Gateway Family Recipes: The windchill is biting and the January temperature has hit bottom. I don’t know about you, but when the temperature starts to drop my mind turns to comfort food. Soups, stews, chili and pasta top the list of warm, soothing recipes that I need to feed the soul.
This Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo recipe from Fayth, our Purchasing Coordinator at Gateway Kitchen + Bath fits the bill so nicely. It’s rich, meaty and delicious with a bit of heat that will make you want to sop it all off your plate. Don’t forget a bit of bread to help if you’re serving this for guests, but I don’t judge if you lick your plate either.
Sometimes recipes are really strict and you’ll need to follow them precisely to get anything worth eating, and some recipes are best made with a little freedom. I’ve written out the recipe as I cooked it, but feel free to play with this one. Choose your favourite sausage (Andouille, Italian Sausage, Chorizo?), spice it to your taste. Want more veggies? Go for it! Make it your own, Fayth won’t mind!
Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo:
500g Sausage of your choice
Butter
1/2 cup flour
2 large onions, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
5 cloves garlic, diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 540ml can of diced tomatoes
1 540ml can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dried basil
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp chili flakes
1lb of raw shrimp, thawed
Brown the sausage in a pan over medium heat. I used fresh Italian sausage, so I took it out of the casing and crumbled it, but if you’re using a cooked or firmer sausage, just chop it up and get some colour on it. Once the sausage is browned, remove it from the pan and turn the heat down to low. If there is fat from the sausage in the bottom of the pan, leave it there and add enough butter so you have approximately 1/2 c of fats in your pan. Once the butter has melted, add 1/2 c of flour and stir well to create a roux. (Click here if you need more directions on how to make a roux) Simmer until it bubbles.
Add your onions, peppers and garlic to the pan with the roux and cook together, stirring regularly until the veggies start to soften. Pour in your stock and stir it well so there are no lumps of unincorporated roux. Bring the heat up to about medium and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add your spices and the sausage, let simmer for about 20 minutes. (If you’re thinking of freezing any for a later meal, this would be the best point to do it, the shrimp won’t be great from the freezer, so it’s best to just add shrimp when you heat it up again).
Reduce the heat to low and add your tomatoes. Let simmer as you start a pot for rice.
Peel your shrimp and take the tails off (if they’re not prepared like this already). Wait until there’s only about 5 minutes before you serve and then pop the shrimp in. They don’t take long to cook.
Once the shrimp is fully cooked, spoon over rice and enjoy!
