It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
I’m talking about post-holidays, when all the excitement has died down, all the relatives gone, and you are left with a fridge full of leftovers. It’s time for the most wonderful gumbo of the year!
Wait! You kept the turkey carcass right? You know, the leftover bones after you cut up the holiday bird? It is the secret to this wonderful gumbo. Especially if you happened to barbecue or smoke that bird. The broth does not cost much to make but time, and it is simply magical.
Get out your big stock pot and toss in the carcass, a few ribs of celery, a couple of quartered onions, a couple carrots, some whole black peppercorns, and maybe a couple of bay leaves. Cover with several quarts of water and let simmer uncovered for at least a couple of hours. It will smell really great! Or, if you are in a hurry, you cook it up in your handy-dandy pressure cooker. Still takes about an hour of cooking.
Turkey bone broth is one of the secrets to a great gumbo.
Here is a tip: even though it smells really wonderful and makes you feel all warm and comfortable, do not fall asleep on the couch and wake up the next morning. I did this once, and it wasn’t fun. I still had about a cup of super-concentrated broth. But where did the rest go? It was condensing on the ceiling of my kitchen and living room, in little turkey broth droplets. I actually woke up because there was a little turkey rain hitting me on the couch. I am tall, but it took me a long time to clean the ceiling.
So, you didn’t fall asleep. Good. You will want to prep the rest of your gumbo ingredients now. Once you get your roux going, you are going to need to stay with it or risk burning it. And that would be bad and sad. Get your beer ready now! I had a nice barleywine that lasted the entire roux-making process.
I was having some Drake’s Jolly Rodger, an outstanding barleywine
Chop up a couple of onions, a couple of stalks of celery, and one or two bell peppers. I really like red the best. And it keeps its pretty color.
Get your vegetables chopped up and ready.
There may be some reserved turkey from the broth, but I am pretty sure it has already given up most of its flavor. So I am getting ready some andouille sausage (any smoked sausage will do nicely), some chicken thighs, and some shrimp.
Andouille sausage!
Chopped boneless, skinless turkey thighs, with a little cajun rub sprinkled over.
On to the roux! Roux is a thickening, flavoring medium that you get by cooking flour in fat or oil. A roux is a process. Toasted flour smells amazing. I’ve heard you can make a good roux in the oven, but have never tried it. I do it in my enameled cast iron pot on the stove. It is a good excuse to have a beer as you keep the flour moving. Two warnings. 1) Don’t leave the roux alone or it can burn quickly. It becomes very bitter and tastes awful. 2) Roux is like napalm. Do not splash it or get it on your skin. I am very serious. It will leave a really nasty burn.
Ok, I didn’t mean to scare you. Just put on some cajun music, heat up your oil to about medium (I usually use about 3/4 cup peanut oil) and sprinkle in the flour (about 3/4 cup as well). Keep it going until you get the color you like. The darker the color, the more intense the flavor. I usually go for something dark chocolate colored.
Getting to know my roux
Once the roux is ready, add in the vegetables to soften for about five minutes. They will spit a little as they hit the roux. Keep them moving. Then add in your chicken and sausage for another five minutes. If you want some heat, sprinkle in some cayenne pepper. I don’t make mine spicy, but let people add hot sauce to theirs at the end.
Add in the broth and let simmer for about an hour. If you like okra, you can add it in as it simmers. Near the end of the cooking time, I like to add in some shrimp as well.
Turkey bone gumbo all plated up. Someday I will learn about more attractive presentations.
This would get served up at my house with some steamed rice. And some hot sauce (Dave’s Ghost Pepper Sauce is crazy good ). And more beer. The gumbo is a process, but well worth it!
If you like this recipe, you can find more like it in my free cookbook, “Your Dish is Granted”, a collection of recipes from me and my awesome coworkers. You can check it out at www.tbi-sci.org.
Until next time, cheers! -Jerry