Then get ready for some Seafood Gumbo. This gumbo is fabulous and your family will love you. It has crab, shrimp, and crawfish and andoille sausage. I must say I could get kicked out of the south for this comment, however I added some sugar to this gumbo and it sure brought out all of the flavors and enhanced the entire dish. Let's keep it our secret.(wink).
French Quarter Beignets
1 pkg. of quick rise yeast
1/2 cup sugar or splenda
2 eggs
4-7 cups of bread flour
1-1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 cup of evaporated milk
*oil or shortening for frying
*powdered sugar
In a large mixing bowl add your warm water and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and stir to dissolve. Let this sit until foamy, then add salt, eggs, and milk. Now over medium low speed of your mixer, mix all of this until incorporated, then add about 4 cups of flour. Mix until it forms a soft mixture, it will not be a ball of dough. Cover and chill overnight.
Take your mixture out of the fridge and work in flour as needed to form a nice soft ball of dough.( amount of flour depends on the atmosphere of your house) Use remaining flour to dust your rolling surface. Roll out the dough to 1/8" thickness. Then you are going to use a pizza roller and cut the dough into squares, about 2x2. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Then bring your oil to about 350-360 degrees F. Put your powdered sugar in a paper bag. Fry the beignets for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown on both sides. Drain them on paper towels, then toss them in your powdered sugar bag and shake 'em up.
*Enjoy with some fresh coffee, and indulge...go ahead its Fat Tuesday!
My Seafood Gumbo
Ignore the date on this I made this march 5th, need to update my camera settings. Like the bowl it's in?? Hand made by my Dad. If you want some custom serving dishes message me and I will let you know how to order these sensational serving dishes.
Ok get ready for something new, an adventure you have to make a roux. Do not answer your phone, your door, tell the kids to go find an activity, because you will not be able to leave the stove. Dont worry its quite easy just do not get in a hurry, you'll be stirring for awhile. Work out those arms!
Roux
2/3 cup of canola oil
1 cup of flour
Now in a medium skillet over medium heat add your oil. Get out your wisk, and wait until the oil gets hot, not sizzle hot, just hot enough you can feel the heat with your palm placed over it. Now slowly wisk in your flour. Stir, stir and stir. Do not walk away. You will stir this continously or it will burn. First it will be a light tan color, then it will go to a peanut butter color, when it gets this color you can turn down your heat if you are afraid it will burn on you, however I keep it on the same temperature. You want the roux to look like milk chocolate, or chocolate cake mix. This gives the gumbo it's texture and richness.
* if you are uncomfortable with this make a dry roux, take a cast iron skillet and add 1 cup of flour, stir the flour until the color of peanut butter. (open your windows) remove, and add oil, get the oil hot then add the flour.
Seafood Gumbo
1 recipe roux
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper chopped
4 cloves garlic or 2-3 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Creole seasoning
2-3 bay leaves whole.
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
48 oz. box of swanson's chicken broth
1# Andoille Sausage-sliced
2# Fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cans (6oz) White crab meat (chicken of the sea)
2 cans (6oz.) lump crab meat
2# Crawfish *( I garnished with these, and had on the side.)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup sugar (shhh)
*Rice*
Okay now that your roux is done, add the onions, celery, and green pepper and garlic if using fresh.Over medium heat- Let this sweat until the veggies are tender. it's going to smell wonderful, and the mixture will be more fluid, than thick at this point.
Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and the andouille sausage . Then add your bay leaves, tabasco sauce, and garlic powder if your using vs. fresh. I always throw in a about 1/8 cup of dried parsley. you can too if you want. Then add your creole seasoning. Not too much it is salty. I use Tony Chachere's, it is in a green container in spice aisle at the grocery store. If you do not have use a tsp. of salt, a tsp. of pepper and 1 tsp. cayenne.
Now let this simmer for 30-45 minutes.( longer if you want) Now you have to get organized because you have a lot to do. If using crawfish bring a pot of water to a boil, and throw in some creole seasoning. Add the crawfish and let boil 10 minutes. Take them off the heat. Now you need to bring 3 cups of water to a boil, then add 3 cups of minute rice. cover remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. While this is sitting, throw in your shrimp and crab to your gumbo pot. When shrimp are pink, its done. Now taste it...does it need adjusting? Add the sugar here, not all of it at once, just taste and add.
Serve your gumbo over rice and spinkle with green onions. Oh also make some corn bread to go with it, and you will be a rock star! I think you deserve some beads!
