It looks good to me!

Ohhhh, magically delicious food!!! Great photos and food juju-- and the feathered masks really add to the Fat Tuesday feel!

I cooked a plain ole chicken, sausage, and andouille gumbo early this morning. Mine was no where near as fancy as yours!! Beautiful pictures and luv your Mardi Gras spirit and interpretation. Well done......

Cajun Dan

Wow!! Looks good to me!!

Linda

That would do Marie Laveau proud!

Seafood Gumbo is probably my all-time,
most favorite
of all favorite foods!
But I never make it anymore,
I am the only one here now that likes it.
And I have NEVER figured out how to make a small amount.

So, needless to say,
I am on the verge of licking the monitor.

I have never seen whole okra in gumbo,
Nor blackened shrimp.

But I think that makes it look even better! !
Definitly unique.

Rusty

I don't like okra in any way, shape or form, but you, Dcarch, made even that look palatable to me!!
Everything else is mouth-watering.
Great job!! (as usual)

Thank you very much for your wonderful compliments everyone. Next Mardi Gras I will make sure I plan ahead better. I saw crawdadies in the store a little while back and didn't buy any.

"----I have never seen whole okra in gumbo, Nor blackened shrimp. ---"

Rusty, I used tapioca for thickening, so I didn�t have to cut the okra. I always blacken the shrimps before I incorporate them. It intensifies the shrimp flavor a great deal.

dcarch

Also never seen gumbo thickened with tapioca and not a roux. I think what you have is a shrimp stew with frozen whole okra, served with Chinese sticky rice.

Posted by lindac "Also never seen gumbo thickened with tapioca and not a roux. I think what you have is a shrimp stew with frozen whole okra, served with Chinese sticky rice."

I hope my fumbled gumbo will not cause a rumble here.

Right you are, you will never see an authentic gumbo made with tapioca and not a roux. But, as I said, I was not setting out to make an authentic gumbo. The title says it all, "Gumbo Jumble"

There is a reason why I cook the way I do. I believe that good cooking should have to do with good health. Yet I shy away from preaching. In the many posts I have presented here in this forum, rarely have I posted anything unhealthy. I remember I have only once posted the making of carbonara. ( Funny! Spellcheck keeps on changing carbonara to CORONARY !). I seldom use fat, butter, cream, lard, shortening, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all those goodies. Nothing against them. I just find there are so many other options. The block of butter in my refrigerator must be about 3 years old. I keep collecting bacon fat and duck fat that I never use and always ended up throwing them out.

LindaC, you sure are aware of the alarming obesity, heart disease issues we are currently in. I feel I, as a member of this food community, have an obligation to find ways that without compromising the enjoyment of eating, healthier ways of preparing food.

Comfort food, are known to be less than comforting, and soul food is good for the soul, but not so good for the body.

I like roux, but in this dish, I used bacon to cook in chicken stock to get the bacon taste, skimed off the fat, chopped some lean ham and used tapioca to thicken. I had a very delicious gravy done. Bacon then was fried crispy to render all remaining fat out and incorporated into the dish. No, I didn't need sausage in this gumbo dish either.

What can I say? Fatless gumbo for Fat Tuesday!

And:

Frozen okra from TJ's is almost as good as fresh ones. I like them whole. Those little white caviars just pop in your mouth.

Chinese sticky rice will not work. The form I used has a 1:1 slope geometry, the rice just comes out self-supporting; similar to berming in highway engineering.

dcarch

I've never even made gumbo, as I absolutely cannot eat okra under any circumstances, it's just too icky.

I do love shrimp, though, and I like the pyramid of rice, but I really like the masks!

Annie

I'm not a fan of Okra either, but I'd be happy to pick at the blackened shrimp, with rice and sauce.

Ann

Annie and Ann_t,

That is not surprising. It does take a little getting used to the okra's "slimmy" texture.

However, okra plant has the most beautiful flowers. The flowers are also delicious cooked.

They really should call okra by it's other name, Lady's Fingers.

dcarch

dcarch, you are right, I grew it one year and it had beautiful lavendar/purple blossoms, I'd have much perferred them as cut flowers rather than dinner, LOL.

Grandma told me it was actually a hibiscus, which would explain the lovely blooms I suppose. That was back before it was popular to eat the blossoms, so that never occurred to me, the only flower we ate regularly was nasturtiums.

