Sunday Gumbo Is Mighty Fine...

Sundays are good days around the Smelson household for the most part. We like to hang out, do some grocery shopping, and make something that takes a while. Or at least I like to cook something that takes a while and my family likes to eat it. This Sunday we were shopping at the new Harris Teeter on Rockville Pike, (very nice store) and I was hit by the gumbo bug.
You start out with a 1/2 stick of unsalted butter and a 1/4 cup of flour. I like to cook it in my trusty cast iron Dutch oven. Put the heat on low and stir extremely frequently. If you don't you'll burn your roux and have to start over.

Stir with one hand whilst you chop with your other...just kidding. Pay attention to one thing at a time when you're playing with knives. Anyhow, dice two large green peppers;

1/2 pound of okra, about 6 cloves of garlic, and one large onion.

After you've got the prep done for the veggies, you can start cooking the meats you're going to throw in the pot. This is a personal thing and gumbo can be made with just about any leftovers you have in the fridge, but I like to use lots of Andouille, smoked if I can get it.

Don't forget about your roux! It takes me about 45 minutes to get it to the color of peanut butter.

Once you've got that color, throw in the diced onions and garlic. Keep stirring.
How about some shrimp in there?!

Put the green peppers and okra in once the onions and garlic have browned up a bit.

This is what it should look like just before you put in the liquid. I use 3-4 cups of a good beef broth.

Once you've added the liquid, throw in a few bay leaves and a pinch or two of cayenne. If you've got it, some Prudhomme Gumbo File doesn't hurt either. The sauce will darken and thicken. It's ok to cover this and leave it on the stove on low for a few hours to let the flavors meld.

This is the finished product. Serve it over white rice with a good crusty loaf of bread an you've got a Sunday great.

Questions? Comments? Rude remarks? I'm all ears.

Until next time...keep eatin'.

Dino in Cleveland Park, and then some after-dinner libations at Redwood

It was a nice night to be out. I was out with a friend of mine from work, Matt Freeman.

We started the evening out at Dino in Clevland Park. Dean Gold, proprietor, is a consumate foodie. In a previous life he was a buyer for Whole Foods. He's passionate about his wine and his cooking.

We started off with some Risotto with white truffles. The texture was perfect, thought there was a bit more cheese in the risotto than I care for personally. The truffles were very mild for the white variety. I was disappointed that they weren't as pungent as some I've had the pleasure of trying in the past.

We got a nice bottle of something Italian (I let Dean choose for us) and followed the risotto with a half of a suckling pig, which we shared as well.

Fed and two glasses of red to the positive, we decided to stop by Redwood for dessert. It's not often that I get a chance to go out and play on the weekend, so this was a special treat.

When we arrived there was a line out the door of Dolcezza, which is next to Redwood. I'm glad to see that Rob is doing some business there.

Redwood was fairly full, and most of the outdoor seating was being used. When we first arrived there wasn't any seating available at the bar, but some folks left shortly so we bellied up.

Getting to dessert, we ordered a cheese sampler, followed by butterscotch pudding, and make-your-own s'mores. Everything was good, as usual.

Butterscotch Pudding

We had the pleasure of sitting next to the pastry chef on her night off, Kendra. She was very nice to chat with and she shared some of her dessert with us, so we had plenty.

S'mores

As always, thanks for reading. Feel free to leave me a comment/question.