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The Elk's 74th St. Gumbo
8 cups
flour
2 cups
canola oil
1-1/2
cups olive oil
3
tablespoons each: oregano, thyme, chili powder, chill flakes, file (powdered
sassafrass leaves), black pepper, salt
1
tablespoon cayenne pepper
3 bay
leaves
1/2
cup garlic, chopped fine
1
gallon warm chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 cups
tomato juice
2 cups
clam juice
3
yellow onions, chopped
4
stalks celery, chopped
3
green peppers, chopped
3 red
peppers, chopped
9
Anaheim chiles, chopped
5
large tomatoes, chopped
8
bratwurst, roasted at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, cooled and cut into chunks
2
whole chickens, roasted at 400 degrees for approximately 80 minutes, then cooled
and shredded
3 cups
bay shrimp
Combine flour and oils and heat in a large stockpot over low heat for
approximately 4 hours, stirring regularly to ensure the mixture doesn't slick or
bum. Once it's reached a dark caramel color, add the spices and garlic. Stir.
Remove
from the heat and slowly add the warmed stock. Stir until smooth, thoroughly
mixing the roux and the liquid. It should be the consistency of a thick pudding.
Add
the tomato and clam juices. Add the chopped vegetables and roasted bratwurst.
Add more stock or water if the mixture seems too thick.
Cook
over low heat until vegetables are soft and translucent, about 5 hours. Cool
overnight in the refrigerator.
To
serve, reheat and add shredded chicken and bay shrimp. Taste and adjust for
seasonings- Serve over steamed rice or Dirty Rice (recipe follows)
Yield:
24 servings
Nutrition per serving: 644 calories, 43 grams fat (6.8 grams saturated fat,
60
percent fat calories), 20 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrate, 52 milligrams
cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 1,907 milligrams sodium.
Dirty Rice
1/4
cup canola oil
4 caps white rice
8 cups cold water
2
tablespoons each, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, chili flakes, salt
Heat
oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add rice and fry until golden, stirring
frequently. When rice is browned, add the spices and continue cooking for 5
minutes. Add cold water, bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to low and
cook until rice is tender, approximately 20-25 minutes.
Yield:
12 servings
Nutrition per serving: 282 calories, 5.6 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated
fat, 18 percent fat calories), 5 grams protein, 52 grams carbohydrate, 0
cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 1,181 milligrams sodium. |
S I G N A T U R E D I S H E S
Author: Leslie Kelly / Staff writer
BOWLED OVER
You
just can’t rush gumbo.
Not
the way they do it at The Elk Public House and its Coeur d’Alene cousin. Moon
Time. This thick, spicy stew is an all-day project.
From
the time the flour is mixed with oil to make the roux that is the Gumbo’s
foundation until the fiery dish is served, you could watch a Mariners
double-header or golf 36 holes.
‘‘It’s
not hard to make, but it does take time,” said Brad Fosseen, one of the owners
of the two restaurants, and the chief kitchen wizard.
There
are countless versions of this Louisiana classic. (Some are thickened with
ground un-ripened okra pods- Others are more like a soup.) Fosseen learned this
variation while he was working at the 74th St. Alehouse in Seattle, and gives
credit to that hip watering hole on his menus. (And in a funky neon sign that
hangs above the kitchen in this Browne’s Addition hot spot.)
For
starters, the roux must cook very slowly for up to four hours in order to
achieve the caramel-like color that's an essential component of that gumbo ‘‘I
can’t tell you how many batches we've burned when we try to cook it on a higher
heat,” Fosseen said.” You could probably cook it over high heat, but you would
have to stand over the pot and stir it all the time.
Then,
there’s roasting the chicken and bratwurst, chopping the veggies in large
chunks, making a chicken stock and propping the shrimp- After the roux is ready,
the spices, the stock, tomato and clam juices and the veggies are added and the
mixture cooks for four or five more hours. For the gumbo to have the best
possible flavor, Fosseen likes to let it sit in the refrigerator overnight
It’s
like any soup. It’s going to taste better the next day,” he said.
This
month’s signature dish represents a departure from our usual step-by-step
instructions that match up with photos. There are simply too many steps to
include them all.
But
good things take time.
We go
through gallons of this stuff every day. It's probably our best
seller,” said Fosseen.
The
Elk is located at 1931 W Pacific. 363-1973. Moon Time is located at
1602
Sherman Ave, Coeur d'Alene. (208) 667-2331.
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