Recipe: Lowcountry Gumbo

This style of gumbo is definitely more Savannah/Charleston than the Louisiana styles most of y'all are probably used to. I was introduced to this style initially growing up at one of the many family reunions we'd attend. Family reunions in the south are big affairs: everyone shows up about mid-morning if it's on a Saturday, or just after church if it's on a Sunday, and brings whatever they had decided to cook that day. Big folding tables are set up out in the yard of whomever's house was the fortunate (or unfortunate ;)) one to be hosting - although sometimes we'd end up renting a public park or such. Then the dishes would just be scattered all over the tables - a cornucopia of roasted meats, fried things, stews, soups, vegetables, salads, casseroles. Gumbo of this style would be in a big pot, usually right next to another southern classic, Brunswick Stew (which I promise I'll share my recipe for soon). All of us kids would usually get first dibs at the tables. This was so we'd get all full of energy to run around and play for the rest of the afternoon while the adults sat around gossiping and telling stories.

I was re-introduced to this style of gumbo on a visit to Savannah about 15 years ago. Ever since, this style has stuck. I found the basics of a recipe in an old Edna Lewis cookbook with some cross-referencing to New Orleans Chef Paul Prudhomme's cookbook and fiddled with it until I got it to what I remembered. So, this is now how I make gumbo. Now, I admittedly don't always make it the same exact way every time - which is kinda the beauty of this dish. Sometimes I leave out the oysters or scallops because I can't find ones I like. Sometimes I add pulled chicken that I had leftover from earlier in the week. However, the recipe below is the one I most often use and matches closest to my memories. I hope y'all enjoy.

Lowcountry Gumbo

Ingredients

2 sticks of unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1 bottle of good dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)

3 quarts of chicken stock

1 lb. of mild pork sausage, ground or diced

1 lb. of ham (off the bone preferred, but ham steaks are OK), diced

1 lb. shrimp, peeled, detailed, deveined, chopped

1 lb. scallops, chopped

1 lb. jumbo lump crab meat (if fresh is unavailable, a good refrigerated brand OK)

1 lb. mild whitefish filets (grouper, flounder, cod, halibut all acceptable), cut into small pieces

1/2 lb. oysters (this is weight after shucking - if fresh is unavailable, a good canned or refrigerated brand is OK), chopped

2 large red bell peppers, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

2 large sweet onions, diced

1 whole celery stalk (ribs removed), diced

6 large green heirloom tomatoes OR 10 green vine tomatoes, diced

1 small can (16 oz.) crushed red tomatoes

2 1/2 lbs. of frozen cut okra (usually 2 bags)

1 1/2 tbsp. celery salt

1 1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. white pepper

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. savory

1 tbsp. ground sage

1 tbsp. sugar

5 bay leaves

1 bunch of scallions, diced (for garnish)

6 cups of cooked long-grain white rice (because you can't have gumbo without rice :))

Directions

You will need a large 18 quart stockpot for this recipe. Over medium-high heat, add butter, sausage, and ham to pot. Cook until sausage is fully cooked and browning, stirring frequently with a big wooden flat spatula, approximately 10 minutes. Remove cooked sausage and ham with a slotted spoon to a separate plate or bowl leaving all rendered fat in the bottom of the stockpot. Now it's time to roux.

Keep heat at medium-high. Stir all of the flour into the fat. Using the spatula, keep stirring constantly at a slow, gentle pace until the roux reaches a medium brown (caramel) color. This can take anywhere from 10 - 15 minutes. Once you've hit color, immediately add back the pork, ham, chopped celery, onions, and bell peppers. Keep stirring until the vegetables start to sweat (about 4 - 5 minutes). Slowly add in 1/3 of the bottle of white wine at a time, stirring until fully incorporated. Now add all dry seasonings, the bay leaves, and frozen okra. Stir to incorporate. Now add all chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Stir occasionally and deep into the pot (to prevent any sticking) about every 4 - 5 minutes.

After 45 minutes of cooking, use a spoon to test for seasoning - adjust if you'd like (if too spicy for you, add a little more sugar). Now add the green and canned crushed tomatoes to the pot. Continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes, stirring about every 4 to 5 minutes. Gumbo should reach a thickness somewhere in between a soup and a hearty stew. If it's not thick enough for you, whisk 1 to 2 tbsp. of cornstarch into some hot water to make a slurry then add to the pot to thicken things up.

Now add all of the diced and chopped seafood to the pot. Continue cooking for an additional 30 - 45 minutes. All seafood should be cooked through and the gumbo should now have a solid and good seafood-forward taste. Remove pot from heat.

Use a ladle to fill bowls approximate 3/4 of the way to the top. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cooked white rice to the center. Sprinkle chopped scallions liberally over the top and serve.

