There are three key elements to the best gumbo–an excellent seafood stock, a solid brick roux, and quality ingredients to go into it–fresh seafood when possible, okra in season, and so on. While you may sometimes have to make due with frozen or out-of-season ingredients, the stock, roux, and giving the gumbo the time it needs to develop flavor will still always give you incredible results.
Category: Soups & Stews
Smoky Seafood Chowder
This rich, briny, creamy, slightly smoky seafood chowder is also easy to put together, and is a sure-fire way to impress dinner guests.
A Wholesome Marriage I: A Recipe for Red Beans and Rice
Served over white rice, the rich, savory Andouille sausage and smoky, salty ham play off of the red kidney beans to produce a harmonious whole in this traditional Creole red beans and rice dish.
Kimchi Jjigae with Kanikama and Tofu
A Korean classic, kimchi jjigae is one of my favorite ways to consume kimchi. In this recipe, the broth is umami-rich and spicy, and the texture of the tofu and kanikama (imitation crab) are light but satisfying, harmonizing with the mildly crunchy kimchi.
Into Something Rich and Strange IV: Three Takes on Umami-Rich Seafood Stocks
Seafood stock, like bone broth, is a unique mix of of seemingly strange ingredients, a devotion to wasting nothing, and a rich result. Packed with umami, seafood stocks are fast to make, use few ingredients, and those ingredients are ones that are not only cheap, but would normally be thrown away or disregarded by our modern Western food culture.
Seasonal Minestrone
Celebrate the freshness of seasonal herbs and produce with this simple, flexible recipe! The acidity from the wine and the fresh, subtle flavors of the herbs gives it a real depth of flavor and the lightness of the final dish make it appetizing even in hot weather.
African Peanut Stew with Chicken and Collard Greens
This is an easy, healthy taste Africa that you can make in 30 minutes, with a well-rounded balance of earthy-sweet peanut butter and spicy crushed red pepper.
Nettle Soup with Beef Tongue, Chives, and Croutons
Earthy, velvety nettle purée and hearty bites of potato, luscious beef tongue, and crispy croutons come together to make the ultimate spring-time soup. The best part? You can forage the purple dead nettle right from your own yard.
Seafood Stock
This recipe aims to inject as much flavor into your stock as possible, with the added bonus of using ingredients that normally would be considered trash, wasting nothing.
Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Crème Fraiche
As Spring approaches, and with it, the opportunity to forage for morels and other wild mushrooms, I want to share my recipe for a wild mushroom soup. Creamy and velvety, yet brightened up by a dollop of crème fraiche and topped with a crispy mushroom, it’s a self-indulgent treat to tide you over until winter passes.
