Alton Brown's Gumbo Made Kosher And Slow Cooker Friendly

Alton Brown's Gumbo Made Kosher 

And Slow Cooker Friendly

This weekend I made a Louisiana style menu.  One challenge I took on was Alton Brown's gumbo modified to be kosher and Shabbos crock-pot friendly.  You can find the original recipe here:Alton Brown's Shrimp Gumbo

Here is my version:

Ingredients

4 ounces vegetable oil

4 ounces all-purpose flour

2 pounds cooked dark meat chicken, skin and bones removed

3 quarts chicken stock

2 cups diced onion

2 cups diced celery

2 cups diced green peppers

2 cups sliced okra

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

1 pound kosher sausage (if you can find andouille style that would be best), cut into 1/4-inch pieces and browned, reserving the rendered fat.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the vegetable oil, fat from the sausage, and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven or a heavy pot and whisk together to combine to create a roux. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.

Once the roux is done, carefully remove it from the oven and set over medium-high heat. Gently add the onions, celery, green peppers, okra, and garlic and cook, moving constantly for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves and stir to combine. 

Turn off the heat, add the chicken and sausage and stir to combine. 

Add the ingredients to your slow cooker (crock-pot) and cover with the chicken stock.

Cook on low until you are ready to serve. Serve over rice or with corn bread.

Crockpot Mini Italian Beef Sandwich

1 3lb Chuck Roast
2 Green Peppers, Cut Into Wide Strips
2 Red Peppers, Cut Into Wide Strips
2 Large Onions, Sliced
5 Smashed Garlic Cloves (Mine came from The Gan Project)
Oregano, Mustard Seed, Red Pepper Flake, Celery Seed, Black Peppercorns (To Taste)
The Green Part of a Whole Fennel Bulb
Enough Flavorful Liquid to Cover All the Ingredients (Wine, Stock, or it you must, Water)

Trim the roast of fat and connective tissue.  Drop everything into a slow cooker on low, and let it cook until the meat shreds easily.

Serve on a mini French roll with the peppers and onions from the pot.  Serve with jalapenos if you like a little more heat, a fennel and carrot slaw on the side, and some the liquid from the pot for dipping.

Alton Brown's Chili modified to be kosher and shabbos crock-pot friendly

Alton Brown's Chili modified to be kosher and shabbos crock-pot friendly

Ingredients

• 3 pounds stew meat or whatever is on sale
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 2 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
• 1 (16-ounce) container salsa
• 30 tortilla chips
• 1 diced green bell pepper
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1 diced medium onion
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or smoked paprika
• 1 medium can of tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the oil. Set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.

Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer and meat to the crock-pot.

Saute the peppers and onions in the pan that you browned the meat in. Add the vegetable to the crock-pot along with the salsa, tortilla chips, spices, and tomato sauce.  Cook on low

Yields 4 servings but can be easily scaled up to fit your crowd.  Also you can go vegetarian with this one my skipping the meat and adding a bag of kidney beans directly to the crock-pot instead.

Garnish with onions, jalapeños, and corn.