It’s not easy to pry gumbo-making secrets from a cook in New Orleans, but you should have better luck if you slip them some truth serum, in the form of several well-made sazeracs.
This particular gumbo, featuring duck, andouille sausage, smoked pork hock, gulf shrimp, and langoustine, was inspired by my recent trip to New Orleans, where I sampled a half-dozen varieties.
One rye whiskey-induced tip was to cook the famous Cajun roux in some duck fat instead of the more common and mundane vegetable oil. The roux is the soul of the gumbo and one of the challenges of this recipe is giving the fat and flour enough time to turn into that deep brick red-brown color.
My little trick here is to add a couple extra spoons of flour after the roux is browned. The dark roux gives the gumbo its signature flavor, but it doesn’t have much thickening power. I just cooked it a couple minutes, and then stirred in the stock.
Another tweak is using pickled okra instead of fresh or frozen. This particular perversion was born out of necessity rather than some brilliant thought on my part. Of course, if this technique catches on, that story will change. The pickled okra gave the gumbo a great flavor and added a little bit of acidity, which is always welcome in something this substantial.
This can be made with hundreds of different combinations of smoked meats, game, poultry, and seafood; and in my opinion, the more the merrier. As usual, I’d love to hear about any variations you may come up with. As you’ll see, the procedure is pretty straightforward, although you’re talking about a full day’s project. This is a dish that takes time, but I still hope you give it a try. Enjoy!
2 duck legs
1 tbsp vegetable oil, more as needed
1 cup flour, plus 2 tbsp for second addition 6 cups chicken broth
1 pound andouille sausage
1 large onion, chopped
4 green onions chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup diced peppers (any combination of sweet and hot)
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 smoked pork hock 2 cups water, or as needed 1 cup sliced okra, fresh, frozen or pickled 1 pound gulf shrimp 1 pound crawfish tail meat or langoustine rice to garnish
(From: Food Wishes with Chef John.)
Friday, April 19, 2013
April 12, Friday -- Covered pages 73 - 75 of textbook. Also went over page 145, "Grammar", and then did some exercises on that page. April 13, Saturday -- Covered pages 73 - 77 (Listening, part D; "Native Speaker English"). Also went over page 145, "Grammar", and then did some exercises on that page.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
On 5/6 April we covered pages 70 - 73 of the textbook.
I just wanted to remind you that on 12(Friday) / 13(Saturday) of April,
we will have a short listening test. Then on 26(Friday) / 27(Saturday)
of April, we will have a short writing test.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
A video on oral presentations.
On 15(Friday)/16(Saturday) March we covered pages 65 - 69 of the textbook. A reading comprehension exam was also given.
Important date: A listening comprehension exam will be given on 12(Friday)/13(Saturday) April.
Friday, March 8, 2013
The American Indians were the original inhabitants of the United States. Here is a video of an Indian encampment in the state of Washington showing an Indian tribe in their traditional attire.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
On 1(Friday) and 2(Saturday) of March we covered pages 53 - 56 of the textbook. On 8(Friday) and 9(Saturday) of March we will start at the top of page 57 of the textbook.
Next important date: 15(Friday) / 16(Saturday) March we will have a reading comprehension test which is worth 2.5% of your total grade.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Friday (22 Feb.) and Saturday (23 Feb.) -----
We covered all of page 49 till page 52. Next class we will start at the top of page 53.
We voted, using a handcount, that the extra 15 minutes we have to add to class shall be divided into 3 segments of 5 minutes. Each segment of 5 minutes shall be distributed at the beginning of class, the break and the end of class. In other words, class shall commence 5 minutes early, break shall be curtailed to 15 minutes and class shall adjourn 5 minutes later than the usual termination time.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Texas stampede, rodeo and cowboys.
B.2.2, Friday (15 Feb.) and Saturday (16 Feb.) --- We covered pages 45 to 48 of the textbook. Important dates: a. Workbooks - 22/23 February b. Oral Project Outlines - 1/2 March Next short exam will be divided into 4 parts. Each of these parts will be given over a period of time.: 1. Listening comprehension 2. Reading comprehension 3. Writing test 4. Speaking test This will be good preparation for the final exam which will be structured like this also. However, the final exam will include an additional section called "Language In Use".
Here's a short presentation sample along with its structure noted on the left side of the video.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Hawaii is the 50th state of the United States. In the video below a Hawaiian dancer dances to the "Hawaiian Wedding Song". Aloha!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Listening Skills
For those of you who do not have access to live Internet streaming here are some Websites, British AccentandAmerican Accent,to Podcasts you can download on your MP3 player, laptop or pad. Using your MP3 player, you can also make this "listening on the go", listening while exercising ("operación bikini" starts now), riding the bus, walking or riding the Metro subway. This is a very good way to improve your listening skills. These Podcasts are authentic materials; they are real; they are not guided listening activities. Listen to them either actively or passively. Don't force yourself to understand the Podcast because if you do you will just get frustrated. If you don't understand anything, just sit back, relax and use the Podcast as ambient background noise. Listening to a Podcast is like immersion.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
B.2.2, Friday (25 Feb.) and Saturday (26 Feb.) ---
We started on page 42, Developing Conversations. We ended finishing all of page 44. Next class we will start with page 45, Listening. Important dates: 22 February / Friday and 23 February / Saturday, Workbooks will be checked. Do up to the Unit we will be covering on 22/23 Feb.
B.2.2, Friday and Saturday classes, 18/19 January: Started on page 40, Speaking, Exercise and covered textbook until Listening, Exercise A, page 42. Next class we will start with Developing Conversations, page 42. Useful References: 1. English slang and idiomatic expressions -- http://www.urbandictionary.com/ 2. Internet slang -- http://www.internetslang.com/
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The 1,2,8 and 9 of February will be days off (confirmed with CSIM administration).
For those of you who love travelling, enjoy the video!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Calendar updated with important dates.
Friday B.2.2 We covered Unit 5 from page 36 to page 38, Vocabulary/B. Important dates for Friday B.2.2--- 18 January, Friday -- Writing Projects due. 10% of Total Grade. 25 January, Friday -- Short Exam. 10% of Total Grade. Saturday B.2.2 We did a little review of Units 1-4. Then we went over Unit 5 from page 36 to page 38, Vocabulary/B. Important dates for Saturday B.2.2--- 19 January, Saturday -- Writing Projects due. 10% of Total Grade. 26 January, Saturday -- Short Exam. 10% of Total Grade.
Do your Workbooks regularly. Later down the line I will ask you to show them to me. Showing me what you have done in your Workbook is part of the -- evaluación de los objetivos
del curso - 20% of Total Grade
