Recipe
Sorghum Gumbo With Louisiana Style Sorghum
https://www.sorghumcheckoff.com/recipes/sorghum-gumbo-with-louisiana-style-sorghum/
Gumbo is one of the most iconic dishes to Cajun American cuisine.
While the exact origin and first accounts of gumbo are not well known, its earliest written accounts come from 1803.
Gumbo has come to be known as a combination of many cultures in one pot. The name “gumbo” is thought to come from West African languages and translated to “okra” which is a classic ingredient in the dish. Many gumbos use a roux as a thickener, which is a distinctly French cooking technique. Traditional gumbos also use “file” or ground, dried sassafras leaves, an ingredient adopted from local Choctaw Native Americans.
This recipe is a great guide that incorporates all the classical ingredients that make gumbo special: okra, roux, and file. But don’t be afraid to use your own favorite vegetables and proteins that you have on hand to make the recipes your own.
This recipe showcases the easy and delicious application of sorghum and sorghum flour in place of traditional rice and wheat flour. Have fun with it and write your own chapter through your gumbo!
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Ingredients
Sorghum Gumbo Ingredients:
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 ½ cups whole grain sorghum flour
- 1 ½ cups yellow onion, small diced
- 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
- ¼ cup Creole seasoning
- ½ cup celery, large diced
- ¾ cup green bell pepper, large diced
- 1 cup tomato, de-seeded, large diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts chicken stock, more as needed
- 2 cups okra, sliced (fresh or frozen)
- 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon gumbo file powder
- 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
- Hot sauce, optional
Louisiana-Style Sorghum Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cups pearled grain sorghum
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Gumbo Instructions:
- Pour the canola oil into a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is heated, add the flour and whisk constantly over medium heat until the flour is the color of milk chocolate, about 10 minutes
- Add the onions and stir with a wooden spoon until the roux is a deep mahogany brown and the onions are soft about 8 minutes.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season with Creole seasoning. Allow to sit for 5 minutes then add the chicken to the pot, stirring or turning regularly to cook evenly. Cook the chicken for about 8 minutes.
- Add the celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add thyme, bay leaf, and stock. Increase the heat to high. Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent any sticking or scorching. Skim off any fat that rises to the top of the pot.
- Add the okra, andouille sausage, Worcestershire, salt, black pepper, file powder, and hot sauce, if using. Simmer for 30 minutes, adding more stock as needed to adjust the gumbo to your desired thickness.
- Add the shrimp to the pot, stir, and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and skim off any fat that has risen to the top.
Louisiana Style Sorghum Instructions:
- Rinse the sorghum under cold water in a mesh strainer.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the oil is heated, add the onion and cook until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the sorghum to the pot and stir until evenly coated with the oil.
- Add the stock to the pot along with the bay leaf. Cover and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the sorghum is tender, about 40 minutes.
- Taste, season with salt, and cook longer if needed to reach the desired texture.
- Cover and hold warm until needed.
Assembly Method:
- Place ½ cup of Louisiana-style sorghum in a large bowl and top with 1 cup of Sorghum Gumbo.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
