Today, what we generally refer to as “New Orleans cuisine” is actually the conflation of two originally separate cuisines: Creole and Cajun. Think, “citified” vs. “countrified,” respectively. From the 18th century, New Orleans was populated by French and Spanish settlers, local native Choctaws and thousands of West African slaves. Add to this mix the descendants of French settlers of Acadia, a region that now encompasses parts of Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. In the mid-18th century, these mostly poor French speakers landed in Louisiana after fleeing hostilities between British and French forces. Their name, Acadians, gives us their current moniker, “Cajuns.” Take a look at gumbo’s ingredients, and you’ll see influences from all of these groups.
While probably every cook in Louisiana has her or his own method for gumbo, one thing that pretty much all gumbos have in common is their thick consistency. While some are thicker than others, they all by definition have some sort of thickener in them.
Typically, gumbos are thickened one of three ways. 1. Roux. This hallmark of French classical cuisine blending equal amounts of fat and flour is cooked to various shades of darkness. In its adopted New Orleans home, the fat is oil and the roux can be cooked to very dark. 2. Okra. This native African vegetable arrived with West African slaves. 3. File powder. Ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree add flavor along with consistency. If you’ve never seen a sassafras tree, they’re really cool because they have three distinct leaf shapes: one regular, leafy shaped leaf; one with two parts that makes it look like a mitten; and one with three parts that make it look like the Canadian flag. Now, some hard-core New Orleans cooks might argue strenuously about what thickeners go with what. My advice is, listen to them respectfully, then do what you want.
This recipe uses onions, bell peppers and celery — the New Orleans version of the French “mirepoix.” The okra will help thicken the sauce. Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 1 hour, 12 minutes Makes: 12 servings
Spice mix:
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons oregano
2 bay leaves
Gumbo:
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 large onions, medium dice
3 green bell peppers, medium dice
5 ribs celery, cut into ¼-inch slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1 pound okra, trimmed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken stock
1 pound andouille sausage, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
Salt as needed
1½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
Cooked rice as needed
1. For spice mix: Combine ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.
2. For roux: Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add oil and flour; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is dark brown, 10 to 20 minutes.
3. Add onions, peppers and celery and cook until onions are soft and brown, stirring frequently, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Add garlic and half of the spice mix; cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, okra, stock and sausage; bring to a boil while stirring, then reduce heat and simmer to remove starchy flavor of flour, about 20 minutes. Season with salt, then taste for spiciness. If needed, add remaining spice mix and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Add shrimp and simmer until done, about 5 minutes.
7. To serve, use an ice cream scoop to place rice in a warm bowl. Ladle gumbo around it and serve immediately.