• That first photo might not be very appetizing. Do you know what it is? It's a chocolate- brown roux
in which have been cooked sliced onions, celery, and bell pepper (red, green, and yellow).
• The second photo shows steamer-cooked okra pods that have been cut into pieces so that they can
better release their magical "goo", as the Wikipedia article about okra calls it.
Okra Gumbo with steamed rice
• The meats I put in were turkey breast, pork sausage, and shrimp. I fried the turkey and sausage
before adding them to the thickened broth. The shrimp just cooked in the broth.
• The broth is chicken bouillon into which which I stirred the "roux goo" as a thickener.
The okra goo also has thickening power in the broth.
You can find numerous past posts about okra (gombos in French) and Louisiana-style "gumbo" here. An American book I have (Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History, by John Egerton) says this about the dish called gumbo: The wonderful thing about gumbo is that it welcomes and assimilates so many diverse flavors. You can use duck, oysters, chicken, smoked sausage, or other meats and seafoods. Hot peppers, garlic, and numerous spices are favored by some cooks. Every good Louisiana cook seems almost honor-bound to have a distinctive "signature" gumbo, with its formula a closely guarded secret.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the okra, photo #3 reminds me of my favorite dish at the late Elephant Bar in Palm Desert. Can’t remember the name of it, you might? Your dish looks so appetizing! If I had it in front of me, I’m sure I’ll gulp all of it in no time flat!
ReplyDeleteI think it was Jambalaya.
DeleteThe main difference between gumbo and jambalaya is the roux that is the basis of gumbo.
DeleteGlad to see that Tasha's Vet trip had this unexpected positive side effect :)
ReplyDeleteÀ quelque chose malheur est bon...
DeleteGumbo, yes. Shrimp and grits, yes. And, I'm sorry, I've tried, and tried, but okra is a No.
ReplyDeleteThe way okra is prepared and cooked makes all the difference.
DeleteSorry, Emm. Substitute something like Romano flat green beans for the okra in these recipes.
DeleteAll the food above looks great. Okra would probably go well with Chinese food too - I'm thinking of hot and sour soup with okra, for example.
ReplyDeleteHere's a recipe for an Indian frittata with okra that I've made and posted about before.
Delete