Thursday, November 24, 2011
Good advice That's Not Leftover Turkey — It's Gumbo Starter!
Posted by Jim Ridley on Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 5:25 AM
In many Louisiana households, after the Thanksgiving meal is eaten, along comes the moment when a crucial decision must be made: whether to make the gumbo. I can remember my brother, Chuck, some six or seven years ago, holding a bird carcass over a big boiling pot of water, and saying to no one in particular: "See you in three days." (This is the same brother who often says, "Some people's body is a temple; mine is a carnival.")Properly executed, a gumbo takes time. First, it's very labor intensive. And second, the pieces just need hours and hours to come together. It's nothing short of a mystery, to be honest, how the disparate parts produce the final taste. Sure, any gumbo recipe can show you the "how," but it sure can't explain the "why."
When I see people take their carved-up Thanksgiving turkey and throw it in the trash, I want to shake them hard, convert them, explain the gumbo that awaits if they only take the time. And so, herewith, the map down Gumbo Road. ...
Read the rest for step-by-step instructions, some of which leave us more than mildly apprehensive (microwave roux?).
Comments (5)
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The term "Cajun napalm" perfectly describes my feeble attempts at a roux. Then again, I was using the stovetop method. I think I got psyched out by all the people who told me how temperamental roux is, but I certainly proved them right.
By the way, what's the plural of roux? Rouxes? Rouxi? Or is roux the plural of rou? What's a rou? Better have another Corsair pumpkin spice moonshine while I contemplate.
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@ mr pink. According to Emeril Lagasse, a good dark roux takes the time to drink 2 beers. A blond roux, 1 beer. Like bb-q, low and slow.
Plural of roux ? Thanks for the laugh.
And sorry some of your family are sick. Hope they are better soon !
Your mileage may vary, but my roux is done in six minutes. I crank the Five Star up to "high" and use a Le Creset or Calphalon pot. Stir pretty much constantly and the roux is dark blond in 5 or 6 minutes, nut brown in 7. Then I add the onion/garlic/celery, turn it down, and drink a beer while they saute.
I am not from the deep South, so I don't have the background in roux, but I honestly can't tell the difference in the 1-hour roux and the 6-minute roux.
I got to witness the making of the Turkey Gumbo first hand at my friends house in NOLA this year. Super excited to try it at Xmas !
