It’s a Foolproof Food Day!

One Reader Shares His Memory of World’s Best Gumbo and How to Recreate It

Foolproof Food Days are a lot of fun on my site. They expose my readers to new ways of thinking about and preparing the classics, so when a self-described “Southerner” and fan of mine (he shall be known here as Jon A.) offered to share his gumbo recipe, I looked forward to retelling the charming story behind it. This version of gumbo is based on Jon’s trip to New Orleans, roughly 1 year after Hurricane Katrina. There had been a wedding and the groomsman’s family—who lived in the Metairie district within ear shot of the trolley—was still having a great deal of problems inside the house. Parts of the city were still without electricity, and the kitchen had flooded so badly, that the wedding party chose to eat outside. The gumbo was prepared on a grill, right next to the family’s pool. Today’s Foolproof Gumbo recipe is written for the kitchen stovetop; however, it’s a carbon copy, ingredients wise, of everything that this wedding party enjoyed on a crisp cool night in 2006.

With Lent on the Way, This Dish is Perhaps the Most Perfect Use of Leftovers

For many home cooks, gumbo is a way to get rid of leftovers, and this recipe works well using that same notion; this version has the same trinity of meats that the best New Orleans style gumbo has: Andouille sausage, chicken and crab, but frequently uses leftover roast chicken in the fridge, or tasty remnants of last night’s crab boil. If those ingredients aren’t around, and the household still has a hankering for wedding-party gumbo, why then canned crab and chicken are used, but give any chef his druthers and it’s fresh all the way.

There’s always something fun to learn when you’re cooking, and in the case of this Foolproof Food story, the lesson learned was that coriander is the secret ingredient in recreating the gumbo from Metairie, Louisa, circa 2006. And that makes sense when you think about it. Coriander is mentioned in the ingredients on crab boil kits, so consider that next time you’re wondering what dash of spice works the best on slow simmering seafood dishes. As to seasoning, the original gumbos used an extract from sassafras leaves that give the taste that recognizable fire; you can recollect that fusion of flavor—sassafras, cayenne pepper and caramelized onions with Tony Cachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. 

Happy Mardi Gras, Everyone!

I’m told that this Foolproof Gumbo was a hit on the night it was served and photographed on the eve of Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans.  I understand that the family enjoyed it around a fire-lit bracero on an unseasonably cold night—even for February!

Have a recipe you’d like to share? Send it to me, and we’ll chat about its background and inspiration and do a Foolproof Food post that encourages our tight-knit community of home chefs to give it a try. Thanks for reading!

Jon A.’s Gumbo

Serves: 10
Prep Time: About 2 hours

1/3 cup olive oil
4 large yellow onions, chopped (about 8 cups)
4 red bell peppers, seeded, chopped (about 4 1/2 cups)
4 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups red wine
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (12 oz. can) corn
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
6 bay leaves
2 (28-oz.) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8 oz. can) tomato paste
6 cups vegetable broth
4 pounds andouille sausage, cut into slices
10 ounces chicken breast, shredded
10 ounces fresh crab meat
1 pound okra, sliced (about 4 cups)

Salt and ground pepper

2 pounds peeled deveined medium shrimp

Steamed rice

In a large stock pot, Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until caramelized, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add bell peppers, celery and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cayenne, red wine, black beans and corn.  Add coriander, and bay leaves; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes (do not drain), tomato paste, vegetable broth, sausage, chicken and crab; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add okra and simmer until just tender, about 8 minutes.

Add shrimp to pot and cook to doneness, about 5 minutes. Season gumbo to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in soup bowls on a bed of steamed rice.

Irish Seafood Stew

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 1 hour

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 large red bell peppers, diced (about 2 cups)
2 medium celery ribs, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
6 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
6 8-ounce bottles clam juice
1 ½ cups white wine
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 medium head escarole lettuce, washed, dried and torn into 1-inch pieces, about 4 cups
1 ½ pounds salmon fillet, skinned, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 ½ pound grouper fillet, skinned, cut into 2-inch pieces
16 large sea scallops
1 ½ pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 24)
1 ½ pounds small mussels

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Garlic croutons

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.

Add onion, pepper, celery and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the canned tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste.
Stir in the clam juice, white wine, fresh herbs and bay leaves. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Use and immersion blender to puree the stew base. Alternatively, you may puree the stew base in a food processor or a blender.)

If the sauce is too thin thicken it by adding a mixture of cornstarch and cold water. Thin a thick sauce by adding more clam juice or chicken stock.

Add the escarole and cook for 5 minutes.

Nestle the salmon, grouper and sea scallops into the stew. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and mussels to the stew. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mussels have opened, the shrimp is opaque and the fish is cooked through.

Ladle the stew into shallow bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and garlic croutons.

Fortify someone you love with a slow cooker favorite, Hunter Style Chicken Stew

Paging through recipes of how chicken soup is served up across the globe, I was inspired to treat my growing family to this chef’s version of a classic. We are all over-the-moon (and pretty exhausted!) after welcoming my second grandson into the world. Enjoy him…and hang in there! Please know that some of the best comfort food I know is coming your way; this delightful dish travels well…spoiler alert!

It takes a village to feed a friend—that’s why there’s takethemameal.com
I talk a lot about “Freezer Pleasers”–dishes we can all roll up our sleeves and easily tote over to the busy young parents raising our grandkids, but there are other pack-and-go crowd pleasers that encourage Nanas and Extreme Party-Planners alike to get on board with the Slow Food Movement by preparing more fresh healthy food, MORE OFTEN; then make sure we all sit down and really taste it.

