The Great Gumbo Cook-Off!

The votes are in! The best seafood and non-seafood gumbo belong to none other than Louie Kirchhoff. That's according to the sell-out crowd that gathered in Max's Courtyard this past Sunday afternoon. About 150 people sampled gumbos from Kirchhoff's, Max's and Doe's. Samples A, B and C were non-seafood gumbos; samples X, Y and Z were seafood. All were tasty, no doubt about it. But the reigning champ in both categories was Louie. Congrats to Louie, Laura Duff, Richard, Baker and the rest of the team! Here's the recipe for Louie Kirchhoff's Southern Seafood Gumbo: 1 cup of vegetable oil 1 ½ cup of flour Make a roux with fat and flour in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Stir continuously until it is dark as an old penny. This will take 25-45 minutes — or, Louie says, about the time it takes to drink two Budweisers. 2 green peppers 1 small stalk of celery 2 large onions Chop vegetables fine. Add them to the finished roux. Stir them every 2-3 minutes for 30 minutes. 1 pound okra 1 tablespoon vegetable oil In another skillet add 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Fry the slime out of the okra for 15-20 minutes. 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped 1 tablespoon thyme Add okra and spice to the roux mixture and cook an additional 30 minutes over low to medium heat stirring every 2-3 minutes. The depth of flavor is developed by cooking the roux mixture for a total of one hour. At this point, the roux mixture can be stored in the fridge for one week or frozen for six months. 3-3 ½ pounds whole chicken Boil chicken in 2 ½ quarts of water for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Save 2 quarts of the chicken broth. Debone and skin the chicken. Pull or chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. 1 ½ pounds smoked andouille sausage 1 pound ham 2 fresh tomatoes ½ cup ketchup ¼ cup Worcestershire 3 Bay Leaves Cut ham and sausage into bite-sized pieces. Chop tomatoes into small pieces Shrimp shells or ½ pound shrimp 1 tablespoon Shrimp/Crab Boil Or 2 quarts of clam juice 1 tablespoon Shrimp/Crab Boil For shrimp stock, add to 2 ½ quarts of water with 1 tablespoon Shrimp boil. Cook on low for 30 minutes. Strain and save 2 quarts of stock. 2 Quart Chicken Stock 2 Quart of the previous Shrimp stock (above) In a 6-8 quart pot, bring stock to a rapid boil. Add roux mixture 1/3 cup at a time, whisking thoroughly to incorporate. Add all items, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 ½ hours with the lid off, stirring every 15 minutes. 4 pounds uncooked shrimp 1 pound crab meat 3 pints of oysters Add all seafood 15 minutes before serving. Simmer for the last 15 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 ½ tablespoons of filé powder right before serving. Pour gumbo of rice, infuse with a little Louie love and serve!

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