About the Author: I am an author and Illustrator and I currently reside in Austin, TX. Aside from being an author and Illustrator, I am also a teacher. I have taught Kinder, 4th and 5th grade. Likewise, I spent 15 years in a Montessori classroom. I love working with children!!
My other books (all with Pelican Publishing) are:
There Was An Ol Cajun , Today is Monday in Louisiana , Down in Louisiana , Chef Creole , I Spy in the Texas Sky , Down in Texas
Review: My daughter loved this book as she got to yell out all the vegetables as we turned the pages, as she has helped Meme make Gumbo before and was all excited, as they are the same vegetables that she is growing in her garden! She wasn't too sure about the oysters-said they were rocks! This is a cute rhyming book that can be educational, as the gumbo recipe is included and can be used to teach children about measuring and chopping!
I'm not going to include the recipe from the book today, I'm going to give you another one that's reminiscent of the ones I grew up with!
Beef ,Crab, and Shrimp Gumbo Recipe
INGREDIENTS2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 pound okra, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 pound cubed beef stew meat (optional)
4 cups water
4 cups dark beer
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 pound crabmeat, flaked
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lemon
Instructions:
- In a larg pan cook, onions, celery and okra, stirring constantly until golden brown. Add garlic last as it will burn and taste bad. Set aside.
- In a large heavy bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat, combine 1/4 cup of butter and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux becomes chocolate brown. Stir in the vegetable mixture, and stew meat.
- Cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, and meat is evenly brown. Mix in Beer, water, tomatoes and sugar. Season with parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add shrimp, crabmeat and andouille to stock pot. Stir in hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Remove seeds from lemon and squeeze juice into stock pot.
- Simmer an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bay leaves, sprinkle with file powder, and serve.