Annie

As with most "love it or hate it" foods, those who love okra REALLY love it. I REALLY love okra.

Jim

Your shrimp and okra stew looks good to me! ;-)

I love okra, but I've never had it whole. I thought the point of the slime inside is to be a thickening agent. What happens to the slime when cooked, whole?

I love okra....but I sure never put it in anything with the stem on.
Properly cooked okra is not slimy. Quickly cooked at high heat....as in egg, corn meal and a hot frying pan. Or, cut into circles and added to a soup or stew it adds a lovely peppery taste....and any slime incorporates into the broth and you never see any slimy stuff. Quickly fried the slime doesn't seem to occur.
I also have been served pickled okra as part of a relish plate. That had the stem on....with the assumption you would cut it off and not eat it. No slime there either.
I do love okra! But not simmered whole in a soup or stew....you bite into one of them and it would be like raw egg white inside.
However, they do look good in the picture....which, I guess was the point of the whole thing.
Linda C

Omg, Linda, you do make me laugh.

I feel quite confident the gumbo was good and the okra good too. The thing about gumbo AND the people of Louisianna, is that it's totally acceptable to make it your way. Sure, everyone thinks theirs or their family's version is the best, but they'd never think twice about accepting DCArch's version as the tribute to gumbo it was posted to be.

Looks good to me DCArch. Those are beautiful masks too.

My mother used to make fried okra using the whole okra as pictured. Yum! Use small ones.

Laissez les bons temps roulez... Heading to New Orleans next month. Can't wait!

For your next gumbo...

Crawdad Sampling

Predator or prey?

Linda, you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on this. I've had okra fried, by the ex's mother who was from Kentucky, by Elery's sister who is from Tennessee, by Elery's stepmother, Francis, also from Tennessee. I've had it at a restaurant in Georgia and Elery's made it especially for me. they all tell me it's not slimy if cooked correctly. They're wrong. It's slimy, all of it.

Ann, I'd happily eat those crawdads with your handsome boy those, I like crawdads and that alligator picture is a hoot!

dcarch, I'd prefer your whole okra anyway, makes it easier to pick it out, or avoid it and eat the shrimp and rice!

Annie

Timon: This looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub.
Young Simba: What's that?
Timon: A grub. What's it look like?
Young Simba: Ewwwww, gross.
Timon: Tastes like chicken.
Pumbaa: Slimy... yet satisfying.

:)

Hey guys, be nice.

What do ya mean by slimy and icky? I prefer "mucilaginous" instead. :-).

Okra is one of the most common vegetables worldwide and used by almost all cultures. There are so many different ways to use okra. Cut, not cut, sliced, fried, sauted, stewed, boiled, batter fried, baked, stuffed, pickled, okra oil, salad, tempura -----------. You pick one that will turn you on and Laissez les bons temps roulez.

Hakuna matata! Yes, I need to get some crawdaddies to assemble my next gumbo.

dcarch :-)

dcarch, you kind of reminded me of Bubba and the shrimp in "Forrest Gump" there for a minute, LOL.

Well "mucilaginous" is nicer than my description, which is "snotty". Yup, just like having a mouth full of.....mucus.

Annie

Slimy... yet satisfying.

One of my favorite quotes, Ann. Around here it's more often repeated in the bedroom than in the kitchen, but yes, a great quote. ;-)

You asked for it, FOAS, LOLOL!

Posted by foodonastump " --- IMO cleaning the cooktop is like making the bed. Why bother, when the next time you use it you're going to mess it up again anyway? ;-) "

Posted by foodonastump "Slimy... yet satisfying. One of my favorite quotes, Ann. Around here it's more often repeated in the bedroom than in the kitchen, but yes, a great quote. ;-) "

Posted by annie1992 "-----Well "mucilaginous" is nicer than my description, which is "snotty". Yup, just like having a mouth full of.....mucus. Annie"

Hocus pocus, a mouth full of mucus, raw oysters are scrumptious !

dcarch

Cajuns do not like slimy gumbo. Slimy okra will never win in gumbo cooking competitions in my area. For the best "flavor and texture" try cooking okra slices until it falls apart and browns a bit....to the point of nearly drying....then put it in the rest of the ingredients to make your gumbo. Large batches of okra can be cooked with onions too in the oven or microwave and frozen until needed. Many Cajuns routinely keep smothered okra in their freezer for a quick gumbo. IMO, The difference in flavor is like night and day.