Recently, I found a wonderful resource called takethemameal.com that lets you participate in meal creation via an online sign-up sheet; this way everyone gets involved with the understanding that you don’t have to be a Food Network Star to help nourish and fortify a loved one; you just do what you can do. Click around on their site for more details.

My “Meals on Wheels” Recipe
I plan on “penciling in”, for my wonderful daughter-in-law and new Mom, Hunter Style Chicken Stew—perfect for those days when you are: “In for the night and ready for the long-haul!” What better way to fortify the troops than with a perfect, full-bodied chicken soup just like grandma used to make—and in this case is still making! I’m getting out my slow cooker—a brand and model that can practically perform magic (see my Favorite Things) and using it to introduce my first hard core “comfort food” of the season. The main thing to get excited about in this recipe?? You basically get to set the slow cooker on medium high for the day and walk away!

Why is it the perfect time for this stew?
As of October 1st, flu season was in full swing. With vulnerable loved ones in our lives, it’s a good idea to get flu shots and build our immunity with good, fresh food. Research done by the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha ran a study on chicken soup, and found evidence to support the folklore about its positive influence on upper respiratory colds!

Global Twists on Chicken Soup
Chinese chicken soup is made from old hens and seasoned with ginger, spring onions and star anise.
Colombian chicken soup is made with sweet corn, several types of potatoes, avacados and native herbs; in Mexico it’s got whole chicken pieces instead of chopped or shredded chicken, and large cuts of vegetables, plus cabbage leaves.
Bulgarian chicken soup is made with lemon juice and vingar.
French chicken soup includes bay leaves, fresh thyme, dry white wine and loads of garlic.
German chicken soup is all about semolina dumplings and pickling spices.
In Greece, chicken soup is made with lemon and eggs, and served with small bits of pasta.
In Israel chicken soup is considered the traditional dish of the Jewish kitchen; chicken fat is used in the broth and it’s sesaoned with parsley, fresh dill and thyme.
Portugal and Brazil are on my page, by adding rice to their chicken soup
--and—
Jorj’s chicken soup produces a bouquet of aromas that brings every last soldier to the dinner table, expecting a regal occasion, yet happily departing to the family room, soup mug in hand! Grab your afghans everybody—it’s time to bundle up!

Hunter's Style Chicken Stew with Yellow Rice

Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

1 (4-pound) chicken, rinsed and patted dry, cut into 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced (about 1 cup)
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup red wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 cups cooked yellow rice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet (with lid) over medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter.

Add the onion, peppers, mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Cook until the veggies are soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until much of the liquid has disappeared, about 5 minutes more.

Pour in the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste, oregano and rosemary. Add the chicken back to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.

To serve, divide the rice among 6 plates. Place chicken pieces on top of the rice. Ladle the sauce over top. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Fast and Furious Fish Stew

I bet you’ve always thought that fish stew is a complicated meal to prepare. This recipe will open your eyes. You can make the base for the stew in minutes, with your favorite veggies and a bit of wine, broth and clam juice to finish it. Fish cooks in just minutes, so add it to the base just before you are ready to serve. It’s as FUN to eat as it is easy to make.

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 strips bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed and chopped, about 1 cup
3 medium celery ribs, sliced, about 1 cup
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced, about 1 cup
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced, about 2 tablespoons
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1 cup white wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, about ¾ cup
1 cup homemade chicken broth, or prepared low sodium chicken broth
2 fresh or dried Bay leaves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 (4 to 5-ounce) lobster tails
½ pound cod fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound fresh squid, cleaned, bodies cut into narrow rings, tentacles left in tact
½ lb. medium shrimp, about 25 to 30, peeled and deveined
1 pound mussels, scrubbed

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the clam juice, white wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken broth. Add the salt, pepper and Bay leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Split the underside of the lobster tails to easily remove the meat after cooking. Place the lobster tails into the pot and cook until just opaque, about 3 minutes. Add the cod, and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the squid, shrimp and mussels. Cook until the calamari and shrimp are opaque and the mussels open, about 3 minutes more. Serve right away.

Note:
Want to skip the bacon and chicken broth, to make this a totally fish dish? This recipe still works great if you substitute vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.

Fiery Beef and Black Bean Chili

Yield: A pot full of chili
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: at least 4 hours in a slow cooker or longer if desired.

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pounds organic hormone and antibiotic free beef roast (chuck or tri tip work well in this recipe), cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and diced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (I like the San Marzano brand)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained (If you like black beans, use 2 cans)
2 or more tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Sour cream
Chopped fresh cilantro
Ripe avocado, diced into ½-inch pieces
Red, ripe tomatoes, diced into ½-inch pieces


Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat. Brown the beef in batches using additional oil as needed. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove the browned beef to a platter (or cool to room temperature and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to place into the slow cooker).

Place the beef into the slow cooker. Add the diced onion, red pepper, garlic, Chipotle peppers, corn, diced tomatoes, tomatoes and black beans. Season with chili powder and cumin. You can add more later on. Set the slow cooker on high for at least 4 hours or longer. After about 1 hour, stir the chili and adjust the seasonings by adding salt and pepper and additional chili powder.

When you are ready to serve, offer bowls or mugs of chili with toppings of sour cream, fresh cilantro, avocado chunks and diced ripe tomatoes.

Sources and Substitutions
You can purchase canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the ethnic section of the grocery store. These babies are hot! Take care in handling them. I seed them for this recipe, but if you like a lot of spice, chop one leaving the seeds inside, and place this into the pot.