I was watching a cooking show the other day and the chef was whipping up a pot of gumbo, that Louisiana specialty. Not only did it whet my appetite, it got me thinking, why not create one that celebrates Maryland’s traditions. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, we have just about everything we need here.
Gumbo derives its name from the African word for okra, a standard ingredient. At the heart of gumbo is the roux, a simple mixture of oil and flour, cooked long and slow. Cook it until it takes on a dark brown color. After that we have our proteins, always chicken, sausage and seafood; our veggies, including the Holy Trinity of celery, onion and bell peppers; a broth; assorted seasonings; and finally, a bed or rice for the bowl. Options include the okra and tomatoes.
Gumbo is cooked separately from the rice. If you add the rice into the pot, you’ve got jambalaya. To make this a Maryland dish is easy. Local chicken cooked and shredded go into the pot. A lot of our lamb producers make merguez sausage, which is perfect. Instead of shrimp, let’s go with picked over crab meat and maybe a few claws as well. In addition to the standard vegetables, I would consider corn kernels or diced fennel. For seasonings, you can’t beat Old Bay. And for a bit of heat, thinly sliced fish peppers.
As for technique, the first step is the crucial one. Making a good dark roux requires your full attention. Working over low to medium heat, whisk the flour into your vegetable oil… and keep whisking. At first it will be blond, then dark tan, and finally a dark chocolatey brown.
Since roux can easily burn, watch the heat and keep whisking.
Add chicken broth to the roux, a bit at a time, and stir it as it thickens. To be very classic, you can use file powder for additional thickening. Next your veggies go in, the Trinity first, then some garlic, then your Maryland produce including your hot peppers. The chicken and sliced up sausage go in next, then you hit it with your Old Bay and simmer it for about 15 minutes.
If you’re going with tomatoes this is a good time to add them. Just cut them into quarters and de-seed them. Since okra grows locally, I advise using it. Just trim the ends and cut it into discs.
Finally, I would add crab meat. I’m holding off putting it into the stew because it will fall apart if you cook it too long.
A few other things: you are supposed to only use a wooden spoon during the cooking, and you always serve your gumbo over rice in a bowl. Purists may quibble with our Maryland Gumbo approach, but I think we are entitled to our own traditions.
