Saturday, November 18, 2017

Turkey Gumbo

Chances are that you have an extra turkey in the freezer. Perhaps you bought an extra one for Thanksgiving, your boss gave you one for your bonus, or you received a free one for accumulating a mammoth grocery bill.

Preliminary Preparations

1 turkey (small to medium)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons garlic vinaigrette salad dressing
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon 

Cook it in your roaster or giant slow cooker with 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing, 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, and 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning. Cover it with water.

 Cook the turkey until it is tender, let it cool, and remove it from the bones. Extra meat not used in the gumbo can be used for sandwiches.

Strain the broth through a colander and save it for the gumbo.

 Gumbo

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
2 quarts turkey broth
A little more olive oil
1 green bell pepper
3 tender stalks celery
1 large mild onion
1 can tomatoes and green chilies
2 cans crabmeat (not imitation)
3 cups chopped dark turkey meat
1 pound frozen cooked shrimp
1 pound pork sausage
1 jigger high quality bourbon
1-2 tablespoons gumbo file
Rice

Make a roux by browning 4 tablespoons olive oil and 4 tablespoons flour.  Stir the mix as you brown it.  Keep browning it until it is very dark; then brown it until it is darker.  It will be lighter when you add liquid.  

Add 2 quarts of turkey broth and continue to simmer the mixture in a big pot.

Chop and sauté the bell pepper, celery, and onion. Add the sautéed vegetables, the can of tomatoes and green chilies, and crab meat, to the pot.  Slice and brown the sausage; add it to the pot. 

Simmer the gumbo on very low heat for about thirty minutes. Add the turkey and shrimp. It may be necessary to add more water.  Cook it until it smells like gumbo. You will know when it is done by the way it smells and tastes.  Add the bourbon and cook 5 more minutes.


Add gumbo filé as desired.  Serve over rice prepared according to the instructions on the package..

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