Gumbo
 

I just made some, and I am not optimistic. Who has a good recipe for me?

When I get home I will give you a recipe we use... note- we add different things periodically based on availabilty but I will give the basic recipe. It's called adding a little lagniappe in these parts.

RL,
You don't live in the right place to be makin' that stuff.

Dat boy, he got no lagniappe, or mudbugs!

TR

he can use fresh oysters, sausage, shrimp, lump crab meat, fresh fish, ....or even

"Saca... yu haaav an entar blue crob bobbin n da pot???"

"doein ya see , dat dere's lagniappe for'n all my fronds ... I guraannttteeeee"



No, I really don't talk that way... but I understand. My grandmother and my La relatives from that side of the family, well that is another story. :D

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

lagniappe

SYLLABICATION: la·gniappe
PRONUNCIATION: ln-yp, lnyp
NOUN: Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi 1. A small gift presented by a storeowner to a customer with the customer's purchase. 2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called Regional boot2. See Regional Note at beignet.
ETYMOLOGY: Louisiana French, from American Spanish la ñapa, the gift : la, the (from Latin illa, feminine of ille, that, the; see al-1 in Appendix I) + ñapa (variant of yapa, gift, from Quechua, from yapay, to give more).
REGIONAL NOTE: Lagniappe derives from New World Spanish la ñapa, “the gift,” and ultimately from Quechua yapay, “to give more.” The word came into the rich Creole dialect mixture of New Orleans and there acquired a French spelling. It is still used in the Gulf states, especially southern Louisiana, to denote a little bonus that a friendly shopkeeper might add to a purchase. By extension, it may mean “an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.”


:confused:

Using a "proper" dictionary to interpet local south La dialect....haha What's next, a researched paper with 30 documented sources on gumbo ala AL, or a frontsight style graph that shows the probability of gumbo success related to different regional backgrounds with coordinated graphs broken down by gender, race, religion, and knife preference?

That will go over about as well as using the queens english down here. :D

TO ME, it just means a little something extra... or an unexpected bonus.. and in this specific case, the unexpected treat of finding a large blue crab or three thrown into the cooking pot of gumbo to add a little more eatin and a lot more flavor. :cool:

RL,

What are you using for file? Do you have access to good andouille sausage and tasso?

Define "file" and "tasso," please. I can buy andouille sausage, but don't know whether it's any good by Louisiana standards. I have never been there.

File is another name for powdered sassafras leaves. You add it near the end to thicken (and add flavor). Tasso is marinated, smoked meat - it can be beef, pork or turkey, but I like to use turkey tasso in my gumbo. It really adds depth to the flavor.

Try www.cajungrocer.com for mail order meats. You should be able to get decent andouille at Whole Foods, which I know they have in LA, and tasso can be shipped easily.

Sacamuelas, am I giving the man good advice?

Gumbo? Why would you want to ruin a good soup by putting in all that okra?

:p

Blasphemer.

I gotta go with Brew Monkey on the okra. Okra and Harvard Beets are the only two foods I have tried that I cannot get down. Fried okra is ok. Boiled - gaaaah.

I make gumbo from time to time and it's usually pretty good (depending what I put in it). Got a pretty good cajun cookbook at home.

On a side note if you are ever in Nawlins go to Drago's and order the char broiled oysters. I was down there on business last month. I asked the local guys if they only had 1 restaurant they could visit which one would it be. Got several votes for Drago's. They weren't wrong. Beer is ice cold too.