“Oh no, no escargot, no cordon bleu
This ain’t the place to go lookin’ for beef stew
But if you like tender shrimp and rice
If ya think ya can stand the spice
She cook gumbo
A mighty rad gumbo” Rad Gumbo by Little Feat
Landlocked and craving seafood gumbo
I’m landlocked. It’s a six-hour drive to the nearest beach. So how do I manage fresh seafood for gumbo? I have it delivered fresh from the Alabama Gulf Coast by Betty Champion, Instructor at The Gumbo Academy in Mobile, AL. Not only is Betty and her husband Gil delivering the seafood, but she is going to give me a crash course on making the pottage that fills the stomach and the soul.
Betty, with her darling dimples and sweet smile, grew up in South Alabama, with gumbo readily available. But she never attempted to make a pot herself until she became an adult. Years later, after church fundraising gumbo cook offs and a state arts grant, the Gumbo Academy was born. Her mission is to keep the labor intensive art alive for future generations. This was especially important after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, a disastrous event that almost devastated the bottom-dwelling oyster, blue crabs and flounder.
Who, what, where and how of gumbo
Gumbo probably comes from an Angolan word kingombo, which means okra, a key ingredient in the delicious stew. A mixing pot of cultures flooded into the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama from France, Spain, Haiti, England, along with the African slaves and the indigenous people inhabiting the area. Each ethnicity contributed their tweak to the stick-to-the-ribs recipe.
“No one person will make their gumbo just like someone else’s,” Betty tells me. Years of experimenting can bring new, and perhaps, preferred, tastes to the palate.
Betty cites four things to remember when attempting gumbo: practice makes perfect; making gumbo is not hard; make lots of gumbo and freeze for later; and don’t save gumbo for special occasions.
“The secret to a good gumbo is organization. It cuts down on your time,” Betty dictates, adding, “Another secret is PATIENCE: don’t cut corners on the roux.”
First and foremost, I carefully read over the recipe, graciously shared by Betty, from her mother’s collection. Then I begin prepping my ingredients. With veggies cut up and spices measured, I nervously begin to melt the shortening for my savory brown roux, the gravy-like base for my gumbo. Making the roux requires patience and steadfast stirring.
A well-seasoned cast iron skillet is the preferred vessel. Melt the fat low and slow and add flour. Then drag up a chair, because this step will take some time. You MUST stir roux constantly, using a slotted spoon or whisk, to prevent burning. And I mean constantly; long and repetitively enough to give you carpal tunnel syndrome. Seriously, the cooking time can vary from 30 minutes to an hour. Playing some funky jams can help pass the time. (Alexa, play some Mardi Gras mambos.)
Roux’s ready. Now what?
So what does the roux look like when it’s ready? It’s not just about the appearance, but also the aroma. For seafood gumbo, most cooks prefer to use a medium brown roux, with a rich copper/brown hue and an aroma of freshly popped popcorn. Sometimes the roux smells ready, yet it hasn’t reached the tone of brown Betty prefers. In these cases, she reaches for a dash of Kitchen Bouquet, a caramel and vegetable based food additive used by food stylists. Also, bear in mind, she say, that adding vegetables to the roux will also darken it a bit.
How do you know if you’ve burned your roux? You may see some black residue, but you’ll also smell the burn, an odor some say is similar to burnt popcorn. If this happens, throw it out and start over. There are a few methods floating around that allegedly save a burned roux, but if you really care about your cooking, you’ll want it to be just right.
It’s all downhill from here. Add your “Holy Trinity” (celery, onion and bell peppers) to the roux, transfer the mixture to a large stock pot, add the rest of the vegetables and spices. Then it’s stir and simmer time.
I like to serve my gumbo in a shallow coupe bowl, with a scoop of rice in middle. Hushpuppies or Mexican cornbread are the perfect accompaniment.
Since Betty was kind enough to share her tried-and-true recipe, I’ll share it with you. Tweak it to your taste or follow the original. Will this be a keeper for you?
Seafood Gumbo Recipe
by Bettie Betancourt Champion
1 cup Crisco or oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1-16 ounce package of frozen okra or a generous 2 cups of fresh, cut
2-15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
4 cups water, chicken broth or seafood stock
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 to 4 bay leaves
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
6 to 12 cleaned crab bodies and/or one pint of crabmeat, preferably claw meat
2 to 4 cups peeled shrimp (approximately 2 pounds)
Directions
Into a large stock pot place the following ingredients and have on low heat while making your roux: okra; tomatoes; 3 cups water, chicken broth or seafood stock (reserving one cup for later use); chicken bouillon cubes; salt; pepper; oregano; thyme; parsley; turmeric; bay leaves; and crab bodies, if you are using them. If you are using crab meat, do not add it at this time.
In a cast iron skillet, heat Crisco to just melted, then add flour. Stir constantly to prepare a roux to a rich, brown color over low heat, approximately 25-45 minutes. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and sautéed several minutes until the onion is transparent. . Transfer the mixture to the large stock pot. Rinse the cast iron skillet with the remaining one cup of stock and transfer all the deglazing liquid to the stockpot.
