Day 24 Dinner: Gumbo
Say it out loud...GUMBO! There's just something about the word, and of
course, the dish as well. Gumbo is a dish influenced by French,
Spanish, and African cuisine. As you may guessed, the flavor is
complex and sophisticated. I have never made gumbo previously, but I
just had to do it last night since it was Mardi gras.
And if you are curious...I have gone over my limit of 50 dollars
(still under 100 dollars though). I failed.
My gumbo was only slightly close to authentic ones. Although I made my
roux (not dark enough) slowly and attentively, I didn't have all the
authentic gumbo ingredients, such as shell fish, green pepper (I used
leftover red bell pepper), celery (again, leftover fennel), andouille,
and shell fish stock (I am missing a lot of stuff after all). But I
did add a lot of flavors to my gumbo by adding kielbasa, cayenne
pepper, paprika, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic.
I am happy with the gumbo I made. It's aromatic and smoky...reminds me
of Taiwanese food, which I miss very much. Gumbo is also very thick,
which is the perfect dish in February when the weather is still brutal
outside in New Jersey.
I will get the proper ingredients and cook gumbo correctly next time
when I actually have some money to splurge.
