Jamie's Spicy Meat Gumbo

I know I teased more Jamie recipes last week than I actually posted about...but that was for your own good. Beer Butt Chicken was fine (and very juicy, even though I was worried my prehistoric oven over-cooked it), but nothing earth shattering...although Hubby has since insisted it was worth posting about. Maybe if I use a better rub next time. I'll keep you posted. As is, my favorite part is that it looked more than slightly inappropriate before and after cooking:


Heh.

I also made Zucchini and Couscous Salad...it made a ton and, over the course of a couple days, I ate a ton...but to be honest, it's pretty similar to my Greek Chicken and Quinoa Salad, and I prefer the latter. It was good, but something was missing for me.

Yesterday, however, I attempted one of his Gumbo recipes...and it's worth sharing. There were a few changes I had to make: his version calls for sweet potato and fresh herbs, all of which I was out of, but omitting the potato was fine, and dried thyme and bay leaves worked just as well. I also added the hot sauce, since my cayenne pepper seemed a little questionable, and used beef broth instead of chicken. Served over some white rice and we pretty much destroyed it. It was hard to just have one serving. (But I did. It's not exactly low-fat.)



I'm not going to lie and say this is an easy one...I mean, it's not difficult, but it does take time (About 2.5 hours, AKA way more than I anticipated—otherwise I would have done it on a weekend). Just pay attention to it and, as Jamie says, 'dedicate a bit of love' to it.

Also, and this is gross...I'm recommending you take the skin off the chicken either from the start or after you brown it. Between that and the bacon and sausage, I skimmed off a good 1/2+ cup of fat/attached broth while it cooked. It took forever to do, and liquid fat is just nasty to deal with.



Meat Gumbo
olive oil
1 package bone-in chicken thighs (about 6)
S&P
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or about 2 tsp Frank's or other cayenne sauce)
3 spicy sausages, thickly sliced (I used the Spicy Louisiana flavor)
4 slices of smoked bacon, chopped roughly
Large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
3 tbsp flour
6 cloves garlic
leaves of 6 thyme leaves, or a little less than a tsp dried
4 bay leaves
6 cups broth
green onion to top

Season chicken with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. In a large pan (You need a big one), heat a bit of olive oil (I'm sure spray would have worked fine), and add the chicken, sausage and bacon. Let brown a few minutes over high heat, then flip and stir fry it all around for about 10-15 minutes or until everything is a little golden. Reduce heat to medium high and remove chicken from pan and place on a large plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.

The pan should have a bunch of drippings in it by now, so just add the veggies (onion, bell peppers, celery) and saute about 10 minutes (move it around a bit occasionally).

In the meantime, pour yourself a drink, grab a book, tune the station to something you like. Cause you're about to be stuck at the stove for awhile. Add the flour, and start stirring; slowly but very often is good. Jamie says it should be at least peanut-butter dark by about 10-15 minutes, but mine never got that dark, and I cooked it about 25 minutes. So...aim for darker than lighter, and cook between 10 and 30 minutes.

Stir in the broth, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, and a bit more pepper. When it comes to boil, reduce to a low boil (medium low heat or so), and cook about 45-60 minutes, stirring once in awhile. When it's ready, the chicken will easily pull off the bone.

When you're ready, remove the chicken from the pot, pull off all the meat, and return just the meat to the gumbo. Season to taste with S&P and hot sauce.


He says this serves 6-8...I say closer to 8. But Jamie loves his fat-kid portions. About 245 cals (plus rice) if you aim for 8 servings.

Jamie's Green Chili

One of the most interesting things about this cookbook is that he seems to have traveled deep into parts of the country most of us will never go. This particular dish, Green Chili, is a Navajo dish from Arizona, and it really isn't like anything else I've made. It's a little like a taco, a little like a lettuce wrap, a little bit southwestern, a little bit Cali-fusion. I mean, look at these fresh ingredients! Not exactly what I think of when I think 'chili,' which to me typically means meat, beans, and spices...maybe with a can or two of tomatoes thrown in. So this was a welcome change from the norm.


How come his and mine always look so different? Where's the tomato, Jamie??

So there's a bit of chopping involved in this one, but Jamie uses one of my favorite cooking phrases over and over here: Rough Chop. Love it. Especially since it's got a bell pepper, and it's damn near impossible to cut bell peppers evenly. Or maybe that's just me...anyway, I cut down the quantities of everything a bit, since he called for 1.75lbs of meat and I only had a bit over 1lb, but hubby and I both thought it turned out great. It's definitely spicy, but the yogurt and lime help with that, so don't skimp.


Green Chili
olive oil
package lean ground pork
dried sage, about a tsp
S&P
Really big onion, roughly chopped
large bell pepper, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
4 green chilies, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
a couple green onions, sliced thin
flour tortillas
lime
greek yogurt

Heat a splash of olive oil in large pan over high heat, add pork, sage and a big pinch each of salt and pepper. Break meat apart and let cook about 5 minutes. Add onions, garlic, bell peppers and chilies, stir fry everything about 20 minutes or until they start to brown a bit and all the liquid is gone. (It may take less or more time depending on what kind of pan you're using)

Add tomatoes and a bit of water (1/4 cup or so—you want it pretty dry), and let cook over medium for 10 minutes or so. Stir in the juice of a lime, half of the mint, and more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over hot flour tortillas, topped with chopped lettuce, and a bit of greek yogurt. Sprinkle with the rest of the mint and green onion.

Makes four big servings. Minus the tortilla, about 260 calories each.