Layering Gumbo
(And other foods)
About Gumbo How To Make Roux Ingredients Layering Gumbo
Making Stock Recipes
Keep in mind that I am certainly not
a Chef. Adding layers
to Gumbo isn't necessary at all to get excellent Gumbo. Layering
stew type dishes simply means adding ingredients during different times
in the cooking process, sometimes the same ingredient several times, Meats can also be layered, and sea food should be the final layer in a gumbo because of the minimal time required to cook sea food and fish. Also seafood quickly will loose its flavor if cooked too long. In most of my gumbos, I use three layers of aromatics, two layers of spices, and usually one layer of meat with sea food added at the end, if I wish to use it. I start boiling the ducks or other meat with a stock of aromatics cut fine so as to release all their oils and then become soft and barely negligible texture wise. Then after the meat is cooked to tender, I remove it and go with the second and main portion of the veggies. Then toward the end of the cooking, to add both crunchy texture and fresh taste, I add yet another small layer that is barely cooked and still holding most of its flavor within the actual piece, along with another dose of spices such as basil and thyme. I also lace my rice with fresh chopped uncooked chives and parsley, which give the gumbo a distinct and very fresh flavor that cuts through the heaviness of gumbo and allows for other flavors to catch your palette. Layering can produce more distinct flavors in gumbo than you can cook in a lifetime, combined with the individuality of the flavor of each roux, it produces a pot of gumbo each time that is different yet delicious. One trick
that I discovered quite by accident, is starting a stock with a couple
ducks or some other meat, (no seafood) and aromatics, and cooking it
down to a simmering thick layer in the pot bottom, and then adding water
and letting it simmer down yet again to almost nothing to attain a roasted
baked sort of flavor in the mix. This cooks the meat to mush, which
you can then take from the bone and puree into a paste, adding some
of the stock if it gets too sticky.
This mixture
added to a NEW pot of gumbo at the beginning phase of a new pot, as
an addition to the original stock, is unsurpassed in adding thickness
and unique flavor to the gumbo. But since it takes several hours each
time to simmer it down, it turns a pot of gumbo into a two day affair.
But for the discriminating palette, it is well worth the trouble.
You can experiment
with your favorites and find success quite easily, About Gumbo How To Make Roux Ingredients Layering Gumbo Making Stock Recipes |