Vintage Eats Recipe: 1974 Creole Gumbo File

I confess, this recipe seems a little pretentious.

I have never in 40+ years of cooking produced a dish that contains not one, not two, but three meats.

First, I never felt a dish deserved that much cost or flavor. Mainly because my family would not have noticed the extra effort or expense. So what’s the point?

Since my kids are now grown and our budget doesn’t have to stretch so much, I decided to indulge.

Upon looking for a recipe for Mardi Gras, this recipe popped out.

It was from the McCall’s ‘Coast to Coast Cooking’ cookbook.

You may have noticed I use this set of McCalls cookbooks A LOT!

So I made this dish for an occasion that I’ve never attended, nor do I plan to – Mardi Gras seems too much on the wild side for me.

Upon visiting New Orleans a few years ago to see the National World War II Museum (touted as the city’s No. 1 tourism spot), we walked down Bourbon Street. Mardi Gras had occurred a few weeks earlier and evidence of its rowdy crowds was everywhere – I won’t say more. You get the idea.

But this recipe for Creole Gumbo File was fun to do on a winter’s day. The spices warmed us and I figure it cost me roughly $10.00 to make with enough for 6-8 servings. Not too bad for this household budget.

Give it a go. Don’t let the number of ingredients or steps put you off.

In future, I may even delete the chicken. The shrimp and ham were good, but the chicken didn’t seem to meld well.

Let me know what you think after you try it. Will you use all three meats? Maybe you have another idea – pork, elk, bison?

Bon Appetit!

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This is a photo of my precious mother from a few years ago. She’s sitting atop her scooter decorated by my sister for her nursing home’s Mardi Gras event. Isn’t she cute? Always ready for a party! Now she’s in the biggest party of all in Heaven!

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Creole Gumbo File

3 ½ pound ready-to-cook roasting chicken, cut up

1 slice fully-cooked ham, ½ inch thick (about 1 pound)

1 pound raw deveined shrimp

1/3 c. butter or margarine

1/3 c. unsifted all-purpose flour

1 c. chopped onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 t. salt

½ t. pepper

½ t. dried thyme leaves

¼ t. crushed dried red pepper

3 parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 can (1 pound, 12 oz) tomatoes, undrained

½ c. finely chopped green pepper

1 t. gumbo-file powder (Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning)

Fluffy white rice

1. Rinse chicken under cold, running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Cut ham into ½-inch cubes.
2. In hot butter in 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy kettle, saute chicken pieces until golden-brown on all sides, turning with tongs- take about 20 minutes in all. Remove chicken as it browns.
3. Add ham cubes to Dutch oven. Saute until browned all over — about 5 minutes. Remove ham.
4. Stir flour into remaining fat in Dutch oven. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until flour is browned.
5. Add onions and garlic to Dutch oven. cook, stirring, until onions are tender – about 5 minutes.
6. Add salt, pepper, thyme, red pepper, parsley, bay leaf, tomatoes and 1 c. water; bring to boiling, stirring.
7. Add chicken and ham. Simmer, covered, 1 hour or until chicken is tender.
8. Stir in shrimp and green pepper; simmer, covered 30 minutes longer.
9. Remove chicken, ham, and shrimp to heated serving platter; keep warm.
10. Bring mixture in Dutch oven to boiling, stirring. Gradually stir in file powder; cook just until thickened.
11. Pour sauce over chicken mixture. Spoon rice around edge of platter; arrange sprigs of parsley around edge of rice if desired. Makes 8 servings.

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Vintage Find of the Week

This cute little biscuit cutter has no doubt helped to create hundreds of biscuits, cookies, scones, and other delectable baked goods. I plan to try it for shortbread. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

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