After-Thanksgiving Hangover: Smoked Gumbo

Oh lord. This was so good. We always make gumbo just after Thanksgiving. I mean, what better way to use up turkey leftovers? There's only so many turkey sandwiches a person can love. If that's your thing, more power to ya.

In this family, though, we usually have leftovers that could easily feed a small village and that's after everyone who joined in has taken home their share of the leftover loot. So naturally, just like everyone else, we cook like our lives depended on it and we cook to ensure that not only is there enough for everyone, but enough for everyone for days and days. That's why we call it After-Thanksgiving Hangover. So appropriate for so many reasons!

But I love it because no matter how well intentioned you are to make use of Thanksgiving leftovers, there is usually still more than what you can feasibly eat without getting bored with the same old thing. One of the reasons why we cook a bit much is because after all of these years, we've figured out how to make the most of this awesome abundance. In fact, it's all part of the plan for the family clan. And we milk it for all it's worth. That means, we cook so we don't have to cook for at least a week. No lie. :)

This year, I really went all out and decided to make the roux ahead of time. The week before Thanksgiving, I made buttermilk fried chicken and intentionally saved the frying oil for making roux the next day. I've used the oil from fried chicken before and made mayo with the salvaged oil that just made the most awesome mayo in the world. Tasted like fried chicken and was so delicious. This awesomeness inspired me to use the leftover oil from the fried chicken in order to prepare my make-ahead roux for the after-Thanksgiving food hangover I had planned. And boy, did that turn out to be a good decision.

My batch of frying oil produced enough roux for two huge batches of gumbo. Not sure if you know this or not but roux will keep indefinitely in the fridge if stored in a sealed jar or container. That's another reason I will make a big batch of roux at a time because I know it keeps and makes for a very quick batch of gumbo when you are feeling in the mood. Since roux is a foodie's labor of love, why not make enough for several meals while you are at it?

When my family saw me making roux this year, they knew exactly what it was for and my brother-in-law just smiled approvingly. In fact he said it was the best gumbo he'd ever had and later complained he stuffed himself on it, it was that good. Ah, the joys of cooking for family. That, never gets old.

Ingredients:

• Leftover turkey (my brother in law's smoked, fried turkey is my favorite)
• Smoked sausage (we had venison, jalapeno; awesome!)
• Gulf shrimp (or crawfish), peeled deveined and butterflied
• 1 each yellow, red and orange bell pepper chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery with tops, chopped
• 1 whole jalapeno, halved and sliced
• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic, about 4 cloves
• 4 or 5 carrots, sliced (add at the end)
• 2 cups frozen okra, optional (add at the end)
• About 1-2 c of roux
• 1 10 oz can of tomato paste
• 4 litres of organic chicken stock or homemade if you happen to have it
• salt to taste

Now, gumbo isn't an exact recipe, as you probably know and of course that is what makes it so wonderful for leftovers because that is exactly how it used to be prepared. If you prefer Andouille sausage, and who could blame ya, go ahead and use that. I am in a family of hunters and fishermen so I use what bounty they bring home. That happens to be a lot of venison and a lot of trout. So with a beautiful abundance of smoked venison and jalapeno sausage on hand, that is what I chose to use. Likewise, if you have crawfish and no shrimp, use that and vice versa. It's all about what's on hand and gumbo is a perfect dish for creativity and flexibility.

1. In a very large pot, start the base by adding the onions, bell peppers, celery, jalapeno, garlic and a little grease from the roux. (**Roux will usually separate creating a solid of roux with excess oil on top. This is great. The excess oil is what will keep the roux preserved nicely in the fridge. I will usually pour mine off and then pour it back over the remaining roux that I will use at a later time. And instead of using fresh oil or butter, I just use the roux oil to saute my veggies because it has great flavor too.)
2. Once the onions are slightly translucent, you can slowly add the tomato paste, making sure to stir constantly so it doesn't caramelize and burn on the bottom. But don't worry if it does, you can quickly add in a little chicken stock to loosen it and clean the bottom.
3. Once the tomato paste has been mixed in, start adding in the roux, followed by a little chicken stock to incorporate the roux. You do this a little at at time because otherwise, it is difficult to get the roux to be smooth if you add the chicken stock first. To avoid lumps, alternate between a spoonful of roux and a cup of chicken stock. Keep stirring the roux until it is incorporated before adding the next spoonful.
4. Once roux has been added, add the remaining chicken stock if you haven't done so already. 
5. Add the leftover smoked turkey and smoked sausage. (Get it? Smoked Gumbo..?)
6. Let the gumbo simmer on med low for about 20-30 minutes while you prepare the rice, stirring occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking or burning on the bottom. If it is boiling, the heat is too hot. Low simmer will work well.
7. Salt to taste. I usually wait to season until just before serving as we are using leftover turkey and sausage so you might forget they are already seasoned. 
8. About 20 minutes before serving, I add the carrots, shrimp and frozen okra. This is to prevent the carrots and shrimp from overcooking and getting mushy and the okra may also thicken the gumbo a bit more so I add this at the end as well.

Since roux is a thickening agent for gumbo, it's important not to overdo it but you do want the right balance of flavors. As a guide, we do use about a 1/3 more of roux to tomato paste, if that helps give you an idea of where to start but it's entirely up to you. If you ever find the texture too thick or intense, just add more chicken stock. Conversely if you find the texture too thin, add a bit more roux.

Gumbo can simmer or stay warm on the stove until you are ready to serve, just make sure you cover it and turn the heat all the way down to avoid it thickening too much or sticking and burning on the bottom of the pot. I usually let mine simmer while I cook the rice, which we serve on the side as not everyone likes rice in their gumbo. It's more of a personal preference kind of thing. 

Serve with rice and hot sauce.