Gumbo | Pad Patter 10.12.23

I like Gumbo but prefer Crawfish Ettoufee! I have not made Gumbo from scratch, but have made Ettoufee when we lived on the Gulf Coast and could get fresh local seafood more easily. I had Gumbo in New Orleans on one of my visits there and it was amazing!
Crawfish Etouffee is also my favorite!
 
I like Gumbo but prefer Crawfish Ettoufee! I have not made Gumbo from scratch, but have made Ettoufee when we lived on the Gulf Coast and could get fresh local seafood more easily. I had Gumbo in New Orleans on one of my visits there and it was amazing!
Crawfish Etouffee is also my favorite!
I’ve never heard of Crawfish Etouffee (I have no idea how to pronounce that either).
 
I love gumbo and it is a staple over here. My husband makes it better than me and makes a killer chicken and sausage gumbo that has all types of meats in it. I also love a good seafood gumbo.
Mmm chicken and sausage gumbo sounds so delicious! I’ve never tried a seafood gumbo but that sounds good too.
 
I’ll let you try the recipe first. ;)

Oh my gosh! I made the recipe I posted yesterday. It took FOREVER! :giggle The roux, which said would take 30-45 minutes with constant stirring, took over an hour. Good grief! Lol! I had my iPad next to the stove, so I watched an episode of my show while stirring, but that was crazy! Lol! Then there was a lot a veggie chopping too. It was really yummy in the end and there is a ton left over, but I'm not sure I'd make this particular recipe again. It was good that it was a weekend and I started early. Ha ha!
 
Oh my gosh! I made the recipe I posted yesterday. It took FOREVER! :giggle The roux, which said would take 30-45 minutes with constant stirring, took over an hour. Good grief! Lol! I had my iPad next to the stove, so I watched an episode of my show while stirring, but that was crazy! Lol! Then there was a lot a veggie chopping too. It was really yummy in the end and there is a ton left over, but I'm not sure I'd make this particular recipe again. It was good that it was a weekend and I started early. Ha ha!
Oh no! That is a loooooong time to be stirring over a hot stove! I’m glad it was yummy at least! I am thee slowest veggie chopper so that’s a no go for me lol
 
Oh no! That is a loooooong time to be stirring over a hot stove! I’m glad it was yummy at least! I am thee slowest veggie chopper so that’s a no go for me lol

I have a little chopper thing I bought on amazon which helps with the onions and green peppers at least. But, yeah, I'm pretty slow at chopping too! Lol.
 
Oh, what wonderful and not-so-wonderful memories you've brought to my mind of gumbo and other things.

My husband, son, daughter and I got stuck in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina; we were booked on the last flight out of the city but could not get to the airport because by then evacuation was mandated by the mayor. Luckily the Holiday Inn in which we stayed remained open during the storm; most hotels did not. Anyway, by Wednesday the manager was telling us we all had to leave the hotel. He suggested going to the Superdome; we said before we'd go there, we'd sleep outside of the Greyhound Bus station which had been commandeered by the National Guard.

As it turned out there was a woman staying in the hotel with whom I made friends. She was a New Orleanian native who'd come to the hotel to weather the storm, which was a good thing because her house was destroyed and her next door neighbor who'd stayed home, died there. M. was close to 80 years old and alone; she agreed to let us vacate the hotel with her. That was an adventure, alright! Walking through the water, searching for hidden items that might damage the car, carrying luggage so it wouldn't weigh the car down - all of this until we got to higher ground and could then join her in the car. We made it safely to Baton Rouge where we boarded a plane for home.

M. and my husband became good friends and our friendship remains (my husband passed away almost 3 years ago; M. is about 96 yrs old now). We used to fly from PA to LA to visit her regularly. On one of the visits she 'taught' me how to make seafood Gumbo. That was an experience. We spent hours in the kitchen, adding and tasting and tasting and adding a little more of this and and a little more of that. I enjoyed my time with M. but was really, really ready to get out of that kitchen. The Gumbo was delicious! Sooo good. My hubby, a seafood lover who'd spent the time watching football all day was an eager recipient of our creation.

M. sent me some of the gumbo (creole spice, crab boil) ingredients to encourage me to make the Gumbo at home...never happened. I think I have the recipe somewhere, but since I never used it I can't tell you whether it is good or not. Who knows what recipe we used that day in the kitchen! :)

Typing this has made me want to revisit that recipe. If I do and if it is good, I will make sure I send it to you @umyesh. Thank you for this bittersweet walk down memory lane.
 
Oh my gosh! I made the recipe I posted yesterday. It took FOREVER! :giggle The roux, which said would take 30-45 minutes with constant stirring, took over an hour. Good grief! Lol! I had my iPad next to the stove, so I watched an episode of my show while stirring, but that was crazy! Lol! Then there was a lot a veggie chopping too. It was really yummy in the end and there is a ton left over, but I'm not sure I'd make this particular recipe again. It was good that it was a weekend and I started early. Ha ha!

