-GUMBO-
3 tb Plus 1 teaspoon vegetable
-oil
3 tb All-purpose flour
3 tb Butter
3/4 lb Smoked sausage; sliced
3/4 lb Cooked bonelss ham steak;
-cut into 2 by 1/4 inch
-strips
1 lg Onion; chopped
2 Garlic cloves; minced
1/2 Green bell pepper; chopped
1/2 Red bell pepper; chopped
1 sm Celery rib; minced
3 tb Rice
2 c Chicken stock
2 ts Fresh lemon juice
1/2 ts Cayenne pepper
3/4 lb Shrimp; shelled
1/2 lb Okra; sliced
Salt and freshly ground
-black pepper
-BISCUIT TOPPING-
2 c All-purpose flour
1 Tablspoon baking powder
2 ts Sugar
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
6 1/2 tb Cold butter
3/4 c Buttermilk
Make the gumbo: In a heavy medium skillet, combine 3 tablespoons of
the oil with the flour and cook over moderatly low heat, stirring
occasionally, until the roux is dark mahogany in color, about 1 hour.
Do not let burn. Immediately remove from heat.
In a medium flameproof casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter
with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add the sliced sausage and cook
over moderate heat until well browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a
plate with a slotted spoon. Add the ham strips to the casserole and
cook until lightly browned, about 7 minutes; add to the plate with
the sausage slices.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the onion to the casserole.
Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until softened and
translucent, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately low and
add the garlic, green and red bell peppers, celery and rice. Cook,
stirring, for 5 minutes longer.
Reheat the brown roux if necessary. Scrape it into the casserole with
the vegetables and rice. Stir in the chicken stock and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the sausages and ham, reduce the
heat to moderately low and cook, covered, for 25 minutes.
Stir in the cayenne, shrimp and okra and season with salt and black
pepper to taste. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes. Remove
from the heat.
Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 450F. In a medium bowl, combine
the flour, baking soda and salt. Cut in the 5 1/2 tablespoons of the
butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the
buttermilk until a soft dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick.
Using a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, stamp out 12 biscuits.
Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the hot gumbo into a
shallow 9 inch round baking dish. Arrange the bicuits on top and
brush with the melted butter. Bake until the biscuits are puffed and
golden brown, about 20 minutes. Typos
Yields
6 Servings