tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5635726588170908062.post5928482155431862793..comments2023-03-16T06:18:24.050-05:00Comments on the cooks we are: American Food Part 1: Seafood Gumbolaurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11440174308068994538noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5635726588170908062.post-49516985247166659212008-03-14T09:58:00.000-05:002008-03-14T09:58:00.000-05:00Ohhh, this is good stuff. Thanks for the extra tip...Ohhh, this is good stuff. Thanks for the extra tips, Lina!laurelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440174308068994538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5635726588170908062.post-69207397852551685272008-03-13T20:19:00.000-05:002008-03-13T20:19:00.000-05:00I actually made Grandma Helen's Gumbo months ago f...I actually made Grandma Helen's Gumbo months ago for the first-ever, "Bring-a-dish-your-Grandmother-made"-themed Supper Club dinner party at Sam and Jerry's. Let's just say I made friends...<BR/>I do recall having made one adjustment based on a cookbook given to me by Grandma Helen called, "The New Orleans Cookbook." The introduction to Chapter 1 states, "There are many varieties of gumbo, but every kind uses certain fundamental cooking techniques. First, gumbos all have a roux base, a mixture of butter and flour slowly cooked to a rich brown, which gives gumbo much of its characteristic thick texture and smoky taste." Like so many recipes handed down from generations passed, Grandma Helen's Gumbo is mysteriously missing the one thing that makes the final dish unforgettable (the roux), the secret bit of knowledge that allows the recipe to remain one person's signature dish that no one can seem to truly duplicate. I don't think this was intentional on the part of my grandmother, I just think recipe transcription can't always be fully trusted. My point? Consider making a roux when making gumbo. <BR/>Following the advise of "The New Orleans Cookbook," I heated the oil in the pot and browned the sausage. I removed the sausage and kept it warm in the oven. I made a roux by gradually adding flour to the oil (2/3 c. vegetable oil to 1/2 c. flour) and stirring constantly. I reduced the heat and cooked, always stirring, until a medium brown roux (the color of hazelnuts) was formed and then followed Grandma Helen's recipe by adding the onion, celery and bell peppers, and so on. I think I used andouille sausage, shrimp, chunky white fish and oysters. The spice mix really is nice and leaves you with just the right amount of after-bite tingle. Mmmmm.LaLaLaLeahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608424286765567030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5635726588170908062.post-49197017408569163822008-03-10T08:59:00.000-05:002008-03-10T08:59:00.000-05:00"There is no American food. When we begin to list ..."There is no American food. When we begin to list American foods, either we talk about regional things like lobster or shrimp Creole, or we talk about spaghetti and pizza and hot dogs...One could argue it's what makes us great. The fact that we don't have a cuisine is a measure of our democracy and of our ethnic heterogeneity."<BR/>- Sidney Mintz, Anthropologistlaurelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440174308068994538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5635726588170908062.post-26048291523936085082008-03-10T03:02:00.000-05:002008-03-10T03:02:00.000-05:00Ha! My thoughts exactly, Nisa! In the first part o...Ha! My thoughts exactly, Nisa! In the first part of this post, you took the words right out of my mouth!<BR/>Thank you!laurelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440174308068994538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5635726588170908062.post-52427371987382567582008-03-09T18:55:00.000-05:002008-03-09T18:55:00.000-05:00This rocks!!!This rocks!!!Emiliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11375880111482385958noreply@blogger.com