GEORGE'S RECIPE of THE MONTH.
Recipe_feb14
George_jr
George has had a love of all things culinary from a very young age, and throughout his career, has worked with renowned chefs and food technologists. He discovered his passion for cooking at the age of five after spending time in his grandmother's restaurant. From then on, under his mother's guidance (who is a talented cook of her own accord) George recalls cooking anything his mother would let him, starting out with scrambled eggs and hamburgers and quickly moving on to fine Italian and French dishes.
After many years of honing and perfecting his culinary craft, George still enjoys what he humbly considers: "complimenting my family culinary experience," by taking courses in regional cuisines pertaining to the vegetable ingredient products his family specializes in, namely: Asian, French, Mediterranean, Mexican and Tex Mex.
Because of George's extensive knowledge and passion for food, he is a great resource to customers in helping them find the right ingredients for their recipe needs. "I need to understand what's happening in the kitchen," he explained. "If my client has an unfavorable flavor note, I need to be able to assess the situation to understand why." That extra level of service and care undoubtedly stems from his love of food and his work alike, which fortunately for George, go hand and hand.
Ingredients
1 gallon seafood stock (or water to make own)
1/2 dozen fresh cleaned gumbo crabs (reserve the shells and heads for seafood stock)
2 pounds medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1 inch rounds
2 pounds okra cut 1/4 inch
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (top saved for stock)
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped (bottoms and tops saved for stalk)
1 bunch green onions, tops and bottoms, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 pound crab meat, picked and cleaned of shells and cartilage
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons filé powder
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups steamed white rice
Preparation
Print
1 - Clean the crabs, removing the lungs, heart and glands and other
parts so that only the pieces of shell containing meat (including the
legs, swimmers and claws) remain. Refrigerate the meaty parts.
2 - Put the portions of the crabs that have been removed into a 6 or
8-quart stockpot. Add the shrimp heads and shells, onion top,  
celery bottom and tops, and gallon of water to the pot and bring to
a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30
minutes. Remove from the heat.
3 - Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, turning
occasionally, until the pieces are slightly brown and much of the fat
has been rendered. Remove the sausage and set aside on a
paper towel-lined plate to drain.
4 - Once all the sausage has been cooked, wipe the excess oil from
the skillet, being careful not to scrub away those bits of sausage
that have stuck to the bottom of the skillet. Add the okra with 2
tablespoons of oil, and cook until it is no longer slimy. Put on paper
towel and set aside.
5 - Place the 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a 12-quart stockpot. Heat the oil
over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, a tablespoon at a time
slowly add the 1/2 cup flour to prepare the roux, stirring constantly.
Once all the flour has been added, continue heating and stirring
the roux until it becomes a medium brown color, similar to milk
chocolate, about 15-20 minutes. Add the onions to the roux,
stirring constantly. Once the onions are wilted, add the garlic,
parsley, celery, green onions and bell pepper. Strain the seafood
stock into the large stockpot. Add the browned sausage and bay
leaves and bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Then
reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook.
6 - Add the okra to the gumbo pot. Continue cooking the gumbo for
45-60 minutes. Add the reserved crabs and shrimp and cook for 15
minutes longer. Remove the gumbo from the heat and stir in the
Creole seasoning and filé powder (powder can be reserved for use
table side). Let the gumbo rest for 15 to 20 minutes. As it cools, oil
may form on the top. Skim the oil with a ladle or large spoon and
discard. Fold in the picked crab meat. Taste the gumbo and adjust
seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed. Serve the gumbo
ladled around a mound of steamed rice.
