The Daring Cooks Make Gumbo

I am interrupting the series on monthly meal planning to bring you this month's Daring Cook's challenge!  The series will resume once again next week.  Our May hostess, Denise, of There’s a Newf in My Soup!, challenged The Daring Cooks to make Gumbo! She provided us with all the recipes we’d need, from creole spices, homemade stock, and Louisiana white rice, to Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo and Seafood Gumbo from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh.

I can't even begin to tell you how utterly unenthusiastic I was about this month's challenge.  Really.  After reading the challenge I immediately sighed and decided that I was going to make it to bring to potluck game night at the church so that I might not be stuck with so much in the way of leftovers.  I wasn't going to shrug off the challenge just because I didn't think I'd like the food, but I didn't have to be happy about it either.  Lovely attitude, don't you agree?

Now, so far I had only seen the subject line, not the recipe or any of the example photos, and I had already done a mental shrug and eye roll over this challenge.  However, after reading some of the ingredient options and seeing the absolutely stunning pictures in the example, I was feeling a little more charitably inclined toward this Gumbo.  I can't even understand where my prejudice towards Gumbo came from since I've never actually tasted it but it was slowly starting to melt away.  Not enough, however, for me to reassign it on the menu away from the game night.  It might have seemed a little more appealing, but I still wasn't inclined to want a ton of leftovers.

Considering those things, I find it quite ironic that I fell a little more in love with this dish nearly every time I tasted it throughout the cooking process.  And I couldn't have it all to myself since I had already told people what I was bringing to the potluck.  Drat!  It serves me right after forming opinions based on absolutely nothing.  Really, nothing.  I have no idea why in my mind Gumbo = Gross.  Perhaps it was simply the name?  Or the fact that it usually (maybe always?) has Okra, which I dislike intensely.  I have no clue.

While I was making this I made quite a few changes, omissions, and alterations, both accidentally and intentionally.  I knew that I didn't want to make it too spicy, so I left out the spicy sausage called for (not realizing that smoked Andouille Sausage is also spicy!) and I didn't want to have a lot of extra seasoning bottles gathering dust in the cabinet never to be used again so I assembled my own Creole spices but it a much smaller quantity than provided in the given recipe, this also lead me to omit the File Powder.

I dislike okra (I won't even describe what it reminds me of) but I had planned on putting it in anyway because Hey, Babe likes it.  The Okra was eventually omitted when we couldn't find any after checking in three stores.  Another minor change I made was to add half chicken thighs and half boneless breasts instead a a whole cut up chicken.  After the first 45 minute simmer I took all the chicken out and de-boned and skinned it so that I could shred the meat and add it back to the pot, thus making it easier to serve at a potluck dinner.

The last two changes came about after a little...mishap, shall we say, in the kitchen.  According to the recipe you are supposed to cook the roux for 15 minutes, constantly whisking.  Due to either distractions from the kids or the fact that I chose to use some of the leftover bacon oil from breakfast, I am pretty sure that I burned my roux.  The house was slowly filling with smoke, and it was not smelling tasty at all, but the recipe said I was supposed to keep cooking.  I wanted to stop, but according to recipe I wasn't supposed to!

(grossly separating roux)

I should have gone with my gut.  I added the onions and ended up with a weird pot of separated oil and charred...stuff.  It didn't look right and it tasted even worse.  But I couldn't help but wonder if this was actually the result we were looking for?  Who knows, although if any of you think that I was actually on the right track, let me know.  Maybe I'll sacrifice a small experimental pot of it next time.  At any rate, after a little deliberation I decided to start over and cook it less along with no bacon fat this time and with a movie playing for Little Man.  The only problem with starting over was that I only had one onion left.  Oh well!

