Connect with us

Food And Nutrition

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

Published

3 months ago

on

FacebookTwitter

Gumbo is a New Orleans classic and a favorite of anyone who enjoys Creole and Cajun cuisine. The thick, flavorful stew is made using a base of the “holy trinity,” onion, celery, and bell pepper, and roux, a cooked flour and fat mixture. Roux is made by cooking flour and butter or oil until the paste turns your desired shade of brown. Gumbo is often made using a relatively dark roux for deeper flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound andouille sausage, or another smoked sausage, sliced
  • 1/2 cup plus 5 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, or green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen and thawed
  • 1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 to 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon file powder, optional
  • 2 cups cooked rice, hot, for serving
  • Fresh parsley, or green onion tops, chopped. optional

Method

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo ingredients

  2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sliced sausage in 2 to 3 teaspoons of vegetable oil; remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.

    Brown sliced sausage in skillet

  3. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the chicken broth and tomatoes. Place the pot over medium heat to bring to a simmer.

    Combine chicken broth and tomatoes in Dutch oven

  4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, combine the 1/2 cup of oil and the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until the roux is medium to deep brown. This will take about 10 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring to keep the mixture from burning.

    Cook roux until brown

  5. To the skillet with the roux, add the chopped onion, celery, and bell peppers. Cook, stirring constantly with a spoon, until the vegetables are softened.

    vegetables cooking with the roux in a pan

  6. Stir the vegetable and roux mixture into the simmering tomato and broth mixture.

    Add roux and vegetable mixture to tomato mixture

  7. Put the skillet back over medium heat and add 2 more teaspoons of oil. Add the okra and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and not stringy or sticky.

    Cook okra in skillet

  8. Transfer the cooked okra to the simmering pot along with the Creole or Cajun seasoning, bay leaf, and cooked sausage. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

    Add okra to the simmering pot with spices

  9. Add the prepared shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes longer, until the shrimp is cooked through.

    Add shrimp to gumbo mixture

  10. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. If desired, add file powder or serve on the side.

    Finished gumbo with sausage and shrimp

  11. Serve the gumbo over a mound of hot boiled long-grain white rice. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or green onions.

    Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo served over rice
READ ALSO  Stuffed Bell Peppers With Ground Beef, Rice, and Cheese
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Food And Nutrition

What Is the “Climatarian Diet”?

Published

3 months ago

on

June 16, 2023

By

According to Climatarian.com, the food we eat is responsible for 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The climatarian diet is a “climate-friendly diet” that encourages people to make their food choices based on environmental impact or carbon footprint. For instance, Climates Network CIC recommends opting for chicken instead of beef because cows emit more methane and require more land.

The climatarian diet focuses heavily on reducing environmental impact through reducing intake of animal products and opting for a more plant-based eating pattern. It promotes veganism, vegetarianism and pescatarianism as more sustainable ways of eating.

For people who eat animal products, the climatarian diet encourages choosing pork, poultry, sustainable fish such as blue crab, dairy products and eggs over beef, lamb, goat and unsustainable fish such as swordfish, which are commonly overfished, as a means to reduce food emissions. According to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, beef accounts for 36% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and producing one pound of lamb creates five times more greenhouse gas emissions than producing a pound of chicken.

In addition to choosing more plant-based foods, proponents of the climatarian diet urge people to eat locally grown and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Other food-related methods of reducing environmental impact promoted by the climatarian diet are avoiding air-flown food, food grown in heated greenhouses, highly packaged foods or disposables and limiting food waste. Composting is suggested.

In summary, the climatarian diet is not a strict set of rules or “forbidden” foods but more of an appeal by members of a global social network for people to consider the environmental impact of their food choices and adjust wherever possible.

Continue Reading

Food And Nutrition

Preparing Pizza on toast

Published

3 months ago

on

June 16, 2023

By

Cheese on toast meets pizza in this easy peasy cheesy recipe – add whatever toppings take your fancy.

Ingredients

  • 1 thick slice white or brown bread
  • 2 tbsp pasta sauce, pizza topping, tomato salsa or passata
  • thinly sliced chorizo, salami, ham, mushrooms or roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, jalapeños
  • 30g/1oz cheese, such as grated Cheddar, ready-grated mozzarella, or a mixture

Method

  1. Preheat the grill to a medium-high setting. Place the bread on a baking tray or grill pan and grill on one side until lightly toasted.

  2. Turn the bread over and spread with the tomato sauce and top with the chorizo, mushrooms, or any other topping. Sprinkle with the cheese.

  3. Return to the grill for a further 2–3 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the toppings are hot.

READ ALSO  Christmas dinner traybake
Continue Reading

Food And Nutrition

Preparing Honey-glazed gammon

Published

3 months ago

on

June 16, 2023

By

Of all our gammon recipes, this is a festive classic. The Hairy Bikers know a honey-roasted gammon joint is a must-have for a Christmas party!

Each serving provides 327 kcal, 36g protein, 10g carbohydrates (of which 10g sugars), 15.5g fat (of which 5g saturates), 1.5g fibre and 4.9g salt.

Ingredients

For cooking the gammon

  • 2kg/4lb 8oz unsmoked boneless gammon joint, tied
  • 2 onions, halved
  • 2 carrots, unpeeled, cut into 5cm/2in pieces
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into 5cm/2in pieces
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • small handful cloves

For the glaze

  • 4 tbsp runny honey
  • 4 tbsp English mustard

Method

  1. Place the gammon joint into a large lidded saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Drain the water from the saucepan, add fresh cold water, the onions, carrots, celery, bay and peppercorns and bring to the boil once more. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer the gammon and vegetables gently for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz. (If your pan is not quite large enough to cover the joint completely, turn the gammon over halfway through the cooking time.)

  2. Remove the gammon from the water and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. (The cooking liquid can be strained and reserved for making soup for another time.)

  3. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and line a large roasting tin with kitchen foil.

  4. Use a small knife to remove the rind from the gammon joint, leaving as much of the fat intact as possible. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, and push a clove into the centre of each ‘X’.

  5. Place the gammon into the foil-lined roasting tray, ensuring that the sides of the foil come halfway up the joint to contain any roasting juices.

  6. For the glaze, mix the honey and mustard together and brush half of it evenly over the gammon, including one side of the joint. Roast in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes, then take the joint out and brush the top and remaining side with the rest of the glaze. Return the gammon to the oven for a further 10– 15 minutes, rotating the tin so that the opposite side of the gammon faces the back of the oven.

  7. The gammon is ready when the fat on top is glossy and golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if the top begins to look too brown. Remove the gammon from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

  8. Pour any juices that have collected in the kitchen foil into a small pan, and warm through gently.

  9. Carve the gammon, serve on a large platter and spoon over the warmed juices .

READ ALSO  Mozzarella Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs
Continue Reading

Trending