(makes 16 - 24 servings.)

Recipe: Seafood Enchiladas

Made this last night for a Cinco de Mayo party and it was a HUGE hit!!!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 lbs. lump dungeness crab meat (I got a 3 lb. live crab and had it cracked and cleaned)
3/4 lbs. shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
3/4 lbs. sea scallops, coarsely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of green garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp. cracked red pepper flakes
3 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 cups good quality red enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups good quality salsa verde
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
12 corn tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the green garlic, onions, and spices, saute until the onions start to become soft.  Add the mushrooms to the mixture and cook until the mushrooms start to soften.  Add all of the seafood and cook until the shrimp just starts to turn pink.  Add the spinach in a final step and cook until the spinach is wilted.  Remove the mixture from heat.

Prepare a large casserole dish by spraying with cooking spray.  Soften the corn tortillas in the microwave by placing them in on high for 40 seconds.  Put about 3/4 ladle full of the seafood stuffing into each tortilla, roll, and place into the casserole dish.  Pack the rolled tortillas in as tightly as you can.  Pour the enchilada sauce and salsa verde evenly over all of the tortillas.  Top with the shredded cheese in an even layer.  Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until all the cheese is melted and starts to brown.  Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Nawlins Cali Po' Boy

This recipe is inspired by my recent trip back to New Orleans, one of my favorite cities. I am a big fan of po' boy sandwiches, especially the ones with fried seafood. However, I honestly cannot resist putting a Cali twist on a Nawlins classic...

Ingredients:

Crab salad:

1 tbsp. crushed garlic

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 cups of fresh lump dungeness crab meat

Sandwich:

1 two foot long sourdough French baguette (if you find somewhere that makes New Orleans style French baguettes, feel free to get one of those!)

2 lbs. of peeled, deveined, and de-tailed small shrimp (if you can get Gulf Coast "popcorn" shrimp, they are the best)

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of corn meal

2 tbsp. of sea salt

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups of canola oil (for frying)

1/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3 tbsp. of finely chopped chives

2 large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups of fresh arugula

Directions:

Crab salad:

Combine everything but the crab meat into a small bowl. Using a whisk, whip all of the ingredients together until a creamy emulsion forms - an aioli. In a larger bowl, place the lump crab meat and use your fingers to well separate the strands and parts. Add the aioli to the bowl and mix together thoroughly using a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator.

Sandwich:

Combine the flour, corn meal, and all of the dry spices well together in a large bowl. Heat the canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the shrimp into the flour and spice mixture first to coat, then into the egg wash, then back into the flour and spice mixture before placing into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 5 - 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels or a large paper sack.

Add the chopped chives to the room temperature butter. Using a fork, mix the chives into the butter thoroughly. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise. Spread the chive butter all over the bottom half. Spread the arugula out evenly on top of the butter. Place the tomatoes evenly atop the arugula. Spread the fried shrimp out evenly on top of the tomatoes. Top the shrimp evenly with the crab salad. Place the top of baguette back on and push down to tighten the sandwich. Cut width-wise into 8 equal portions. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe: Seafood Risotto

I made this for a friend of mine who was here a couple of weeks ago... and still have some in the freezer that I'll get around to eating ;). It turned out really well!

Ingredients:

1 lb. of 30 - 40 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. of small bay scallops
2/3 lb. of lump dungeness crab meat
2 cups of asparagus, blanched and diced
3 1/2 cups of arborio rice
1 1/2 cups of dry sherry
5 1/2 cups of chicken broth
4 tbsp. of butter
2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp. of white pepper
3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. dried oregano
2/3 cup shredded parmesan
2/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola
2 tbsp. of olive oil

Directions:

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the seafood and stir to evenly distribute the butter. Add the salt, white pepper, minced garlic, and dried oregano. Continue stirring frequently, cooking the seafood. All of the seafood should cook in about 8 - 10 minutes. When the shrimp turn a nice shade of pink, you know you're done. Add the fresh basil and tarragon, stir to incorporate and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the arborio rice to the oil and stir to coat all rice kernels with the oil. Continue heating and turning frequently until the rice starts to turn a light brown color. Not all rice kernels will turn brown, but you don't want any getting too brown - those will be burnt! Once the rice has started to turn color, add the dry sherry to the pot and stir to incorporate. Continue stirring until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice - but not so much that the rice starts sticking to the bottom of the pot! Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and repeat this process - stirring until the liquid is absorbed. Once absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Continue this process until you're out of chicken broth and all of the liquid is absorbed.

Add the diced asparagus and the seafood mixture you completed earlier to the pot and stir to evenly incorporate. Add the parmesan and gorgonzola cheeses and stir to incorporate evenly. Turn off the heat and let sit for about 3 minutes. Serve as a main course.

