Written by: Roscoe |  Print this post and share it with your buddies!

Ingredients:

Leftover turkey and carcass
Celery – 2 stalks, chopped; 2 stalks for stock
Carrots – 2, for stock
Red onion – 1 sliced; 1 chopped for stock
Okra – 1/2 to a pound, chopped
Red pepper – 1, chopped
Worcestershire, Cholula
Garlic
salt and pepper, cayenne, etc.
Red wine
Beer
Red wine vinegar
Vegetable oil and flour – for roux
Green onion – chopped, for garnish

A Thanksgiving Tradition

You thought gumbo was only for New Orleans? Not when you’re a Gumbo Master like Roscoe. Any time you have leftover turkey is the time for gumbo, and it happens every year, all you’ve got to do is get a couple links of kielbasa and you’re ready to go. Well, almost.

Turkey Carcass Makes The Best Stock

If you’ve been on this site at all, you know enough to be making your own stock from any bones you have left over from your fabulous meals. Just fill the pot with the carcass, even the neck and wing bones, even the giblets and livers, add cut up celery, carrots, onion and garlic, then water to the top, Worcestershire and Cholula (ROSCOE’S NOTE: Yes, it’s okay to use water here, we’re MAKING IT INTO STOCK, kind of like when Jesus turned the water into wine, only in our case, we have to do a little work to get it there; hey, even Roscoe can’t compare himself to God, though being a Gumbo Master is pretty close). Season it all up and bring to a boil. Then turn it down to a simmer, cover it and walk away. Give it a few hours, three is pretty good if you’ve got the time. Then strain it all and put it in the fridge. The next day skim the fat off, strain it again, and you’ve got the tastiest, silkiest stock you’ll ever see.

The Two Beer Roux

Vegetable oil and flour (3/4 cup each), stir over MEDIUM heat till it’s chocolate brown, usually about the time it takes to drink two beers, so keep them both close, you don’t want to be running to the fridge in the basement or the garage and let your roux burn (ROSCOE’S NOTE: You might want to have a backup stirrer if you really have to leave the stove). It’s a good idea to have all your vegetables chopped and ready to go as well, because once the roux is ready, you’ll want to get going.

Don’t Be Afraid Of Okra

Not only is it tasty, but it helps thicken your gumbo, and Roscoe always says “A thick gumbo is a good gumbo.” You can add all the veggies at once, just dump ‘em into the roux and coat ‘em up, then add some Worcestershire and Cholula, a couple glugs of red wine, and a couple glugs of beer, then spice it all up with salt and pepper, cayenne, paprika, and anything else you really like.

Kielbasa Is King

Thin slices, or all chopped up, add it to the pot and let it all cook for a while, until the flavors are mixed. Then add the turkey stock, stir it all up and bring to a boil, then turn it down to a medium simmer, add the turkey, and you’re home free. Give it a stir on occasion, taste it as it cooks and add anything you think it might need: maybe a glug of red wine vinegar or some more spice if you like it hotter (Cholula Chili Garlic works well here, adding flavor as well as spice).

Roscoe Recommends The Next Day

Hey, if you can’t resist (and you might not be able to after smelling it cook all day), then go ahead and serve it up right away, with some rice and crusty bread, garnished with chopped green onion. But if you can, put the whole pot in the fridge overnight, the flavors will meld even more, and the gumbo will be even better, if that’s possible. Of course, all things are possible when you’re…

Cookin’ With Roscoe