(the top spoon is the charred version, in case you couldn't tell)

It was the most exquisite form of torture.  Riding in a car for half an hour with the pot of bubbling hot Gumbo sitting in my lap was almost more than I could handle as we went on our merry way to Game Night.  If it hadn't been so very hot I'd have been even more tempted by the intoxicating fragrance to start drinking it up right there in the car.  The general consensus seemed to be that it was delicious, with a caveat from a few who thought that it was a tad too spicy for them.  Next time, and oh, there will definitely be a next time, I'm not too proud to admit when I was wrong!  Next time I will ease back on the cayenne, maybe add a little sweet sausage along with the spicy, and serve it with Tabasco Sauce at the table for anyone who wants to kick up the heat. 

Because I made many alterations to the given recipe, I will post my version below.  To use the recipe without my adaptations, or to check out the recipes for Seafood Gumbo click here.

Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo
adapted from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh
Serves 10-12

Ingredients
Seasonings:
1/2 tablespoons celery seed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like spicy)
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1 chicken (3 ½ to 4 lbs.), cut into 10 pieces
2 large onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) oil
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) flour
Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 quarts Chicken Stock
2 bay leaves
14 ounces andouille sausage, chopped
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4-6 cups cooked Rice (I used brown, but I might try mashed potatoes next time, not traditional maybe but I think it would be delicious!)

Directions:
Combine the seasonings together and sprinkle them over the chicken pieces while you prepare the vegetables.

Make sure all of your vegetables are cut, diced, chopped, minced and ready to go before beginning the roux. You must stand at the stove and stir the roux continuously to prevent it from burning.

In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil – it will start to sizzle. Reduce the heat to moderate, and continue whisking until the roux becomes deep brown in color, about 15 minutes (the second time I only cooked if for about 10).

Add the onions. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir the onions into the roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue stirring until the roux becomes a glossy dark brown, about 10 minutes (again, the second time I did this for around 7-8).

Add the chicken to the pot; raise the heat to moderate, and cook, turning the pieces until slightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the vegetables and continue stirring for about 3 minutes.

Add the thyme, chicken stock, and bay leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, skimming off the fat from the surface of the gumbo every so often.  (I got a lot of oil off of this, more than 1 cup.  Can anyone explain why we add it just to take it out?  Can't we just toast the flour without the oil?)

Remove all the pieces of chicken to a plate.  Add the chopped andouille and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Start to simmer for another 45 minutes, while you are removing the skin and bones from the chicken pieces.  Shred the meat and return it along with any accumulated juices back to the pot.  Continue to skim the fat from the surface of the gumbo. Remove the bay leaves and serve in bowls over rice

White Bean and Ham Soup

As I was scrolling through the backlog of recipes I have that are waiting to be posted here, I came across this one. It surprised me that I had yet to share it considering the fact that I have made it several times over the past few months and so I knew it was time to pull it off the shelf.

I keep thinking that soup weather is fading and then I look out the window and realize that Spring still has no idea what it is doing yet.  Case in point, we are currently awaiting a thunderstorm and our expected high temp for the day was reached at around 9 AM.  We aren't in freezing temperatures by any stretch of the imagination, but after a dreary rainy day having a cup of this hot soup with beans that just melt in your mouth will be sure to cheer just about anyone up. 

A lot of soups take hours of simmering to reach the right flavor and consistency, the original version of this recipe was no exception.  Since I'm not always on top of things (in fact I'm not even often on top of things) I adapted this recipe to be made in a much shorter time frame.  Out went the ham bone, dried beans, and the long and low cooking time and in came a few cans of White Beans, a Ham Steak and a quart of Chicken (or Veggie) stock.  Rather than fresh warm bread (see above - not on top of things) I whipped up a quick batch of biscuits to serve with the soup.  I mention the biscuits only as a suggestion since the recipe I selected was passable but not worth repeating.  And here is the first clap of thunder, it seems the weatherman was correct after all.  Anyone else have soup on the forecast for tonight?

