I tend to be known as the tea queen in my family. My specialty is drinks, especially sweet tea. I do not cook very often but I do occasionally. I am not the best cook in the kitchen but there are a few recipes that I know and can cook well. One recipe is my mother’s lasagna, another is spaghetti, cream of chicken noodle soup, my own creation of pad Thai, salmon, Nana’s shepherd’s pie, and gumbo.
The gumbo recipe was my mother’s recipe. She learned the recipe from Grandma but made a few changes to the recipe. Grandma would make the rue while leaving the fat and the bones in, not even taking the bones out to serve. Nothing went to waste, and nothing was ever tossed out. Mom knew that we would refrain from trying the gumbo when we saw the bones in it, even though it was delicious. Mom kept the bones out.
I make gumbo based on mom’s recipe with my own adjustments. I always end up burning the rue, so my timing varies from my mother’s instructions. I start by cooking the chicken breast and shredding it when finished. I start the actual gumbo by melting the butter in the giant pot at medium heat, then add in the chopped onion and let it cook for five minutes. I stir occasionally to keep it from burning which is something that has happened more than once. I mix in the half cup of flour, two tablespoons of garlic powder, then salt and pepper.
After five minutes I add in the chopped celery and cook for five minutes rather than seven, the way mom does, stirring occasionally while praying the rue does not burn. I add in the chicken broth, usually three boxes, and stir. The rue is no longer in danger of burning by that point. I start slicing the sausages into semicircles then. I only eat the Eckrich sausage and only in the gumbo; all other sausage makes me sick. Once the sausage is sliced it goes into the gumbo followed by the shredded chicken breast.
Next the rice needs to be cooked while the gumbo settles. Normally mom would have started the rice while making the rue, but I tend to wait until the end. We use Jasmine rice in my family. Once the rice is done the gumbo is ready to serve. Grab a bowl and fill it with rice on the bottom, then ladle the gumbo on top until satisfied that the bowl is full. I like to make sure to ladle enough sausage and chicken into my bowl. I usually have to dig for the chicken since the sausage will float while the chicken sinks.
If I made the gumbo same as mom, the celery and onions would be burnt. She does not burn hers, but I always end up burning them unless I cook them my way. If I made the gumbo grandma’s way, I would be picking bones and excess fat out of my bowl. The gumbo is delicious, but I prefer not being wary of my food. I do not cook much, but I love cooking this.