Grandfield Gumbo Family Favorite Cozy Meal

Yvonna
7 minutes ago
4 min read

A humble meal loved by us all to warm up after a snow day and a nod to our many years in the south.

This dish is soooo good and simple, besides the Roux. It also freezes beautifully for another time, just make a fresh batch of rice and cook from frozen with a little water in a pot and you have a quick freezer meal. You can make this year round with using left over roast chicken or boneless skinless chicken thighs and broth, store bought or homemade.

Darin and I are originally from California but we've spent many years living in the South. Our children were also born in the South so it's important for us embrace that. Plus it's some of the best food in my opinion. I've always loved cajun food and whenever my mom was out of town my brother and I would go to this hole in the wall cajun place in Concord, CA and fill up on the spices that didn't agree with my moms palate. When we moved to Louisiana, Darin and I would go to gumbo tasting competitions to figure out what we liked in a gumbo and everyone's home recipe is unique which is so fun. I then asked LA friends make it for us and teach me their secrets or at least what they would share with me and then made my own family recipe. It differs a bit every time as I use what I can find for example when we lived in the UK I couldn't find smoked andouille like I did in the south so I would use cured Spanish Chorizo instead so its a pretty resliliant recipe depending on what you have or like. Lastly, to any native southerners reading this there is no tomato paste in this I swear.

Plated gumbo with garnish — (Gumbo plated)

Grandfield Gumbo

4 Boneless skinless chicken thigh or Picked the meat off the bones from a roasted poultry, need apx 1-2 cups of shredded meat if doing a pre pulled meat
1 full link of smoked pork sausage, like andouile
1 onion diced
1 bell pepper diced **(optional)
1 carrot diced
3 mined mushrooms if you want to add extra umami
2-3 sticks of celery diced
4-5 cups of stock/broth (instructions below for homemade stock)
Roux: 6 tbsp flour and 6 tbsps butter + 1 tbsp avocado oil
4 cloves of garlic minced (add this last before simmering)
Cajun seasoning to taste like Slap Ya Mamma
I typically add a little extra sea sat and smoked paprika as I dial down my cajun seasoning these days for the kids to have a more mild version.

Serve with:

A pot of rice enough for at least 4 people rinsed till clear then cooked, I measure about 1 cup of rice to 2-3 ladle fulls of gumbo for an adult portion.

Make your stock, this is great to do the night before if you have leftover turkey or roasted chicken:

Pick the meat off and set aside in a Tupperware for the following day. Add bones to a crock pot. instant pot, or good old fashioned stock pot and cover with water. You can just do bones and water or all the trimmings like onion celery and carrot if you want but not necessary for this dish.
Let it simmer and cook all night or as long as you can. I personally do not salt my broth till I'm using it because I like to add my salt to taste at the end so I don't end up with something too salty. Don't drink the broth without salt though, it will taste like dirty sink water.

Next day, start your one pot gumbo in the morning or afternoon:

Drain your stock so the bones are separate, compost or trash the leftover bits keep the stock.
Brown your Sausage, I cut mine into bite sized bits for the kids, save the oil in the pan when done browning for the next step.
Sauté your vegetables in the fat from the meat. (onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper*) *We typically leave bell pepper out as it doesn't agree with me. I also like to add minced mushroom occasionally if I have it makes a nice umami flavor though not traditional to add. Once browned and sautéed it's time to make the roux, set your veggies and meat aside.
The roux, this is the hardest part. Equal parts butter and flour plus an extra tbsp of avocado oil to help not over burn and toast evenly. You can't leave it and have to whisk it continuously over medium low to medium high heat, you'll find the sweat spot you want it toasting without burning. Make it as dark as you like, what does that mean? Our family likes a "chocolate roux". This means you will brown your roux till it's the color of chocolate. It's a fine line between chocolate and burnt. If you don't think you'll like it that dark I would suggest a "peanut butter" for your first attempt. A "peanut butter roux" looks like you guessed it, peanut butter! Images below for reference.
Once roux is to your liking quickly add the stock in 1-2cup measurements while stirring it will thicken fast. Caution as the roux is so hot it will steam up quickly and can burn you.
After all your stock is in add back in the sautéed veggies, sausage, and left over turkey meat. Add fresh minced garlic and cajun seasoning to your liking. You may need to add salt if you don't add a lot of cajun seasoning, do this to taste. Remember your stock has very little to no salt so you can't really over do it if you taste and add.
Let simmer on low all day stirring occasionally.
Make your rice however you prefer. Any rice will do but I typically prefer a long grain that's well rinsed so it's not sticky and gloopy.
When you are ready to eat grab a bowl or deep pasta bowl is perfect. Fill with your gumbo then add a dollop rice on top with garnish like parsley, green onio or chives. If you're really cajun this is where you add your potato salad (if you know you know) but we aren't that southern.....yet.