My Gumbo-Laya

It has been quite a while since my last post. How to summarize a 6 month period in a few short paragraphs? Here goes; completed spring quarter and loved it. Chef Atkinson provided more than cooking techniques. He provided a cultural and historic context for food and cooking. Why is this important? Food is at its essence part of our collective experience. There has been so much cross-pollenization from one culture to another that it is amazing to find out where herbs, spices, cooking techniques originated and how amazing it is they morphed into our present day options. Summer arrived quickly after Spring (at least from an academic perspective). A chance to visit local farmers in the Skagit Valley provided me with a new appreciation regarding where and how we get our food. The only addendum to this I would suggest would be a visit to a monoculture farm – I love contrast and comparison. It was not only farm schooling but also Charcuterie, Ice Carving, Dim Sum, Sushi, and Smorbrod. Not everything turned out perfectly, but I still enjoyed the chaos that can be summer quarter, and I love Charcuterie. After a 5 week respite, it was back into school with the start of “International Cooking” a la 4th quarter kitchen. This has been one of the most challenging quarters for me. Our instructor, Karen Jurgensen, provides us with some great information, and the expectation is that we have made it thus far, and should be able to cook with minimal instruction. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but it stretches the boundaries.

With this quarter, Seattle Culinary Academy has also experienced the loss of Chef Greg Atkinson to a new venture, opening a high-end vegetarian restaurant in 2011. I am excited to see him move back into the restaurant scene as he has solid recipes, techniques, and will be able to continue his teaching in a non-academic setting.

With that let me share my homage to New Orleans and the friends I have made in school from there. I call it Gumbo-laya as I wasn’t sure if it was going to turn out to be Gumbo or Jambalaya, plus I added some things that are probably not in a traditional Gumbo anyway. Either way, add what you may and adapt to your own home – just let it simmer long enough to develop some flavor. Don’t forget to start your rice (long-grain white) about 20 minutes before you are ready to dine:

Gumbo-Laya
¼ c fat of choice (I used canola)
¼ c flour of choice (I used brown rice flour)
1 c Tasso Ham
2 c Yellow onion, small-dice
1 c Green pepper, small-dice
1 c Carrot, small-dice
½ c Celery, small-dice
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 lb tomato, medium dice
2 cups white wine or beer
1-1/2 quarts stock (I used chicken, but for a more seafoody version maybe a fish/chicken combo would work)
1 lb okra, sliced
¼ t cayenne pepper
1 T Old Bay or if you have it Gumbo Filé
2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into strips
1 lb Andouille sausage, sliced
1 lb prawns, peeled (I know crawfish would be better)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
1) In a dutch oven over med-high heat, make a dark roux mixing the fat and flour together. Adjust heat so it doesn’t burn, but make sure you get some good color on it, and any starchy flavor has been cooked out.
2) Add Tasso ham and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, followed by onion, green pepper, carrot, celery and garlic.
3) Coat aromatics well and let them soften a bit, make sure you continue to stir so roux does not burn or stick to bottom of pan.
4) Add tomato and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
5) Deglaze with wine/beer and stir until pan is almost dry again.
6) Add stock and bring to a boil, all the while stirring every few minutes, scraping bottom of pan.
7) Add Cayanne pepper and Old Bay (or Gumbo Filé), adjusting for desired heat and flavor.
8) Turn heat down to med-low to low so it is simmer.
9) Add okra and chicken thighs.
10) Let simmer for at least an hour. Adjust with liquid to desired consistency.
11) About 20 minutes before you are ready to serve it add Andouille sausage.
12) 10 minutes before service add prawns, shrimp or desired shellfish.
13) Adjust salt and pepper about 5 minutes prior to serving.

Serve over rice and enjoy with a cold beer (at least that’s what I did)!