White Bean and Ham Soup
 Ingredients
2 cans of white beans - either Great Northern or canelli
4 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 diced ham steak
1 cup carrots chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup onion chopped
3/4 teaspoon thyme
Dash of hot sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Instructions
In a large stock pot, saute the diced ham steak in a small portion of olive oil, just until it starts to get a little color.  Add the carrots, celery and onions and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until they are soft, about 5-10 minutes. Add stock, beans and thyme and simmer until the beans are soft and the flavors have come together at least half and hour (or up to 2).  Season with salt and pepper and add vinegar and fresh parsley. If you'd like have a slightly thicker soup, mash up some of the beans a bit.

Zuppa Toscana

I promise, this is the last soup post for a while.  Not for ever, because some soups are on the menu for this month, but this is the last recipe for October's Menu that is going up.  I realize that not every item on the menu has a recipe attached to it which is because several of those entries do not have recipes (like the sandwiches or salads) and a few of them were skipped (like the Chicken Piccata or Un-Fried Buffalo Wings) and so can't vouch for them and do not have pictures of them. 

This soup is fashioned after one Olive Garden serves with the same name.  I can't say whether or not it is at all like Olive Garden's version because I have never tried theirs, but I can say that this version is delicious.  Hey, Babe's parents happen to love this soup and told me about it.  Shortly after hearing how much they enjoyed it I browsed for a recipe online.  I was curious how it tasted and would rather make it myself then deal with bringing a toddler and an infant to a restaurant, so I copied it down and decided to eventually try it.

"Eventually" finally came last month and we invited Hey, Babe's parents to come and try it with us.  Sue was surprised as usual when I told her I was trying a new recipe on them.  She told me, as she usually does, that I am brave.  Personally, I feel that the guinea pigs are the brave ones in my recipe testing endeavors.  After all, they are the ones risking food poisoning or hunger.  There was nothing to fear, this was a success.  It wasn't quite as creamy as I had expected and so I will adjust the cream a bit next time, but it was overall quite excellent.  I do not often use hearty winter greens like kale, but after trying this I will definitely need to change that.

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients
1 lb ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy, your choice)
1/4 tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 pieces bacon, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream (I will double this)
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes or about 3 large potatoes
1/2 of a bunch of kale
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
In a large pot set over medium low heat, sauté sausage, crushed red pepper, bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.  Remove excess oil.

To pot, add chicken broth and heat until it starts to boil.  Add the potatoes and cook about 1/2 an hour or until soft.

Add the heavy cream and kale and continue cooking until everything is heated through and the kale has begun to soften.

Minestrone Soup

I don't think that I have ever taken advantage of soup weather as much as I have so far this fall.  In October I made six different soups, three of them being black bean soups.  Soups are hearty.  They fill you up by themselves but they also are nicely accompanied by sandwiches, fresh bread, or a salad.  This Minestrone is no exception. It is a hearty, healthy, chock full of good for you vegetables kind of soup.

I use to think that I didn't like vegetable soups, and now I'm beginning to realize that I don't like canned vegetable soups.  The flavors are muddied from having sat in a can too long, the veggies are mushy and slimy, the noodles are several times their intended size from over absorbing the broth.  All problems easily rectified by slicing up a few vegetables, or in my case whizzing them through my food processor, and letting them simmer in a pot of good stock.

Minestrone

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 - 3/4 lb. stew beef, cut into bite sized pieces
4 cups beef broth
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 14 1/2-ounce can tomatoes cut up, (I used crushed tomatoes because it is what I had, I think I prefer it this way)
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup celery chopped
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cabbage (I easily doubled this as I didn't want the leftovers to go to waste)
1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans drained
1/2 cup small macaroni uncooked
3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the stew beef until browned. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, onion, celery, parsley, salt thyme and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the beef is tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the cabbage, zucchini, carrots, garbanzo beans and macaroni. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the macaroni is done, stirring occasionally.  Serve, topping bowls with Parmesan if desired.

