but he aint gonna be messin with ma gumbo, not even if he brings da 101st Airborne wit him.
Bush already did that.
With Gumbo?
Smoke much crack?
What's Obama got to do with gumbo?????????????????
Howard, you are an idiot.
I bet that evil black man who hates white people is going to poison all the gumbo in the land and blame Sarah plain and tall for it. All those poor white people getting victimized like that. Having their gumbo AND freedom taken away from them. Damn him and his evil.
Yes but can he make a good Gumbo and what the heck does your comment have to do with Gumbo?
Where did this come from? What kind of gumbo/meth juice are you on?
You to get a life! what does your ignorant no clue comments have to do with GUMBO?
No tomatoes? No okra? T'ain't real gumbo men.
No real Cajun uses tomatoes or okra in their gumbo. Those are CREOLE ingredients, NOT Cajun. And these folks live in a city known for its Creole culture. Cajuns lived and settled West of the Mississippi River, but not in New Orleans.
KLee
You are Absolutely Correct!?
REMEBER Justin!!? We Loved Him.
My peeps are from the Gullah and the Geechies...what you know 'bout them?
First of all, I beg to differ on the okra comments; my wife’s (large!) family is 100% Cajun, has some pretty good self respect, and prefers okra every time. If you don’t like okra in the gumbo, it’s probably because you don’t know how to de-slime it properly; before adding to the gumbo, cover it with white vinegar in a microwaveable dish and nuke it for a few minutes, then let it set for a couple of minutes before draining.
Now tomatoes on the other hand… there’s a standing rule in the family; anybody caught using tomatoes in the gumbo will be shot the next morning at sunrise.
As others point out, the first secret to gumbo is the roux, and extreme patience is required; stir frequently bringing it to the brink of death and pull it off the heat.
Add your primary meat, a little Andouille, and let it simmer for about 2 hours before the okra & green onions.
Cook some rice!
Sorry KLee, but the word "Gumbo" is an African word for "Okra" and the dish was originally "Okra Stew", brought to this country by slaves. The dish did not originate from the Arcadians (Cajuns). The dish was originally just Okra, Peppers, and Onions with what ever meat was available thrown in.
Consider where the term gumbo comes from. The french translation for okra is gombo. Add a little accent, and that can easily turn to gumbo. Gumbo is just okra soup.
Hey, all KLee was sayin' was differentiating Cajun from Creole, not providing a definition. Ah gahruntee! Can't y'all just git along?
I disagree. Cajun is Canadian, badly spoken. The French Canadians were moved down to Louisiana. The French, no matter where they go, make fine food out of what is available. I ate at a tiny French restaurant in Equador where the restaurant owner trapped his own rabbits in the mountains. How can you say real cajuns were west of the Mississippi? The French "cajuns` were send down to La. and they made cajun food.
Come on everybody......Gumbo WAS a stew made with whatever ingredients were left over the week. Some families made light rue, some dark. File, seafood, chicken and adouille, duck,okra, whatever you want to make it with gumbo. Okra, tomatoes....doesn't matter. You need the trinity......onions, bellpepper, and celery. Add some type of meat with a rue and the seasonings of personal preference, and you've made a gumbo. Some white rice and a couple drops of hot sauce...........The essense of gumbo is in that FAMILY recipe that brings back happy memories of the past, and future memories made in the present.
Jordan, the correct spelling is "roux" - the flour/fat base for gumbo.
you my friend know gumbo!
yes...i know better. it is roux
I would like to see the results when a neophyte attempts to make their roux using the scant instructions offered in this video. But it looked like pretty darn good gumbo they whipped up there.
Looked kind of revolting to me. But then, give me my Rocky Mountain Oysters anytime! It's all relative I guess.