Gumbo and Cornmeal Popovers ala Koob

I had a hankerin' for some Cajun food the other day and decided to whip me up some gumbo. Here's what transpired:

Gumbo

canola oil
butter
flour
cajun spices (see below)
two large chicken breast halves cut into mouth size chunks
1/2 lb of shrimp (ditto above)
salt to taste
1 small zuchinni
4 oz chopped spinach
1 medium chopped tomato
about 3-4 cups lobster stock (which I just happened to have on hand)or chicken/shrimp stock
rice (3/4 cup/cup dry, then steam or cook)
[Note: I skipped the okra -- wife doesn't like, and I can take or leave, hence the zuch and spinach]

A note on cajun seasoning: I used a generic brand, but you can make your own. Here is one attributed to Paul Prudhomme:

4 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. dried basil leaves
4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
4 tsp. black pepper
3 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 tsp. white pepper


A good bit of Cajun cooking is all about the Roux and I have played around a bit with the whole concept of this for the last couple of years. No sense in letting the southern boys and girls have all the fun -- rouxes can be used in a variety of cuisines!

make a mixture of about two tablespoons of cajun seasonings (depends on how spicy you like things) and 3/4 cup of flour. Dredge chicken chunks in this until well-coated. Place oil and a couple of tablespoons of butter (you can use all butter, but watch your heart!), to coat a frying pan about 1/8th-1/4 inch thick for frying. Heat to med-high/high and begin frying the chicken chunks. Set aside when seared on all sides and a crust develops [Note: most of this will dissolve in the Gumbo eventually, but that adds to the flavor -- a Gumbo is essentially a soup or stew.]

When the chicken is all done, dump the remaining flour from dredging in-with the leavings in the pan oil. Heat on medium high until the roux begins to develop (flour will start to brown). Now comes your creative and taste part:it depends on what type of flavor you want how long you cook the roux. light brown is mild; dark brown richer. Experiment. Important: don't let the roux burn. any black or black flecks is not good. So you have to watch this and stir off and on. If it sits, it will burn.

Meanwhile take your stock and begin to heat it. Then add about a cup of the heated stock to the pan with the oil and roux and voila, you have a gravy. Dump this with all its goodness (scrap it all into your soup pan even the dregs at the bottom). Add remaining stock and simmer for (however long you need -- just don't let it burn on the bottom, at least a half hour). Add fairly finely chopped zuchinni the last fifteen/twenty minutes, shrimp the last ten, and spinach the last five.

Gumbo is served in a soup bowl over some rice. Place a 1/4 cup of rice or so in bottom of dish and spoon over all that rick goodness of the gumbo. YUMMY!

Meanwhile the Cornmeal Popovers:

Checkout one of my other posts on popovers. Add to the basic recipe -- 1/2 cup of cornmeal, a bit of sugar if you like it sweet, to taste, and an additional 1/2 cup of milk. Cook as normal. This works! I just did it. They pop as nicely as regular popovers.

Best,

Joe Koob