Chicken, Corn, and Black Bean Soup

 

Last month I selected several black bean soup recipes for our meal plan, and this was one of them.  When I think of black beans I always think Tex-Mex because that is that capacity in which I am most familiar with them, but if that is what you are expecting from this soup you will receive a pleasant (I hope) surprise.  This soup is far from that style of black bean.  This is a more more woodsy, herbal, country cottage with a vegetable garden kind of soup.

I keep wanting to call this a vegetable soup because all of the colorful vegetables took up so much of the spotlight that I forget that there even was chicken in it.  To me that means the chicken was superfluous and so next time I will leave it out, turning this into the vegetable soup it is at heart.  I don't typically like vegetable soups but I think the black beans nestle in and fill it out so perfectly that I am tricked into giving this one a pass.  Go ahead and take advantage the soup weather that has come upon us by setting a pot of something delicious to simmer on the stove.

Chicken, Corn, and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions diced
1 green bell pepper ribs and seeds removed, diced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, chopped bite sized (optional, I'm leaving it out next time)
6 plum tomatoes diced
1/4 cup dry red wine (or Worchestershire Sauce, which is what I used)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
1 can (15 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed
shredded cheddar cheese to serve (optional, but man oh man was it good with it!)

Instructions
Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, thyme, 1 1/2 tsps salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste; add chicken and saute until it is no longer pink.  Add the chopped tomatoes, wine, and 2 1/2 cups water (feel free to add more wine and less water). Cover and bring simmer, about 15 minutes.

Stir in corn and black beans, and continue to simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Serve on a chilly autumn day.

Another Black Bean Soup

When I make out our monthly menu, I try to be conscious of the source of protein that the meal is going to be based around.  For example, we don't usually have red meat more than once a week, I try to schedule in a bean based meal each week, and I try to also have a fish meal (although, since Hey, Babe really doesn't like fish, that is the meal that usually gets skipped entirely when we start juggling the menu).  I didn't realize that this month I had picked three different black bean soup recipes.  So far this one is at the top of the charts.

When I started to read over this recipe I realized that the ingredient list and the instructions did not completely coincide and that I was going to have to wing it.  Since I tend to do that anyway, always tweaking a recipe as I make it, that wasn't going to be a problem.  The original recipe was to turn out a very smooth, almost creamy soup, mine is decidedly not.  I left out ingredients such as jalapenos, since I wanted Little Man to eat it and he doesn't do spicy, and beer since we don't drink and I only rarely splurge and buy alcohol for cooking.  But it was the ingredients I added that really made the soup for me.  I swapped out one can of black beans for pinto beans (and did not puree them), and chopped up some bell peppers, tossing them along with a bag of frozen corn into the pot towards the end of cooking so that neither of them got too soft.

It was divine.  I loved the textural contrast between the soft pinto beans and the still firm peppers.  The corn added delightful notes of sweet among the savory beans and vegetables.  Although the soup was delicious on its own, a dollop of sour cream or guacamole and a sprinkling of shredded cheddar completed it.  As typically happens in the cases of soup, it was even better reheated the next day for lunch.

Black Bean Soup 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion-diced
6 cloves garlic- minced

2 carrots, chopped fine
1 jalapeno-seed and ribs removed and minced (optional)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup beer (I used beef broth)
1 -15oz cans black beans- rinsed

1 -15oz can Pinto beans- rinsed
32 oz. chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large bell pepper, chopped small

1 bag frozen corn

Toppings:
monterey jack cheese-shredded
avocado-sliced or made into guacamole
tomato-diced
cilantro leaves
sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the onion, carrot and jalapeno. Cook on medium until the veggies are very soft. Add the garlic and lower the heat to medium- low. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so the garlic doesn't burn. Add cumin, cardamom and ancho chili powder, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.

2. Add the beer/broth and the can of black beans, continue cooking until liquid is reduced by half.  With a potato masher, smash the beans until most of them are broken up.  Continue cooking until the liquid is quite reduced and the mixture pulls away from the bottom of the pan as you stir.

