Gumbo

Driving rain, floods, hail, storms and high winds.  It's all a bit bleak here at the moment; everything is cold and grey and wet and miserable.  I'll admit that in the Costa del Kent we aren't doing too badly compared with the rest of the UK (have a look at the South West) but even so it's still fairly depressing outside.  Sunshine appears to be a distant memory and I can't even remember what it is like to venture outside without a coat and an umbrella.  This is the exact sort of weather that demands full on comfort food, brightly coloured, warming, rich and satisfying.  Something that wraps you in the food equivalent of a cashmere jumper and blanket, curled on a sofa in front of a roaring fire.

I have just the thing.  Gumbo.

Gumbo is a traditional Louisiana dish, consisting of a strongly flavoured stock thickened with a French roux made from flour and fat, the Creole Trinity of celery, onion and pepper (add garlic to make it a Holy Trinity), and shellfish and meat.  It is the official dish of Louisiana and is a warming, hearty, filling supper for a cold winter's night.  It is very similar to the French bouillabaisse except that gumbo should always have okra in it (we'll just ignore the fact that the supermarket was completely out when I went there, grrr).

While I was at the fish counter the man serving me asked if I was making paella.  I explained that I was making gumbo and he went slightly cross eyed and started to drool a bit, simply saying 'ooooh, I love gumbo'.  For people who like shellfish, this is a real crowd pleaser.   This recipe will easily serve 6, or 2 with a week's worth of leftovers!

Steve asked me for my gumbo for dinner one night, and it wasn't until I was 2/3rds of the way through cooking it that he realised he made a mistake.  He stuck his head in the kitchen, looked puzzled and asked me why it was red.  Gumbo is always red I replied, to which he stated he had expected it to be white and then realised he had meant to ask for chowder for dinner.  Too late!

It may not have been what he was expecting, but, even if I do say so myself, my gumbo is really rather tasty.  I know it looks like a lot of ingredients but they are worth it.  Don't feel restricted to the seafood I have listed below either - gumbo is real country food and should be amended and adapted to different palettes; that's the beauty of dishes like this.

Just try it for yourself. 

80ml peanut oil
130g plain flour
4 boned chicken thighs, butterflied (will serve 6 people)
6 smokey sausages (I used 3 smokey chilli chipotle sausages and 3 smokey chorizo chipotle sausages from Morrison's but andouille or any smokey sausage will do), chopped into large thirds.
450ml chicken stock
450ml beef stock
1 small octopus per 2 people
6 small langoustines per 2 people
4 small whole squid per 2 people
50g king prawns per 2 people
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 tube tomato paste
Handful fresh parsley
Handful fresh thyme
4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 clove chopped garlic
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper
Tabasco to taste
Parsley to garnish

In a large pan heat the peanut oil and then pan fry the chicken thighs until brown on both sides.  Remove from the pan and leave to cool, then cut into chunks.

In the same pan add the sausages and brown all over to release their oils.  Remove and set to one side.

Add the flour to the chicken and sausage scented oil in the pan and whisk briskly to make a thick roux.  Add more oil if it is not smooth.  Keep whisking the roux until it turns brown and has the consistency of pancake batter.   Slowly pour the chicken and beef stocks into the roux and continue whisking to form a soup-like stock.  Transfer to a large soup pan and keep warm on a low simmer.

In a large pan heat a little oil and cook the vegetables and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the softened vegetables, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, chicken, sausages, herbs and spices to the flour and stock mix and stir together to form a thick stew.  Taste and adjust the seasonings and spices according to preference.

Allow to simmer on the hob for 30-40 minutes.

Prepare your fish by cleaning the octopus and squid and peeling the prawns.   If you are not sure how to do this ask your fishmonger to do it for you.   Keep the langoustine whole.  Add the fish to the stew about 5 minutes before you are ready to serve; it will cook very quickly.

Serve with parsley sprinkled over the top, fresh bread and tabasco or other hot sauce on the side for people who want a bit more heat.  If you want to be more traditional, serve your gumbo over rice.

Close the curtains, lock the doors and listen to the wind howl outside as you tuck into a taste of sun-soaked Louisiana.

Tom Yum Soup

Yum by name and Yum by nature, this Thai hot and sour soup is a quick and warming lunch and one I frequently fall back on if I am working from home or am cooking only for myself and can't be bothered to go to too much effort.

