tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post1546037754920338202..comments2024-03-26T03:46:04.937-07:00Comments on Books in Northport: Gumbo StuffP. J. Grathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-31254603203775020882011-02-28T05:23:34.259-08:002011-02-28T05:23:34.259-08:00Good neighbors are a treasure wherever they were b...Good neighbors are a treasure wherever they were born and raised, and you're lucky to have Louisiana folk as Torch Lake neighbors, Gerry. I can only take heart from an e-mail from a friend who married a Louisiana man. She wrote to me, "Just as a woman can write a male character or a white a black one, so a northerner can make her own gumbo any damn way she pleases! And if it pleases ... that's all the vindication she needs! Godfrey never makes his gumbos the same way twice: sometimes with okra or file, others without, sometimes with shrimp, sometimes with chicken and sausage ... AND he enjoyed a gumbo made at a "New Orleans" party last year by two northern women who'd never even had gumbo before. So cook on!" Thanks, Laurie!P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-14988091599033538832011-02-27T17:52:13.529-08:002011-02-27T17:52:13.529-08:00Well laissez les bon temps roullez, Babycakes! I ...Well laissez les bon temps roullez, Babycakes! I find that the very best way to have excellent gumbo is to have good neighbors born and raised in Louisiana. Sharon and Goldman used to bring back coolers of necessities whenever they went on down home to N'Orleans for a visit. Fresh shrimp and okra and coffee with chicory and andouille sausage and heaven knows what all else, but oh my, did it taste good. Yes indeed, good neighbors are a great blessing.Gerryhttp://torchlakeviews.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-28564354897258111782011-02-27T11:12:34.146-08:002011-02-27T11:12:34.146-08:00Well, of course it was Marjorie! Her name was righ...Well, of course it was Marjorie! Her name was right there! Sorry--I'm a little spacey this weekend, with all the hubbub and celebrating and all.P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-1288156354404074792011-02-27T05:45:29.363-08:002011-02-27T05:45:29.363-08:00Dawn, you can definitely make gumbo without shrimp...Dawn, you can definitely make gumbo without shrimp. I was trying to imagine last night, as I was going to sleep, a completely vegetarian gumbo. That was tricky, but there must be recipes for that, as well.<br /><br />Anonymous (Marjorie???), the two most challenging ingredients to find were the filé gumbo and the okra. Hansen’s in Suttons Bay carries okra but was out of it the first couple times I tried, and no other stores in our end of the county had it. I was surprised that filé was so elusive, with all the foodies around here. Finally my friend Susan C. offered jar of filé, saying that she’d somehow ended up with two, and by then Hansen’s had restocked the frozen okra.P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-26202800952770776992011-02-27T05:19:30.660-08:002011-02-27T05:19:30.660-08:00Always been sort of afraid of gumbo....not being a...Always been sort of afraid of gumbo....not being a shrimp fan...but I am betting it could be make without?Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00824027366993286152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130421352415377273.post-17391892574751602092011-02-27T04:30:05.523-08:002011-02-27T04:30:05.523-08:00What a great read on a cold, snowy New York mornin...What a great read on a cold, snowy New York morning! I love Cajun and Creole cooking, especially gumbo. I've taken cooking classes when ever we've visited New Orleans. Celery, onion and bell pepper combination is called the Holy Trinity and a browned roux is what makes a gumbo a gumbo. I've not heard of browning the flour in the oven. Interesting idea. Where did you find file? I've looked for it when I've been in your area (soon to be mine, too).<br /><br />MarjorieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com