3. Add the stock and the can of pinto beans and the bay leaves.  Cook for 30 minutes or until beans and veggies are tender and flavors are melded.  Add the peppers and corn.  Continue cooking until the peppers have soften to your desired consistency about 5-10 minutes.  Add more chicken broth or water if he soup becomes too thick. Remove bay leaves. Adjust seasonings to taste.

4. Pour soup into bowls and top with toppings of your choice.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup and Rustic White Bread

 
When the pumpkin was done roasting and being pureed I checked the time and decided that it was a little too early to start the soup.  Since homemade bread alongside homemade soup is a wonderful end to working outside on a chilly, drizzly day, and since I had plenty of time for it to rise before dinner, I decided to make some.  I chose this really easy looking recipe (it only has four ingredients) that I had marked ages ago from Smitten Kitchen's site.

It was as easy as it had looked.  Of course I still made adaptations, which I have a habit of doing.  I always have good intentions when I'm making a recipe for the first time.  When I start out I plan on following the measurements and instructions to the letter, and I nearly always end up modifying it somehow.  It seems that I can't help myself.  For this recipe I changed the method a bit (see Smitten Kitchen's site for the original version).


While the bread dough was rising, I started making the soup.  It was still a bit early but the Storm Sprite was sleeping, and when soup simmers gently on the stove for a while it allows the flavors to mingle even more.  I'm not sure where I originally saw this recipe, I do know that I've had it for a while.  This is another one that I modified as I went (it's a curse! I can't help it!).

When I think of pumpkins I never think of savory things.  My thoughts immediately jump instead to pies and breads and puddings and ice creams.  I am going to have to change this habit now, because this soup was delicious.  We all enjoyed it, even Little Man.  His bowl had frozen corn thrown in to help cool it off, and I may just add corn to the ingredient list next time.  It added visual appeal and I believe it would go nicely with the other elements of the soup.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup Ingredients 2 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans 1 cup crushed tomatoes 1 1/4 cups chopped onion 4 garlic cloves minced 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter 2 cups beef broth 3 cups pumpkin puree 1/2 pound cooked ham cut into 1/8-inch dice Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (optional) InstructionsIn a food processor coarsely puree beans with the tomatoes. In a large pot, cook onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over medium heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean and tomato puree. Stir in broth and pumpkin.  Simmer uncovered and stirring occasionally for 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Just before serving, add ham, stirring until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper. Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds. Rustic White Bread Ingredients 2 cups warm tap water about 110 degrees 2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons salt 1/3 cup flour for dusting the loaves Cornmeal for the pans  InstructionsTo mix dough place 5 1/4 cups of flour and the salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add water and yeast and mix on low speed to form a smooth, elastic and slightly sticky dough, about 5 minutes. Incorporate the remaining flour a tablespoon at time if the dough is too soft. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning dough over so the top is oiled. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled.  To shape loaves, press the dough down to deflate it. Divide the dough in half, shaping one piece at a time. Place half the dough on a well floured surface and press it into a square, then roll it up tightly. Rotate the dough 90° and roll it up again from the short end. Arrange dough seam side down, cover with plastic or a towel and let it rest of 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining piece of dough. Dust pan with cornmeal. Working from the middle of the loaf outward, roll each piece of dough under your palms until it is the desired length.  Place loaves seam side down on cookie sheets and dust each loaf heavily with flour, using about 1/3 cup in all. Cover with plastic or a towel and allow to rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 500° and set racks at the middle and lowest levels. Set a pan on the lowest rack to absorb some of the excess bottom heat and keep the bottom of the loaves from burning. Right before placing the loafs in the oven, use a very sharp knife to make 3 to 4 diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf.  Immediately place loaves in oven and lower temperature 450°. After loaves have baked for 20 minutes lower temperature to 350° and continue baking 20 - 30 minutes longer, or until bread reaches an internal temperature of about 220°. Remove loaves from oven and cool on a rack.