Saturday, May 26, 2012

Gumbobalaya

To clearify a few things this is my Gumbo recipe, BUUUT I was out of okra so it's Jambalaya.



Getting the cut's ready, and a million bowls as Robyn ( my better half) would tell you I always use, as I try to Mise En Place when cooking.... but never do as I start half way through. Habit of a line cook.


I small dice the onion ( doing onion first as most of the nutrition and benefits of onions best come out of cutting and resting the onion for at lest 10mins. )


I put about 1 and a half cups of frozen small shrimp on water to loosen the tails.


Some celery for the mirepoix (well we are doing tasty stock with yellow peppers.)


med diced like the onion.


To give you an idea of the cut I made.


More mirepoix work.


I slice down the bottom of the garlic to make it very easy to peel. Just pull back taking off one full side of peel, then going back for the rest.


Hope you didn't toss your vegetable peels and scraps. We toss those into a pot of water with two more cloves of crushed garlic and bring to a boil. Once at a boil turn in min and ignore it. ( make sure you still have room in your pot for double of what is in there, you'll learn why later.)



Cooked off some crab last night fresh from the sea ( cooks have their sources after being in the industry for a few years, where to get fresh, fresh, fresh product ) in sea water. ( place an inch of sea water into boiler then live crab. bring to boil and time for 12mins. take out and shock in ice water. Rip off lag and toss body.)


RAWR!!!


Melt 1/4 butter in large pot, then turn on min.


Time to learn how to quickly get your crab meat. Stab peering knife into leg.


Turn up and push blade down.


You have two halves. If you can't figure how to get the meat out now send your crab to me, I'll eat it.


For claw, pull the movable pincer up and pull out.


I use my large chef knife to crush into the center of the claw and cut through it. ( my knives are kept VERY sharp.)


SAVE YOUR SHELLS!!! They are getting tossed into that butter you just melted. Along with the shrimp tails you just pulled off all your shrimp. ( if you get fully shelled shrimp de-shell them and use the full shell, MORE FLAVOR!!) Turn up to med, add a touch of water from your veg stock you are working on, just a touch to get steam and plunk a lid on that pot.


Mmmmmeat. 


Cut up some lovely fresh parsley for the mirepoix.


Remember the bacon in my last blog, well some survived to today. Diced fine for the mirepoix -cough- I mean tastie stock.


mmm Tastie stock..


What's this... sexy chourico sausage. 


Quarter diced.


Chicken breast. If you had a roasted chicken the day before I'd use that, better flavor, AND you'd have a chicken carcass to roast off and make chicken stock out of, oooo.


That's sexy.


Not that your shell has been steaming in the butter to add flavor get your tongs. Pick all of those shrimp tails and shell out and place them in your veg stock (see told you you'd need more room). Add water to your veg and now shell fish stock pot, just enough to cover what is in it. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.


Now see how there is a build up on your large pot. Let's fix that.


White wine baby. Bring your pot up to a med heat before added. When you hear it start to sizzle. Then hit it with the wine ( just enough to cover the bottom ) and scrap the bottom with your tongs.


Sexy no?


another 1/4 cup of butter. I used salted, forgot to say.


When that is melted toss in your chicken and sausage till the chicken is cooked.


Once the meat is cooked, toss in your tastie stock mix and cook till your onions are translucent.


Pot strainer. Buy one.


Time to add your other stock you made. Mmm HOT!.


Notice your pot isn't full? Add enough chicken stock to bring it up 2 inches form your stock pot.


Some bay leaf.


Pepper, chili pepper, basil ( my favorite herb.) and honey. ( if you want a spicy smoky taste add chipotle power, which I would have if it wasn't being cooked for my in-laws. They are not a fan of hot hot foods.)


Add in 2 cups of rice and soften. This will help thicken your stock. Once soft add your shrimp and crab. I was out of okra otherwise I would have added it now too, but I didn't... so I was sad. Thicken abit if the rice and okra wasn't to your liking with abit of rue. (melt butter in pan, slowly add flour till you have a nice paste, then add to soup.)

I then turn off my Gumbo and ignore it for a few hours. (I started this at 11am and it was finished at 2:45pm the point where I ignore it.) Then heat as you need it. The ignoring part is to allow for the flavors to meld. This is one of those things best left for a day in the fridge before eating. Or hell, bottle it up.

Monster Potato Mash!!

Not sure what you would call this. I call it Baked Mash Potato.



Yes. I like to bake my bacon. It help get alot of the grease. I like to bake it at 375 for 12 mins then flip and cook for another 12 mins. (You could cook for longer, I don't like crispy bacon unless it's on my caesar.)





Peeled and rinsed 4 potato, then boiled them till soft. Drained off the water then ( very important ) placed them back in the pot and place them on the stove on low stirring now and then till dried. This makes for a nicer whipped potato as there is less water in your mix. 


So I was out of fresh chives.... I know, so freeze dried had to do.


Some scallions ( I call them green onions -nods- )




This is how fine I diced them, diced my garlic this fine as well.


mmm


This is Half the bacon that I roasted. ( the other half was saved for other meals. It can be reheated in a frying pan very fast, faster then you can cook your morning eggs, good trick for fast breakfasts.)


Used the WHOLE THING BABY!


Fired in the sour cream, bacon, chives, touch of salt, and pepper.


After I slowly added in some fort cheddar ( amount is adjusted to your personal taste, I only used half a cup as I wanted to still taste the bacon.) 

CHILL your mixture before forming the Balls.


I formed them by hand into small balls reusing the bacon try and parchment paper for the bacon taste. Then I baked the buggers in the oven at 400 for 20 mins. ( keep an eye on them.) I cooked just before golden as I only wanted it to have a skin to hold the heat. It is normally served with a golden crusting, but I fine it gets too dry.