Fit Fare

It is a tradition in my family to serve gumbo on Christmas Eve. A gumbo is a thick richly flavored broth seasoned with meat, seafood, and vegetables which is served over rice. Everybody has their own special way to make gumbo. As a wedding present a friend gave me The Louisiana Gumbo Cookbook which presents no less than 115 different recipes for the dish. All gumbos usually begin with a roux, usually equal amounts of oil and flour. To lighten this recipe, I omitted the oil and browned the flour in the oven (a technique from the Trim and Terrific Louisiana Kitchen cookbook by Holly Clegg). It made my house a bit smoky, but the aroma was wonderful. To keep the fat content low I made the gumbo with skinless chicken and shrimp.

Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo
10-12 servings

1 c flour
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c celery, chopped
12 cups water
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, with skin removed
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper or Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning to taste
2 lb peeled shrimp
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Place flour on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes.

In a large heavy pot coated with non stick cooking spray, saute onion, garlic, peppers and celery until tender. Add browned flour (roux), stirring constantly. Gradually add water, chicken, worcestershire and seasoning. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Add shrimp to the gumbo and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Stir in the green onions and parsley and cook for 10 more minutes. Season to taste. Serve over hot rice.