no, im talking about seasoning. I do favor seafood gumbo. relatives from new orleans and donaldsonville. our roux is fairly light, not dark at all. grandmothers recipe' as well, she was a Lightfoot native american from new orleans.
Salt, pepper, and maybe file I use while cooking gumbo. Other than that I stay away from anything else. I believe most chefs do as well. Build upon the flavors in each step. So darken the roux to add flavor. Build upon that with different kinds of stock. I usually don't add tabasco until serving. Leah Chase uses many stocks that are hard to come by for normal households. She uses Creole Sausage, smoked meats, file, paparika, garlic, and thyme to add flavor and spice. I favor methods closer to Chase, not using premixed seasoning.
I'll bet you $100 that you can't tell the difference either. SabanFan agrees with me, so I have the coonass seal of approval. Me . . . if it doesn't have okra, its not gumbo, just some kind of savory stew.
I volunteer a couple times a month serving meals at a senior center. I've learned a lot about this. Taste buds start to disappear quickly after age 50, mostly from the sides and top of the mouth. Less saliva is produced, makes eating less enjoyable. Sadly, sweet and salty are often the first to go. I always wondered why old folks ate such bland shit.
Did not know all that. Coulda done without knowing, really. Maybe they got a pill to fix that. Viagra for tase buds? Jar, scratch, the debate rages on. I don't hold sinners to any specific standard. It all really comes to pride. A gumbo that is cared about, flavors born from good ingredients as opposed to seasoning is always more appreciated. Roux is more symbolic of the value that goes in. Wanna slap a gumbo together, grab your jar. I'll eat it with you. Wanna leave an impression, turn that roux. I'll bath in it with you. A gumbo built with pride is almost always gonna taste better than a slap together. Now I've been accused of trying to compensate for my geographic nightmare, but that ain't it. Learned to cook in my grandma's kitchen. She cooked with paitence and though simple, tried to get the best out of simple ingredients. Being the greatest woman I ever knew, honering her spoon is what drives my efforts. Thats a gumbo, no matter what you put in it. Roux in a jar is faster, but a gumbo is not supposed to be fast and how it finishes is always what matters most. Carry on.
