Camp Cooking

Cooking can get quite repetitive, so we've been mixing things up and asking kids to not only pick one meal, but to cook it as well. We've been getting some pretty good meals, and I've been getting a bit of a break.

Roux

NB picked one of our most complicated meals, right off the bat. Homemade gumbo. Totally from scratch. This is something we make quite a bit of during the fall and winter, it keeps us nice and warm and is oh so tasty. This is NB's first attempt at a roux, and he wanted to do it all himself. Constant stirring of hot oil and flour for about a half hour. That's a half hour of propane time. This was a propane-costly meal. Anyway, we talked about the different stages of roux, and he got it to a nice, dark chocolate before we proceeded.

Next Phase

After getting the roux nice and dark, he went ahead and added veggies, let those cook down a bit, and then added the andouille and spices. Man, at this point, it's divine to smell. But it's not done yet!

Adding of the Broth

Time to get this down to more of a stew than a paste. NB did such a good job on this. When we're at home, this makes enough to feed us for several days. We polished off enough to make leftovers not make sense. This could be because we're outside and freezing our booties off, it could be because the kids are growing like fiends, or we could just not want to save leftovers because it's challenging. Whatever. But here's the recipe, if you're interested:

Summers Family Gumbo

1 c oil
1 c AP flour
1 c celery, diced
1 c sweet bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 c onion, diced
1 lb andouille, cut bite size
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne
3 bay leaves
2 chicken breasts, cut bite size
2 T Emeril's Essence
6-8 c chicken broth
1 T gumbo file

Get the oil nice and hot before adding the flour. Carefully add the flour, stirring constantly to bring it to a dark chocolate color. Add the veggies and cook for about 5 minutes to get them soft. Add the andouille, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Cook for another 5 or so minutes. Add the broth gradually, making sure it incorporates well. Once it's all incorporated, bring to a boil; lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for an hour.

Rub the chicken with the 2 T Emeril's Essence and add to the pot. Stir well and let simmer for 2 hours. Add the file and serve individual servings over rice. YUM!

Bill says this is his grandpa's recipe, but my memory is that he didn't have his grandpa's recipe and searched the internet for one that sounded familiar. This is an amalgam of what he found, his attempt to recreate his grandpa's gumbo. So whether this was Versil's recipe or just a recreation, this is Bill's dedication to his grandpa and the love he put into gumbo for his family. Delicious!