Want to make turkey gumbo? Learn how to prepare a recipe for delicious turkey gumbo from leftover turkey…
You can use leftover turkey to cook a delicious turkey gumbo. For this excellent choice you’ll need 1 pound of leftover turkey and bones. It is a great alternative to sandwiches and turkey stir fries frequently served after Thanksgiving. You might need some shortening to prepare this recipe but since it is only cooked once in a while it might be acceptable to use some fat occasionally instead.
Turkey Gumbo is prepared with basic stock made from the turkey leftovers and bones. You can use different veggies and meats in combination to get the right flavor and the dish can be served hot with long grain rice.
Traditional Turkey Gumbo
Start with six quarts of turkey stock which you can prepare from the bones and parts of the turkey that are left over.
Preparing the Roux for Turkey Gumbo
Roast 1 cup flour in 1 cup of shortening and stir it until fragrant. It should not be burned and there should be no black specks in the roux. Cook it for 20 minutes in a heavy bottomed pan until it is ready and golden in color. When it is almost ready add in two finely chopped onions and two finely chopped bell peppers to the mixture. This will prevent the roux from overcooking and also soften the veggies slightly. Put this material in the turkey stock that you have prepared earlier.
Cooking the Meat for the Turkey Gumbo
Chop up 1 pound of smoked sausage and a bunch of chopped green onions and brown this mixture in a skillet, then remove all the fat. Mix the sausage in the turkey stock which is kept on a low flame and season it with three bay leaves. Use either fresh ground pepper or Creole seasoning to flavor the stock. Taste the seasoning and adjust it as required. Bring it to a boil once and reduce the flame.
Let the stock simmer gently for approximately 30 minutes and then add 2 pounds of sliced okra – after which you should cook for half an hour more. The stickiness from the okra should be gone by this time. You can sprinkle one bunch of freshly chopped parsley to add more flavor to the turkey gumbo.
Add 1 pound of leftover meat from the turkey after you chop it into small pieces. Cook on low flame for 15 minutes and then add 2 pounds of shrimp into the mixture and cook for six minutes or till the shrimp becomes pink in color.
Season with salt and pepper as well as a few dashes of Tabasco sauce but don’t make it too spicy hot. Skim off any fat that is present on top of the gumbo. In a separate pan cook long grain rice. To serve this dish add white rice to the serving bowls and pour the turkey gumbo on top of the rice. Serve hot.