The secret to a good jambalaya is in the browning of the onions.

The secret to a good seafood okra gumbo is in cooking the okra until it falls apart......way past the slime point. Adding some acidity (tomatoes or vinegar) when smothering your okra helps cut that slime.
------------------------------

Still luving darch's Mardi Gras spirit and gumbo intrepretation. However, this Cajun would not like the slimy okra.

Dan

Dan, an excellent discussion of gumbo and okra. I am in complete agreement with your views.

Over the many years of making authentic gumbo, I have learned that, the perception that New Yorkers have a sophisticated palate is hyped. There are a few here who have not tasted okra before. There are a few in my friendship circle who will not touch okra no matter how long you cook them. It complicates matters even more that it seems to me everyone is on low fat diet nowadays. It has not been successful serving gumbo the traditional way.

This concoction of so called "gumbo" is, no question, a complete bastardization of what gumbo is all about.

Gumbo with rogue rue is just a stew. Guilty as charged.

However, allow me to do a little horn blowing, nonetheless it was a splendid chicken/shrimp stew with okra used as more or less a garnish :-).

dcarch

I always enjoy reading your posts and viewing your pictures dcarch. I have absolutely no doubt that your Gumbo Jumble tasted as good as it looked. Again....my hat is off to your food artistry!!

Dan

"What do ya mean by slimy and icky? I prefer "mucilaginous" instead. :-).
"

I couldn't have said it better. Even mucilaginous is a somewhat unflattering adjective for that texture. There needs to be a better one.

Lindac mentioned pickled okra, which is very good and easy to make. Just fill pint jars with okra, garlic cloves, dried red chiles, salt and pickling spices. Pour a boiling 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water over everything, cap the jars and refrigerate when cool. They are ready to eat in two weeks. Use a variety of okra whose pods are still tender when 4 or 5 inches long. Emerald works for me. Google for exact recipes.

Jim

Posted by jimster (My Page) on Sat, Mar 12, 11 at 18:54

"What do ya mean by slimy and icky? I prefer "mucilaginous" instead. :-).
"
I couldn't have said it better. Even mucilaginous is a somewhat unflattering adjective for that texture. There needs to be a better one.

That reminds me:

I was in a family dinner party once. Raw oysters were served as one of the appetizers. One of the female guests uttered, with a disgusted expression on her face, "Eek! There are two things I wouldn't swallow, oyster is one of them."

There was a blanket of uneasiness amongst the adults. Because this lady had a reputation for exercising her freedom of speech.

The uneasiness became stifling when an innocent little boy asked, "So what's the other thing you wouldn't swallow?"

"Okra."

dcarch

Well, then dcarch, I guess there are THREE things I won't swallow.

Okra, raw oysters and (I'm going to exercise my freedom of speech here), Jello.

What? You thought I was going to say......aw c'mon, you think I've been hanging around with Jessica?

Annie

Probably not the right post to ask this but I will ask anyway :)

How do you plate your food - how do you keep the plate clean where the food is not; how do you know where what goes; do you try out several plates or it comes out perfect first time every time; do you have specific sauces in a bottle ready to add wiggles and lines and color, or you make new ones per dish every time; same for garnishes - I think that is what I struggle the most, sauces and garnishes, as this is not necessary to eat the dish but is needed to make it look artsy, and that is what I am trying to learn.
So if you can give any pointer, or point to useful websites, that would be very much appreciated, slimy or not and I do not do JELLO either, although I have been told that JELLO shots can be delightful, shudder LOL

punamytsike,

How do I plate my food?

You got me thinking. I have some ideas, but I really don't know.

I will try to organize my ideas, and may be start a new thread someday soon.

Thanks for asking. I am flattered.

dcarch

Dcarch, I think your stew looks great and the rice pyramid makes me want to dig into it.

For me, okra is in the same category as some game dishes - try it and see how it tastes. My neighbor stews it with tomatoes, onions, green peppers and spices and it's delicious. Other times, I've had it and didn't like it at all.

When it comes to mucilaginous, to my taste, okra is way down on the scale when compared to boiled peanuts.

DCArch, I would love a new thread, hope you will start it soon. Will be looking forward to it :)

"My neighbor stews it with tomatoes, onions, green peppers and spices and it's delicious."

That, or some variation on it, is my usual way of preparing okra. Various combinations of vegetables can be used, depending on what's in the garden.

Jim