Anne's Chicken Gumbo

This is the gumbo I've been making for over 15 years. It was something my dad liked and everyone who has had it raves about it. I'm not sure how it would stand up in NOLA, but up here in the northeast it's pretty good chow. This one has an addition of hot sausage to it, add that in to the beginning vegetables and it will work well.

Anne's Chicken Gumbo
Printable Link

1/2 cup butter or oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion - medium dice
4 stalks celery - medium dice
2 large green peppers - medium dice
1 red pepper - medium dice
1 yellow pepper - medium dice
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup tomato puree
4 tomatoes concasse (peeled seeded diced)
2c. okra cut in 1" slices
1 pound boneless skinless chicken (breast or thigh) cooked and diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano
pinch Thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 Tablespoon filé powder (ground sassafras leaves)
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
cooked rice for serving

1. Heat butter or oil in a large pot - add flour and cook until mixture is the color of a copper penny - not a new penny - an old one - nice and dark.
2. Add onion, celery and peppers - cook for several minutes until they begin to 'weep'.
3. Add stock slowly while stirring and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender - about 20 minutes.
4. Add all tomato products and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Add chicken, okra and all seasonings except filé powder.
6. Bring to a boil - reduce heat and simmer 15 min.
7. Turn heat off and add filé powder - stir well, remove bay leaf and serve.

For seafood gumbo:

Use 1/2 pound shrimp and 1/2 pound scallops in place of
chicken. Add during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Use fish stock if available (otherwise chicken is fine) and replace parsley with chervil and add 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning.

Originally posted at Cooking with Anne on September 15, 2005.

White Bean and Sausage Chili

White Bean and Sausage Chili

If you missed the Illick's Mill Winter Nook and Chili Cook-Off held at Bethlehem's Municipal Ice Rink, I'm really, really sorry. There were some awesome chilis there this year and although I wasn't in it to win (that honor rightfully went to The Tally Ho Tavern) I made a terrific chili anyhow and wanted to share the recipe here.

I have to share with you the fact that there were also three kick-butt bands there this year, too: Steve Brosky (still doin' his thing as great as ever after all these years), Eighteenth Hour (they started off the night and I didn't hear as much of them as I wanted as I was buried back in the chili-tasting room) and my favorite, the Paul Thiessen Band - man are those guys tight! Self-proclaimed 'Face-Melting Folk Music', they deliver just that and more. I missed my chance to pick up one of their cd's at the last Illick's Mill function so I laid in wait this time (and probably looked like that, too between trying to enjoy the band and watch the kids from the window as they ice skated) and got their 'Stop. Hear.' CD. Awesome and awesome - can't say more. All of this was broadcast LIVE by WMUH as well.

The whole event benefits the Illick's Mill Project, of which my daughter, Megan is a part.

On to chili - this isn't a very spicy one, it's more mellow and smoky, but so full of layered flavors that it's hard to stop at one bowl.

White Bean and Sausage Chili
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

2 slices bacon - diced
1 cup diced tavern ham
1 shallot - minced
1 white leek - sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 medium onion - diced
1 large green pepper - diced
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 pound bulk sausage
4 cups cooked white beans such as cannellini, northern or navy
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried and crushed oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sliced and fried green onion (a.k.a. scallions/spring onion) and leeks and sour cream for garnish

1. Heat a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp.
2. Add ham, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add shallots, leeks, garlic, onion and peppers. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Crumble sausage well and cook until no longer pink - stirring often to break up.
5. Add stock and beans and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
6. Stir in oregano and cayenne and simmer for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve with sour cream and fried green onion and leeks.

Roasted Red Pepper and Cheddar Soup

This is the soup that I served at my Foodbuzz 24,24,24 dinner last week and everyone loved it. I didn't make enough for the help (my other kids and I) to have any and I was really sorry I hadn't.

Roasted Red Pepper and Cheddar Soup
Serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 for a meal
Printable Recipe

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped fresh red pepper
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper (a.k.a. pimento)
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Extra roasted red pepper - diced fine - for garnish

1. Melt butter in a soup pot and add onion, celery and fresh red pepper. Saute for several minutes until onion and celery are translucent.
2. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add stock and 1/4 cup roasted red pepper.
3. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until vegetables are tender - about 20 minutes.
4. Strain soup with cheesecloth and return to pot.
5. Return soup to simmering and add milk and cheddar cheese.
6. Whisk until cheese is melted. Thicken if needed with a flour and water slurry.
7. Salt to taste and serve with chopped pimento on top.

Bean and Pepper Soup

I have this thing for peppers and the more colorful they are, the better. I've combined 3 colors with white beans for a pretty and tasty bowl!

Bean and Pepper Soup
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced
3 large peppers - one red, one yellow and one green - chopped
1 large carrot - peeled and diced
1 large tomato - seeded and diced
1 pound navy beans - cooked
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 teaspoon dry oregano
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large heavy soup pot. Add onion, garlic and peppers. Saute until softened.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes until flavors blend. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Vietnamese Pho

What in the world is Pho (properly pronounced, 'fuh')? According to everyone who has ever had it, it's near Heaven on Earth. Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup, commonly eaten for breakfast but equally good at any moment of the day.

Pho is one of those dishes that spurs on much discussion, from how long to cook the broth to exactly which garnishes are best and whether or not chicken Pho counts as 'real Pho'.

Never mind all that - the answers to everything you'd like to know about Pho are at Andrea Nguyen's website. Andrea Nguyen is the author of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors and keeper of Viet World Kitchen. For Pho, there are three separate posts; the history and evolution, the secrets and techniques and the beef Pho recipe. I highly suggest reading all three, in the order given, before you undertake the making of Pho.

I'll let you get the recipe there and I'll simply tell you what I did that may or may not be different from the recipe that Ms. Nguyen offers.

1. For beef bones, I purchased cows feet. They are full of marrow, fat and flavor and the stock I got from them was perfect.

2. I didn't only char the onions and ginger, I also charred the bones. It may be habit from my own beef stock making, but I think the char on the bones adds to the overall flavor.

3. The rice noodles I used were labeled as 'Pad Thai' - which you can certainly use them for, but don't be fooled by the name, they're the same rice noodles used for many, many dishes.

4. There are no peppers in my photo, that's simply because the kids aren't big on the heat factor and that was one of their bowls.

5. Ms. Nguyen is RIGHT about the 3-hour simmer for the stock. The only reason it seems as if simmering longer is more flavorful is that there is evaporation and consequent concentration of the stock. If the full amount of liquid were to remain, you'd see that 3 hours is sufficient to extract the necessary flavors for this.

Idiot Proof Parsnip Soup

Here is Writing Hannah with Idiot Proof Parsnip Soup:



Check out Writing Hannah on You Tube or at her blog My Mess of Motley Musings.

Chicken Florentine Soup

I really enjoy Chicken Florentine (anything Florentine for that matter!) so deconstructing it for soup seemed like a good idea. It was! Don't leave out the shallots or garlic or the flavor won't be the same. Shallots are like a perfect blend of garlic and onion or leek and add a depth you don't get from just garlic. Even equal parts garlic and onion wouldn't be the same, so please try to find them for this.


Chicken Florentine Soup
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
All-purpose flour for coating
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 6-ounce package baby spinach - chopped

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and toss with flour to coat each piece.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot. Add shallots and garlic and cook briefly.
3. Add chicken and cook until browned.
4. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. Pour the wine into the pot and stir and cook, breaking up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
6. Add chicken stock, spinach and chicken.
7. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.
8. At this point you can thicken the soup with a flour and water slurry. Once thickened, add cream, and simmer for another 10 minutes before serving.