Friday was National Gumbo Day and when I saw this recipe posted on Lisa's blog, I knew I had found my dish for a college football watching Saturday. We love gumbo, but I've never found a recipe that looked simple enough to bother making. And, while this recipe is not traditional Gumbo (no roux), it was very flavorful and had all the components I love. Okra is a favorite of mine, but it is not typically served in the Midwest where I grew up. I know there is a trick to cooking it well, but this recipe is very forgiving. Also, I enjoyed being able to add just the right amount of heat to this Gumbo. Too many times, when you order Gumbo in a restaurant, it's way too spicy.
I did make a few changes to the recipe. I used a can of Rotel rather than regular diced tomatoes for added flavor and heat. Also, I did not use all the chicken broth called for in the recipe to make the gumbo less soup like. Finally, instead of canned chicken (what?), I added 1 pound of chopped, uncooked chicken breast after the mixture came to a boil and then simmered everything for about 20 minutes.
This was a delicious dish and I am happy to have discovered it. You could easily use shrimp instead of chicken (or use both). The whole recipe took one hour to put together, including the chopping and did not need to cook for hours, like traditional gumbo. Serve with rice and a bottle of Tabasco on the side for those who like their Gumbo with even more heat. It really is the easiest Gumbo ever.
Circa 2013
And speaking of College football - my Spartans won over Penn State with a last second touchdown (so exciting) and that leads us into rivalry week in the state of Michigan. Michigan State vs. Michigan; where most families have some sort of interest in the game and the teams (and fans) don't really like each other. We are a house divided with 3 MSU alumni (me, my husband and our youngest daughter) and 2 U of M alumni (my older daughter and new son in law). It will be a fun week.
Happy Monday!
