Doing the Shrimp Gumbo Mambo, Big Easy-style

August 18th has no business having this kind of weather.

The dark weather darkened my mood. I'm in need of a pick-me-up. My first thought was the literal translation of pick-me-up, tiramisu. 

I changed my mind in a hurry.

Barbeque season is not great for the waistline. I'm up eight pounds! It's time for me to slip back to Optimum Weight Loss from Maintenance IV+.

That's the great thing about my unDiet. When you fall off the wagon, just slide down a couple of notches and climb back aboard. Weight Loss systems must fit Life, not the other way around.

I'm good, but low-cal Tiramisu is pushing the envelope a little too much. Regular Tiramisu is out of the question. Besides, I think I need a different type of pick-me-up. 

I need something thick, rich, and spicy.

I need something to remind me of the sun, cooling breezes, and hot weather. 

I need New Orleans. Few things say, "New Orleans," better than Shrimp Gumbo. The word, "gumbo," comes from the Swahili word, "kingombo." That word means okra. So, shrimp gumbo is shrimp and okra. 

So far so good.

Traditionally, Gumbo is made with a browned roux (pronounced "roo"). That's a French culinary term for flour cooked in butter. Both those things are rather up there on the Calorie scale. 

Yet, the roux is a key ingredient. It doesn't simply provide thickening. It's an important part of the flavor base.

Ouch. 

It's time for some CB, Culinary Blasphemy.

I need the deep flavor of a dark roux without the Calories. I decided to toast the flour to deepen its flavor. That way, I would need less of it and less butter too.

Apart from a large saucepan, you'll need an aluminum pie plate for toasting the flour. 

This recipe yields 4 serving of about 628 grams each. Each serving is only 365 Calories including the rice.

Ingredients

454g    Shrimp, raw, tails on (about a pound)

40g       Flour, all-purpose (about a third Cup)

14g       Butter (about 1 Tbs)

160g     Onion, diced (about 1 Cup)

150g     Bell peppers, any color or a mix of colors (about 1 Cup)

55g        Celery, diced (about 1/2 Cup)

6g           Garlic, minced (2 cloves, more to taste)

700g      Low-Fat Chicken Broth (about 3/4 quart or liter)

350g      Tomatoes, canned, drained. Busted up.

100g       Sliced okra 

1g           EACH Ground Cumin, paprika, thyme, oregano

               Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

474g      Cooked Basmati rice (about 3 cups)

Method

1 - Toast the Flour: Dump the flour in an aluminum pie plate. Give it a little shake to distribute evenly. Bake at 400F (205C, Gas Mark 6) until golden brown. It should take 15-20 minutes. Shake it once or twice during that time.

2 - Let the flour cool.

3 - Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.

4 - Add onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Cook to soften, about 3 minutes

5 - Stir in toasted flour. Cook another minute.

6 - Add broth. Mix well

7 - Add tomatoes, okra, cumin, paprika, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

8 - Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes. You can stir every now and then.

9 - Add shrimp and cook about 5 more minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. Try not to overcook the shrimp. 

Service

I use pasta-type bowls. Spoon 115 to 120 g cooked rice into each bowl, Ladle the Shrimp Gumbo over it.

Serve hot.

You don't like okra? I get it. Okra can have a slimy consistency. All is not lost. Substitute 125g of thickly sliced zucchini for the okra. The result will be gumbo-esque. It will also make a thinner sauce. Thicken it by adding a heaping teaspoon (10ml) of cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with enough cold water to disolve it completely. Pour it into the hot gumbo while stirring.

This recipe will be part of a future Recipe Set as part of the Chef's unDiet Weight Loss system. The book which describes the system is now on Amazon at an introductory price.

UPDATE: Some people asked for help in resizing the recipe. I did them one better. Click here for a full-blown resizer function. FULL DISCLOSURE: The resizer is only for members of the Chef's unDiet System. Membership is free, though. The catch is that you will be added to my MailChimp list, if/when I get around to creating it. That list will notify people of new Recipe Sets. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Cheers