It’s not at all traditional — and could possibly get me banned from the state of Louisiana for life — but if you made the day-after-Thanksgiving Turkey Gumbo recipe I wrote about in CityView this month, you’ll be pleased to know that it actually tastes delicious over mashed potatoes. Skip the rice — no need adding more food to your already crowded fridge — just make a little mound of potatoes in your bowl, top it with gumbo, nuke it in the microwave for a minute or two, and stir. Delicious!
And if you didn’t see the recipe, here it is:
Val’s Turkey Gumbo
Ingredients:
Roux (see recipe below)
Bones & scraps from your Thanksgiving turkey
2 large yellow onions, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 lb chopped okra (I used frozen)
4 lbs andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 bay leaves
1 bunch thyme
1 spring sage
1/4 cup paprika
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup hot sauce (Louisiana, Tabasco, or – the Army’s favorite – Texas Pete, or any other brand)
Coarse salt an ground pepper to taste
File (optional)
Step 1 – Make The Stock
Put the turkey carcass and enough water to cover it in a very large pot and boil for a few hours to make a stock. Pick the meat off the carcass and pick out the bones and discard.
Step 2 – Make The Roux
3 cups flour
2 3/4 cups vegetable oil
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and add the flour, whisking constantly for about 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks like melted chocolate.
Step 3 – Make The Gumbo
Add the roux to the stock and add all remaining ingredients, stirring to mix well. Let it could for about 2 – 3 hours then serve over rice — or mashed potatoes. Freeze any remaining gumbo.