Ah ha! My exact experience with my friend in New Orleans who's made it all of her adult life. I thought it was just because she was teaching me and wanted to be sure it was great...but I guess it's because it just does take a long time and a good reason why I never made it. So glad you shared your experience @Karen.
 
@umyesh - I looked up "what is the difference between Ettoufee and Gumbo?" and here is what I got for an answer: "While both dishes use a broth base—like shrimp stock, crawfish tail stock, or chicken broth—étouffée has a thicker, gravy-like consistency because chefs make it with a roux (a mixture of all-purpose flour and butter). Gumbo, on the other hand, is thinner than étouffée, with a soupy stew broth." Ettoufee is pronounced Eh-Two-Fay (in my southern accent anyway!)
 
Oh, what wonderful and not-so-wonderful memories you've brought to my mind of gumbo and other things.

My husband, son, daughter and I got stuck in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina; we were booked on the last flight out of the city but could not get to the airport because by then evacuation was mandated by the mayor. Luckily the Holiday Inn in which we stayed remained open during the storm; most hotels did not. Anyway, by Wednesday the manager was telling us we all had to leave the hotel. He suggested going to the Superdome; we said before we'd go there, we'd sleep outside of the Greyhound Bus station which had been commandeered by the National Guard.

As it turned out there was a woman staying in the hotel with whom I made friends. She was a New Orleanian native who'd come to the hotel to weather the storm, which was a good thing because her house was destroyed and her next door neighbor who'd stayed home, died there. M. was close to 80 years old and alone; she agreed to let us vacate the hotel with her. That was an adventure, alright! Walking through the water, searching for hidden items that might damage the car, carrying luggage so it wouldn't weigh the car down - all of this until we got to higher ground and could then join her in the car. We made it safely to Baton Rouge where we boarded a plane for home.

M. and my husband became good friends and our friendship remains (my husband passed away almost 3 years ago; M. is about 96 yrs old now). We used to fly from PA to LA to visit her regularly. On one of the visits she 'taught' me how to make seafood Gumbo. That was an experience. We spent hours in the kitchen, adding and tasting and tasting and adding a little more of this and and a little more of that. I enjoyed my time with M. but was really, really ready to get out of that kitchen. The Gumbo was delicious! Sooo good. My hubby, a seafood lover who'd spent the time watching football all day was an eager recipient of our creation.

M. sent me some of the gumbo (creole spice, crab boil) ingredients to encourage me to make the Gumbo at home...never happened. I think I have the recipe somewhere, but since I never used it I can't tell you whether it is good or not. Who knows what recipe we used that day in the kitchen! :)

Typing this has made me want to revisit that recipe. If I do and if it is good, I will make sure I send it to you @umyesh. Thank you for this bittersweet walk down memory lane.
Thank you for sharing this memory with me Lillyia. I am glad you were able to make lifelong friends from such a crazy time. It sounds like I need to find a quick version of the recipe or else I'll never take the time to make it. ;)
 
@umyesh - I looked up "what is the difference between Ettoufee and Gumbo?" and here is what I got for an answer: "While both dishes use a broth base—like shrimp stock, crawfish tail stock, or chicken broth—étouffée has a thicker, gravy-like consistency because chefs make it with a roux (a mixture of all-purpose flour and butter). Gumbo, on the other hand, is thinner than étouffée, with a soupy stew broth." Ettoufee is pronounced Eh-Two-Fay (in my southern accent anyway!)
A soupy stew broth is more my style; the thicker the soup the better! ;)
 
Ah ha! My exact experience with my friend in New Orleans who's made it all of her adult life. I thought it was just because she was teaching me and wanted to be sure it was great...but I guess it's because it just does take a long time and a good reason why I never made it. So glad you shared your experience @Karen.

When I read your other memories of making it with your friend from New Orleans, I was nodding along... yup... it took forever! :giggle Very cool that you were able to watch her made hers from scratch too though. I just can't imagine spending that much time on a meal. Lol. Although, it did make a TON, so I froze some and will be able to have the meal again at least 3-4 more times with my family, so I guess that's good. :agree
 
LOVE Cajun food!!! Shrimp and Grits, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Dirty Rice, Pepper Balls!!!!! YUMMMM

My daddy has a great Gumbo recipe. I'll ask him for it. I just don't like the okra. Slimy stuff!!!
 
LOVE Cajun food!!! Shrimp and Grits, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Dirty Rice, Pepper Balls!!!!! YUMMMM

My daddy has a great Gumbo recipe. I'll ask him for it. I just don't like the okra. Slimy stuff!!!
I don’t like slimy okra either. I forgot it was slimy until the last time I cooked it haha
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When I read your other memories of making it with your friend from New Orleans, I was nodding along... yup... it took forever! :giggle Very cool that you were able to watch her made hers from scratch too though. I just can't imagine spending that much time on a meal. Lol. Although, it did make a TON, so I froze some and will be able to have the meal again at least 3-4 more times with my family, so I guess that's good. :agree
That's huge, @Karen!! All that food. But I hope it was delicious and since it took so took so long to make, it's a bonus that you can use it for several future meals.
 
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