It is hot (both chilli and steam hot) and fragrant, with strong pungent flavours.  As soups go, this one is not particularly shy or retiring.   It is also ridiculously moorish (I have been known to drain the broth after the noodles have been eaten straight from the bowl) and also pretty healthy!

It honestly takes less than 5 minutes from turning on the kettle to sitting at the table.

This is the bog standard, basic staple recipe which you can jazz up with spring onions, prawns, leftover chicken breast, mushrooms, baby corn, strips of fresh ginger, basically anything you happen to have leftover.  Believe me though, this version is beautiful just as it is and also very filling.

So set the timer and let's get started.

Put the kettle on- you want enough boiling water to fill your soup bowl about 3/4 of the way full.

In a small saucepan put 2 tablespoons liquid chicken stock, 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce, juice of 1 lime, 1 small red chilli, snipped in, a handful of ripped coriander, also snipped in and 1 tablespoon Tom Yum soup paste (if you don't have any you can leave this out and just make it with the rest of the ingredients.  This turns it into a standard hot and sour soup instead of a Tom Yum soup but it is still just as nice).  You can also add a small pinch of brown sugar if you want to tone down the sharpness a little but remember, this soup is supposed to be hot and sour, not sweet.

Pour the boiling water on the top and bring to a rapid boil.

Add your choice of noodle (egg or vermicelli are my favourites) plus anything else you want to throw in.

Boil for about 3 minutes and serve.

Slurping optional.

If You're Fond Of Sand Dunes And Salty Air...

You're sure to fall in love with old Cape...Prawn?

Whoever thinks that food needs to look pretty in order to taste good has never tasted this. 

Smokey, salty, slightly spicey corn chowder with flecks of crisp bacon scattered across the top and plump juicy prawns floating in its depths.   I could say it tastes like a windswept beach covered in olive green seaweed and silvery grey driftwood but frankly that sounds a bit grainy and bitty, like when you get sand in your sandwich at a picnic, not to mention ridiculous and pretentious.  So I won't mention that.

I will however say that this is a hearty, warming meal, perfect for the slight change to more autumnal weather that we are currently experiencing.

If however you are still unconvinced and want to check out someone whose photography is much better than mine, you can see the original recipe here.  Bev is just a lot better with her camera, lighting manipulation and artistically arranged shots than I am - I was much more focused on getting it to the table and in our bellies.

I made this using three fresh corn cobs and cut the kernels off using a knife run down the cob but honestly? Just use a big tin of Green Giant or frozen.  I really don't think it will make much difference.

I also didn't serve this with any bread (I forgot) but I would recommend some fresh baked to mop up the remainder of the chowder, preferably warm from the oven with slightly melted butter over spread over the top (I'm not saying bake your own - that's ridiculous,  I'm saying get some from the bakery and warm it in a low oven.  Much less hassle!)

So without further ado, here is the recipe (for 2 people):

3 strips of un-smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large packets of raw King Prawns
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon chipotle paste (this adds a rich smokey flavour with a hint of heat - quite important.  Steve  found mine in the Tex-mex section of Morrison's although a friend has made her own which is simply amazing - I couldn't stop eating it on tortilla chips).
3 ears fresh corn, kernels removed (or 1 large tin of sweetcorn / 3 fistfuls of frozen)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup single cream (you can get away with low fat)
Pepper

Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat.
Add the bacon and cook until crispy.
Remove bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain.
Drain all but 1Tbs. bacon fat, if you have that much in the pot.

Raise the heat to medium-high.
Add the prawns to the pot and sear on one side for 2 minutes.
Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove prawns from the pot and set aside.
Drain off any excess water

If you need to add a little oil (or bacon fat) to the pot, do so.
Add the onions to the pot and sauté 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, paprika, chipotle paste and a pinch of pepper.  Don't add salt - the bacon and chicken stock are salty already. Sauté another minute.

Add the corn kernels to the pot and toss to combine, saute another minute
Add the stock and cream to the pot. Stir to combine. Keep on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Check for seasoning

Blend half of the soup until it is creamy (either in the pot or remove half and blend separately).  Recombine and stir.

Add the prawns to the chowder and heat for a couple of minutes to warm up the prawns.

Serve with the bacon sprinkled over the top.

Slurp and pretend you live in a lighthouse somewhere in New England.  Flashbacks to Pete's Dragon anyone?