Gumbo, Gumbo, Gumbo! I call this recipe “Mac” Gumbo, because it’s a gumbo of my imagining – I’ve never had the real thing. I grew up in Ohio, and I’ve never been to New Orleans. I don’t believe that anyone has ever served gumbo to me, and if they have, I’m sure that their version of gumbo had no more of a claim to authenticity than mine. But the lack of authenticity doesn’t make “Mac” Gumbo any less satisfying, any less crave-worthy.
As you know, I’m always experimenting, always playing with my food. My original attempts at making this dish held no promise. Part of the problem was that almost all of the recipes I read called for creating a roux, cooking flour in oil until it gets dark and caramelized, but not too dark. There’s a fine line between caramelized and burnt, especially when you’re working with gluten-free flour. I always crossed that line, ending up with a pungent gumbo that had no subtlety, only a nasty, burned-flour taste. I bought a packet of filé powder because I read that its sometimes used in gumbo as a thickener in lieu of the roux, but by that point I had lost my appetite for the effort.
Then I watched the America’s Test Kitchen episode where they demonstrated their recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. It entailed toasting the flour, creating a dry roux rather than a wet roux with oil. I was rapt – they toasted the flour in the oven until it reached a dark cinnamon color and started emitting a nutty aroma. They had tested the process so they knew precisely how long this would take.
I decided to try that approach with King Arthur’s Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour. I wasn’t surprised to find that the flour didn’t brown much at all, but it did take on a smoky flavor. Of course, it’s all about the flavor, right? And it worked! No need for the filé powder in my kitchen!
In addition to toasting the flour, “Mac” Gumbo takes its inspiration from the ATK recipe, with a few modifications. I use my own Cajun Seasoning. It’s a combination of spices and herbs that you most likely have in your pantry, and the resulting flavor is so complex – it’s worth the trouble. I also added shrimp, and used smoked kielbasa in lieu of andouille, because I was able to source a kielbasa product that doesn’t include sulfites. The rest of the recipe is pretty basic. You start with the holy trinity of onions, celery, and green bell peppers, and build from there.
Gumbo (“Mac” Gumbo)
Ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper
- 4 celery ribs
- 1 onion
- 6 scallions
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 8 ounces smoked kielbasa
- 12 ounces shrimp
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 t salt
- ½ t black pepper
- ¼ cup Cajun Seasoning (see note)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 t distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven; mise en place – Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425℉. Destem the bell pepper, remove the ribs and seeds, and chop into a medium dice. Trim and dice the celery. Peel and dice the onion. Trim the scallions and chop, separating the white and green parts. Remove the skin and trim the fat off of the chicken thighs. Slice the kielbasa. Peel and devein the shrimp.
- Toast the flour – Place flour in pie plate and toast it in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until it begins to take on some color and tastes smoky, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a bowl.
- Create the base and cook the chicken – Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, whites of the scallions, and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the Cajun Seasoning, and stir to coat the vegetables. Stir in 2 cups of broth. Add the chicken in single layer (chicken will not be completely submerged in liquid) and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is fork-tender, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Build the gumbo – Slowly whisk the remaining 2 cups broth in small increments into the toasted flour until a thick, smooth paste forms. Slowly whisk the paste into gumbo, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding next. Turn up the heat to medium. Stir in the water and the sliced kielbasa. Simmer, uncovered, until the gumbo thickens slightly, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Finish – Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the shredded chicken, shrimp, and half of the chopped scallion greens into the gumbo. Cook until the shrimp is opaque, then remove the pot from the heat, stir in vinegar, and season with salt to taste. Garnish with the rest of the scallion greens, and serve with white rice or crusty bread.
This recipe is funky in the best possible way. It’s silky and pungent, and despite it’s humble demeanor, it feels luxurious. When I’m serving “Mac” Gumbo with rice, I leave the shrimp whole and slice the kielbasa into coins. When I’m serving it as more of a stew with slabs of sourdough, I dice the shrimp and kielbasa into smaller pieces. It’s just a texture thing, but the flavors are heady regardless.
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