ARCHIVES

Recipe_thumb_nov22
Recipe_thumb_actual_size
Recipe_thumb_sep_22
Recipe_thumb_aug22
Recipe_thumb_jul22_2
Recipe_thumb_jun22
Recipe_thumb_may22
Recipe_thumb_apr_22
Recipe_thumb_mar22
Recipe_thumb_feb22
Recipe_thumb_jan_22
Recipe_thumb_dec21
Recipe_thumb_nov21
Recipe_thumb_oct21
Recipe_thumb_sep21
Recipe_thumb_aug_21
Recipe_thumb_july21
Recipe_thumb_jun21
Recipe_thumb_may21
Recipe_thumb_apr21
Recipe_thumb_mar21
Recipe_thumb_feb_21
Recipe_thumb_jan21
Recipe_thumb_dec20
Recipe_thumb_nov20
Recipe_thumb_oct20
Recipe_thumb_sep_20
Recipe_thumb_aug20
Recipe_thumb_jul20
Recipe_thumb_jun20
Recipe_thumb_may20
Recipe_thumb_apr20
Recipe_thumb_mar20
Recipe_thumb_feb20
Recipe_thumb_jan20
Recipe_thumb_dec19
Recipe_thumb_nov_19
Recipe_thumb_oct19
Recipe_thumb_sep19
Recipe_thumb_aug19
Recipe_thumb_july19
Recipe_thumb_jun19
Recipe_thumb_may19
Recipe_thumb_apr19
Recipe_thumb_mar19
Recipe_thumb_jan19
Recipe_thumb_jan19
Recipe_thumb_dec18
Recipe_thumb_nov18
Recipe_thumb_oct18
Recipe_thumb_sep_18
Recipe_thumb_aug18
Recipe_thumb_jul18
Recipe_thumb_jun18
Recipe_thumb_may18
Recipe_thumb_apr18
Recipe_thumb_mar_18
Recipe_thumb_feb18
Recipe_thumb_jan18
Recipe_thumb_dec17
Recipe_thumb_nov17
Recipe_thumb_oct17
Recipe_thumb_sep17
Recipe_thumb_aug17
Recipe_thumb_july17
Recipe_thumb_jun17
Recipe_thumb_may17
Recipe_thumb_apr17
Recipe_thumb_mar17
Recipe_thumb_jan17
Recipe_thumb_jan17
Recipe_thumb_dec16
Recipe_thumb_nov16
Recipe_thumb_oct16
Recipe_thumb_aug16
Recipe_thumb_aug16
Recipe_thumb_jul16
Recipe_thumb_jun16
Recipe_thumb_may16
Recipe_thumb_apr16
Recipe_thumb_mar16
Recipe_thumb_feb16
Recipe_thumb_jan16
Recipe_thumb_dec15
Recipe_thumb_nov15
Recipe_thumb_oct15
Recipe_thumb_sep15
Recipe_thumb_aug15
Recipe_thumb_jul15
Recipe_thumb_jun15
Recipe_thumb_may15
Recipe_thumb_apr15
Recipe_thumb_mar15
Recipe_thumb_feb15
Recipe_thumb_jan15
Recipe_thumb_dec14
Recipe_thumb_nov14
Recipe_thumb_oct14
Recipe_thumb_sep14
Recipe_thumb_aug14
Recipe_thumb_jul14
Recipe_thumb_jun14
Recipe_thumb_may14
Recipe_thumb_apr14
Recipe_thumb_mar14
FEB 2014
Recipe_thumb_jan14
Recipe_thumb_dec13
Recipe_thumb_nov13
Recipe_thumb_oct13
Recipe_thumb_sep13
Recipe_thumg_aug13
Recipe_thumb_july13
Recipe_thumb_june13
Recipe_thumb_may13
Recipe_thumb_apr13
Recipe_thumb_mar13
Recipe_thumb_feb13
Recipe_thumb_jan13
Recipe_thumb_dec12
Recipe_thumb_nov12
Recipe_thumb_oct12
Recipe_thumb_sep12
Recipe_thumb_aug_12
Recipe_thumb_jul12
Recipe_thumb_jun12
May12_recipe_thumb
Recipe_thumb_apr12
Recipe_thumb_mar12
Recipe_thumb_feb12
Recipe_thumb_jan12
Recipe_thumb_dec11
Recipe_thumb_nov11
Recipe_thumb_oct11
Recipe_thumb_sep11
Recipe_thumb_aug11
Recipe_jul11_thumb
Recipe_thumb_jun11
Recipe_thumb_may11
Apr11_thumb
Recipe_thumb_mar11
Feb11_thumb
Jan11_thumb
Recipe_thumb_dec10
Recipe_nov10_thumb
Oct10_thumb
Sep10_thumb
Ahi_kebab
Jul10_grilled_chicken_thumb
Seafood_paella_thumb
May_thumbnail
Marinated_strawberries
Mar_10_recipe_thumb
Feb_10_recipe_thumbnail
Turkey_meatloaf_jan_10
Ravioli_dec_09
Nov_09_recipe_thumb_copy
Moussaka_oct_09
Cioppino_sep_09
Penne_aug_09
Salmon_jul_09