Makes 8 main course servings.

Recipe: Shrimp and Crab Gratin

This dish is just absolutely decadent... I made it last night for friends of mine who were over for some wine and chit-chat. Everyone loved all the dishes I made, but this one was their favorite...

Ingredients

1 lb. of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. of lump crab meat (dungeness crab is the best! :))
3 cups of diced white potatoes
3 cups of diced parsnips
2/3 cup of fresh parsley, loosely chopped
1/4 cup of fresh chives, chopped
2 1/2 cups of Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese, shredded
2/3 cups of bread crumbs
2 cups of heavy cream
1 stick of unsalted butter
3 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of black pepper
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray to coat. Put the potatoes and parsnips in a layer on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the parsley and chives over the vegetables. Place the shrimp and crab meat over the vegetables in an even layer.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter into the heavy cream. Add the salt and pepper. Add the Gruyere cheese to the cream mixture and whisk until the cheese fully melts. Whisk in the all-purpose flour. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it all over the other ingredients in the casserole dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs in an even layer over the top. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the casserole and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the Parmesan layer on top is nice and browned. Remove from the oven and let set for a couple of minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Restaurant Review: Maverick

I have been going to Maverick for quite a long time (an eternity by San Francisco dining standards ;))... my first time was two months after it opened a little more than two years ago and at least once every 4 - 6 weeks since. I can’t help it... I absolutely love the place. It was started by two friends: one, a chef from Cincinnati named Scott Youkilis (yes, he’s the brother of that more famous “Youkilis”) and the other, a self-professed oenophile named Mike Pierce from New Jersey. How these two got to San Francisco I do not know, but I am very glad they did.

The cuisine can be described as “Kentucky meets California by way of the Wild West.” Obviously for a southern boy like me, any restaurant that ventures into the flavors I grew up with is going to at least get some props. But what Mr. Youkilis does with the traditional southern flavors is just consistently so good to me. The only thing that is always on the menu is his fried chicken which is honestly the only fried chicken I can admittedly say I love outside of a) my own and b) my mother’s. The fixin’s underneath it change often (cheesy white corn grits and collard greens are there for winter), but it is just always so good. Their mac ‘n cheese is also one of the best I’ve had and is also one of the menu stalwarts.

I admittedly have been twice over the past several weeks because I had friends visiting from out of town and I love to “show the place off” because everyone I’ve taken there has loved it. As a starter on the first occasion, I had the house-smoked trout salad. It reminded me of a dish I had when I was in Stockholm back in 2006 - slices of perfectly cured fish with fish eggs and creme fraiche over a bed of simple greens. Of course, in Stockholm, they used local salmon - but the preparation was virtually identical. For entree I had the rabbit “three ways” - braised rabbit loin, rabbit leg confit, and rabbit liver served with a sweet potato and turnip hash. I don’t get rabbit that often, but when I do, it’s a treat - and that sir was a treat. As a side I had Scott’s mustard greens. They were cooked very differently than what I grew up with - slightly sauteed in olive oil with cracked red pepper and garlic, but so good (I’m used to boiling the sh*t out of them in salt pork, garlic, and hot sauce... thems good too :)). I skipped dessert ‘cause I was too full!

My next visit was just last week. This time I had the Baltimore crab fluffs in a spicy remoulade sauce. “Why they gotta fly that crab all the way in from Baltimore when we’ve got amazing dungeness crab here” was my first thought. But, then I realized the dungeness would have been too sweet in this particular preparation - so then I got it. For a main course I had the braised short ribs over creamy grits - talk about 100% pure comfort. That was SOOOO good... and so filling I was surprised I had room for dessert! But the second our server said, “there’s a Meyer lemon pie for dessert that’s not on the menu,” I knew I was doomed. For those that know me, I have more of a tart/savory tooth than a sweet tooth and I love anything tart for dessert. Oh, and she had to mention that the pie was made with buttermilk... oy, totally doomed! My friend and I decided to share it. Perfectly creamy and tart, great crust (forgot what it was made out of)... oh, such a lovely end to the meal!

OK... so I think I’ve made it clear that I love this place. If you’re ever in San Francisco, just call me up and I will take you... I promise! Now, on to the wine selection. This wine selection was not made by Maverick, by the way, but is from my own collection here at home that I opened yesterday. I do almost all of my wine shopping by traveling up to Sonoma and Napa so that I can taste the wines. Not only does it allow me to “try before I buy,” I’m also able to get ahold of wines that never show up in the stores or restaurants from small, family-owned producers. I do apologize if you can’t find some of the wines I will talk about on my blog - it just unfortunately sucks that you don’t live here! ;)