Cook the above mixture approximately one hour over low heat.
After at least one hour of cooking, add 2 to 4 cups of peeled shrimp. Allow gumbo to return to temperature and cook for 10 or so minutes. Add crabmeat and allow gumbo to heat up again. Crabmeat does not need to cook. Do not overcook the crabmeat and shrimp. If you do so, the shrimp will be tough and the lumps of crabmeat will disintegrate.
This recipe makes about a gallon of gumbo.
Wondering where the photo is of the finished product? Yeah, well, we ate it before any pictures could be taken. You’ve got the recipe, now make your own.
It’s like someone swiped right on my Tinder profile. But instead of a meeting a man, I’m meeting food: incredible food. True to blind date style, I receive an invitation via e-mail to dine at Cotton Row, a fine dining restaurant in Huntsville, AL. After cyber-stalking James Beard-nominated chef James Boyce, the proprietor, I know this night will be very memorable.
A classically trained chef, James Boyce is a New Yorker who began his career at LeCirque training under Daniel Boulud. After his graduation from Culinary Institute of Arts, Chef Boyce moved west serving stints at The Phoenician, Palace Court and Loew’s Coronado Bay Resort before settling in Huntsville.
No one could have orchestrated such a beautiful evening, as I join several other bloggers, strolling across Big Springs park from our hotel to Cotton Row, a three-story Georgian Renaissance-style building that serves American cuisine with a focus on locally sourced food.
Our dinner party is held in the loft, usually reserved for private parties. Chef Boyce’s affable personality adds to the lightness of the evening. We’re seated, given our choice of wines, then the culinary fun begins.
Chef gathered all the ingredients needed and prepares our dish at table side, using a portable cook top and a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. While cooking for our small gathering, he tells us about the restoration of the beautiful structure that houses Cotton Row, which opened in 2008. The building was erected in 1821 by a self-trained architect and Huntsville native George Steele. The bricks were Hungarian. The countertop on which we eat is hewn from Alabama limestone and the floor is a wormy oak. All around us are the trappings of aged wood, stone, and burnished metals, producing an essence of Old World meets New South.
There’s no sweating, cursing, screaming chef in this kitchen. It’s obvious after chatting just moments, that Chef Boyce values family and friends. He treats us like long-time friends, telling us about the move from California with his wife and children to relocate to Huntsville. He talks about the relationships he has developed with local suppliers, and it’s obvious that he’s proud of their collaboration.
Chef begins our meal with a taste of both land and sea, offering sliders of Wagyu beef with herbed goat cheese topped off with a cherry tomato half. The buttery-rich chèvre is the perfect complement to the tender and succulent beef patty. They are so yummy that more than one slides into my tummy.
For the seafood appetizer, a dash of Cathead Vodka is splashed in the bowl of a champagne glass, followed by chunks of fresh Gulf shrimp, Cara Cara oranges, with a sliver of cucumber radish and salmon caviar. A leaf of endive does double duty garnishing the composition and acting as an edible utensil. There’s an incredible pop of freshness and sharpness when the tart of the citrus melds with the radish.
By this time, my mouth is watering for more. I can’t imagine what else lies ahead. However, as the infomercial men on TV say, “But wait, there’s more!”
Chef begins cutting corn off the cob, which he uses to mix up a sweet relish. The relish provides a bed for a giant scallop, which is sautéed in whole butter, then topped with black spring truffles.
When you think the meal can’t get any better, Chef presents us with a beautifully roasted quail, stuffed with Andouille sausage and crawfish, served with an apple jus, made from the roasted wings, apples and Madeira wine. The quail is decadently juicy, with a piquant taste of the sausage that lingers on the palate. Creamy stone ground grits and a Southern slaw composed of celery and fennel tops, endive and chopped parsley round out the course.
Who can end a meal like this without a spectacular dessert? With very little room to spare, we enjoy a light, but palate-pleasing pear tart with a frangipani filling, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a bourbon caramel sauce.
Chef generously opens up his entire restaurant, allowing us to tour the basement wine cellar (housing over 600 bottles of wine), the main restaurant and both the north and south areas of the loft. There is such a relaxed atmosphere throughout. On this late spring evening, diners are taking advantage of the beautiful weather, opting for the outdoor dining. Even though my meal has come to an end, I’m hesitant to leave. I long to soak up more of this serene setting. So yes, I can highly recommend Cotton Row. And unlike a bad Tinder date, I didn’t have to hail a Uber, pronto!
For more information about Cotton Row Restaurant or any of Chef Boyce’s restaurants, go to cottonrowrestaurant.com, or call them at (256) 382-9500. The restaurant is located at 100 South Side Square, Huntsville, AL, 35801.
Mark your calendars for Huntsville Restaurant Week, which will be held August 11 through 22, 2017. For more information, contact pam@huntsville.org.
Note: While I was a guest for this wonderful evening, the opinions are my own.
Recent Comments