That was most of the menu for the dinner tonight at the meeting I attended. Remember, as the crow flies, this is about 600 miles from the Gulf, 900 from the Atlantic and 1300 from the Pacific. This is very rare in these parts. Nevertheless, all of it was quite tasty. Had seconds on the jumbalaya, although I did make a point to avoid the slimy okra included. Neither my grandparents nor my parents ever planted okra in their gardens when I was a youngster and it never appeared in our school lunches, so I was probably 30 before ever eating any. It's not bad, so long as it isn't served slimy.
Okra is as common as sweet tea around here.
Goo removal: http://oureverydaylife.com/reduce-slime-cooking-okra-24664.html
jambalaya
Okry was in every garden we had when I was a kid. Okry was on the table with almost every meal in the summer. I've never thought of it as "slimy". My fav is stewed maters, onions and peppers with okra. The hotter the better.
My mother told me a story from the Depression days. When her father couldn't afford coffee he would toast okra seeds and grind them to brew a hot breakfast replacement for coffee. Never tried it, never wanted to...but I guess it worked for him.
There's never okra** in jambalaya. It would make it mushy. It's pitiful people's concept of Cajun/Creole food outside of Louisiana.
Even in LA there are regional variations of jambalaya. In Gonzales, LA. that claimed to be the jambalaya capital of the world, it is of German style origin basically consisting of roast pork and andouille . Creole jambalaya of New Orleans adds more green peppers and tomatoes. Acadiana jambalaya can have anything such as chicken, pork, shrimp, andouille etc and more cayenne then others.
It can't be made from a box found in a store. It related to the Valencia dish of paella.
**Okra can be found in some gumbos, mostly creole seafood gumbos.
I am glad you enjoyed it. I have tried jambalaya and gumbo along with other various cajun dishes outside the state of Louisiana on many occasions. Most with unfavorable results. It's like the cook never ate authentic cajun food.
A side note, I have never eaten jambalaya with okra
I love okra. Fried, stewed, pickled, boiled, whatever. Gumbo is where you'll find okra, it helps "thicken" the mixture. Like our Louisiana friends said though, it depends on who makes it and where they are from. A Cajun friend made the best gumbo I've ever eaten but it was never the same twice. Whatever she had available was what she put in. Duck, shrimp, crawfish, pork, whatever. As long as you start with a roux (grin).
Andy
Robert Hill, post: 393115, member: 378 wrote: Even in LA there are regional variations of jambalaya. In Gonzales, LA. that claimed to be the jambalaya capital of the world, it is of German style origin basically consisting of roast pork and andouille . Creole jambalaya of New Orleans adds more green peppers and tomatoes. Acadiana jambalaya can have anything such as chicken, pork, shrimp, andouille etc and more cayenne then others.
I'm partial to duck, Andouille, and a little Tasso
Okra is best fried. When it is done right. It is special.
James Fleming, post: 393134, member: 136 wrote: I'm partial to duck, Andouille, and a little Tasso
Me too but as a very dark roux gumbo not jambalaya.Can't be beat.
Okra is not supposed to be cooked long enough for it to become mushy. When done should still be crisp and floating.
Only place enough okra in to be ate at first cooking.
When reheating, add more okra.
Same with shrimp. That jumbo shrimp is not supposed to be cooked down to the size of a quarter.
The fowl, sliced link sausage and many other meats can be cooked much longer and reheated without destroying the gumbo.
The same with rice.
Many people do not want rice in the gumbo and for it to be cooked separately and the gumbo be served covering the rice.
The rice can also be put in cooking bags and cooked along with the gumbo and be opened into a separate container after cooking.
making me hungry way before supper time
Several believe The word Gumbo is an African word for okra
Others believe Gumbo is a soap thickened with okra.
Lamon Miller, post: 393216, member: 553 wrote: ...Others believe Gumbo is a soap thickened with okra.
If that is indeed true, I'm almost positive the recipe begins with the words "Make a roux..." 😉
soap is already pretty thick.
Beat me to it. Thank was funnnnny!
Lamon Miller, post: 393216, member: 553 wrote: ..Others believe Gumbo is a soap thickened with okra.
Momma Cash use to serve us Cash boys a snack of bar soap from time to time....bleck...pthooey...I can still taste it...
That's a lye!
I agree with Robert, duck & anduille gumbo with a thick, dark roux is one of my favorites. I haven't been there in a while, but Walk Ons used to have a good one.
The best gumbo I ever made was fried turkey, anduille, and tasso. Started with two turkeys rubbed with Tony's and injected with Creole Butter; fried them up, ate one of them, cleaned the other one for the gumbo, and used both carcasses to make a big pot of stock. Made a homemade roux and used anduille and tasso from Jacob's Anduille in Laplace, which is the best (www.cajunsausage.com - they'll ship. I shipped my son tasso in Afghanistan to give him and his boys a taste of home).
Lee D, post: 393284, member: 7971 wrote: I agree with Robert, duck & anduille gumbo with a thick, dark roux is one of my favorites. I haven't been there in a while, but Walk Ons used to have a good one.
The best gumbo I ever made was fried turkey, anduille, and tasso. Started with two turkeys rubbed with Tony's and injected with Creole Butter; fried them up, ate one of them, cleaned the other one for the gumbo, and used both carcasses to make a big pot of stock. Made a homemade roux and used anduille and tasso from Jacob's Anduille in Laplace, which is the best (www.cajunsausage.com - they'll ship. I shipped my son tasso in Afghanistan to give him and his boys a taste of home).
The next time you make that just give me a call, it sounds like it would be worth the drive. I may have to try that myself, I smoke turkeys pretty much the same way.
Andy
Smoked turkey would work well but with the fried you get a lot of residual flavor from the injection and the Tony's on the skin. Not that there's much skin left from a good fried turkey...
