The History of Gumbo in New Orleans

INGREDIENTS

Browned Flour

• 1 cup (120 g) flour

Gumbo

• 1/3 cup (70 g) lard, divided
• 1 lb (450 g) beef, stew meat or short ribs are perfect, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
• 1 large ham knuckle, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
• 1/2 cup (60 g) browned flour
• 4 dozen small (3 dozen large) okra pods, sliced
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper or hot pepper without the seeds, chopped
• 2-3 teaspoons salt
• 2 quarts (2 L) hot water
• 1 lb (450 g) peeled shrimp or crab legs or whole crabs, or a combination

DIRECTIONS

1. For the browned flour: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. Put the flour in an oven-safe pan and spread it evenly. Cook in the oven, stirring every 15 or 20 minutes, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the flour is the color of light brown sugar.
3. For the gumbo: Melt 2 tablespoons (30 g) of the lard in a large pot over high heat. Once it’s sizzling, add in the beef and ham knuckle. You don’t want to crowd the pan, so cook in a couple of batches if necessary. Cook the meat for a few minutes, getting it nice and browned all over. It doesn’t need to be fully cooked at this point. Remove the meat and set aside.
4. Add the rest of the lard, and once it’s hot, whisk in the browned flour and cook for about 1 minute.
5. Add the meat back in along with the okra, onion, bell pepper, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.
6. Stir in the hot water, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring it to a low boil and cook uncovered for 2 hours, stirring frequently.
7. After 2 hours, taste and add salt if desired. Add in the shrimp and crab, then cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the shrimp have curled up and become opaque.
8. Serve the gumbo forth with Carolina rice.