Disneyland Gumbo

According to someone on Quora you are supposed to perfect certain dishes before you are 30 years old. One of the dishes is gumbo. Well I’ve never cooked gumbo, have you? Apparently, there are many ways to cook gumbo. You can use different proteins from chicken to steak and then there is the traditional seafood gumbo. The most important thing about gumbo is making the roux requires discipline and paying full attention. Once you mastered that then all you need to do is add in the meat and vegetables.

With the roux you want to brown the flour without burning it. You have to stir continuously until you get the color you desire. The darker the color means more complex flavors. A gumbo roux can be a light brown to almost a caramel color.

The Disneyland Gumbo Recipe:

Cajun Rice:

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 cup long grain or jasmine rice

2 1/2 cups water

4 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1 Tbsp. vegetable base

Coarse salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and red pepper and sauté, stirring constantly for five to seven minutes or until onions are soft.

2. Add rice and stir to combine.

3. Add the water, Cajun seasoning and vegetable base in a large bowl. Adjust seasoning as needed. Add to the rice mixture and stir.

4. Reduce to medium-low heat, cover and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

Vegetable Gumbo:

3/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup flour

4 tsp. minced garlic

1 medium yellow onion,cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 green pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 Tbsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. ground bay leaves

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 cup tomato paste

8 cups water

2 tsp. vegetable base*

1 tsp. gumbo filé powder**

2 cups frozen sliced okra***

Directions:

1. Combine oil and flour in a 6-quart stockpot over low heat using a wooden spoon. Cook about 20 minutes, or until well browned, stirring constantly. ****

2. Add garlic, onion, celery, red pepper, green pepper, salt and pepper; stir to combine. Continue cooking for five minutes. Add cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme, bay leaves and oregano; stir, cooking for two minutes.

3. Add tomato paste, water and vegetable base; stir to combine. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add gumbo filé and okra and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Additional notes:

* Vegetable base can be found near the bouillon cubes and stocks in the supermarket.

** Filé powder is a seasoning used in Creole cooking. It can be found in the spice section in the supermarket or on Amazon.

*** Fresh sliced okra may be used as a substitute for frozen okra.

****The more patient you are, the darker your ruox will get, and the darker your rue gets, the more flavors you’ll taste!!

And Mickey Mouse has a recipe for his own Blue Bayou Gumbo: