Gumbo

As usual with projects, I lost steam and let the recipes slide.. then summer came along and I focused primarily on working hard and surfing hard.

The unrelenting heat and humidity of the heights of summer are beginning to fade, and appears the realisation that autumn is on the horizon. Getting back on the winter days-in-the-kitchen bandwagon I headed down to the fish markets on Saturday and picked the least bloodied Tarakihi head and skeleton and Snapper head I could find, cleaned it up and with with the correct ratio of mirepoix, simmered up then strained (through muslin, I might add) container-loads of clear fish stock.

On Sunday I spent the afternoon prepping veges to Sonic Youth grooves – I know, I know, I’ve given Curtis Mayfield a go, but frankly its over the top.

Then I dug the Le Crueset dutch oven out of the darkest corner of the closet (yeah – I don’t let my flatmates near it), put it on low heat on the stovetop to warm up, cranked it up to medium for a bit then unloaded a wad of chopped bacon. Sizzled, then added and sauteed until soft red onion, capscium, celery, garlic, chilli. Filled the pot with cubed young potatoes, okra, fish stock, tinned and [my proudest heirloom] garden tomatoes, a handful of turmeric, thyme, a pinch of cayenne and covered for an hour.

At the last moment raw Prawns, Scallops and Tarakihi are added and poached. My favorite dish. Charleston Gumbo. This one not a Bourdain – in fact lifted from the Le Crueset website after my mum gave me the dutch oven about 5 years ago and I was wondering how to use it..