SEAFOOD GUMBO WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE
Copyright © by Norman Van Aken, 1999. All rights reserved.
Yield: 8 Cups
For the Soup Base:
1/3 Cup flour
1/3 Cup butter
2 ounces bacon, diced medium, about 1/2 cup
2 Tablespoons butter
1 red onion, diced medium
2 red bell peppers, stem and seeds discarded, diced medium small 2 stalks celery, cleaned and diced medium small
2 jalapeños, stem and seeds discarded and minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
32 Clams scrubbed clean
1 Cup Sherry wine
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 “ “ “ basil leaves
3 Cups Shellfish Stock
4 tomatoes concassé
1. In a small sauce pan melt the butter; now add the flour all at once and stir to form a paste, cook over low medium heat until it has achieved a dark hazelnut color (about 12-14 minutes) remove to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Heat a large heavy soup pot on medium heat and add the bacon. Let the bacon render its fat, (about 5-6 minutes). Now add the butter.
3. Add the jalapeños and the garlic. Stir 5 seconds. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the onion, bell peppers and celery. Stir and then allow to caramelize stirring only occasionally for 12 minutes. Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme and basil and stir. Add the sherry wine and the clams and cover the pot allowing the clams to steam open (5=7 minutes); remove the clams with a pair of tongs and reserve in a warm place. Let the liquid in the pot reduce by a little less than half.
4. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the roux. Take off the heat continuing to stir. Meanwhile heat the Shellfish Stock. When hot, stir into the roux. Put back on the heat and return to just a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, and return to a simmer one more time and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
