Monday, January 12, 2009

Man Food Mondays: Shrimp, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Have you seen those silly NutriSystem commercials touting "MAN Food?" Says big beefy man (I think Dan Marino): “Hey guys, let’s be honest. A man wants to eat real food – hot dogs, burgers, pizza and lasagna. You know, man food, big taste, hearty portions.”

Seafood & Sausage Gumbo
I'm not sure if this is a prime example of the Marketing group gone crazy, but these commercials truly make me laugh. I somehow cannot locate a clip on YouTube so for those of you in the dark, you just need to watch more bad TV.

Well, in our household we've created our own Man Food Mondays, though it has nothing to do with losing weight, and everything to do with hubby in the kitchen. WoooHoo! You see, since we've been married, hubby has gotten uh, a little lazy in the kitchen while I've taken over the reins of housewife. Oh, but only if I were actually a housewife!

GumboSo, to maintain our egalitarian household, every Monday hubby will be cooking up a treat for us and you all get to revel in some good ol' Man Food!

Seafood and Sausage Gumbo
This gumbo is chock full of goodies: sausage, shrimp, chicken, tomatoes, and okra. Okra...does it go in anything besides gumbo? In any case, this did stand up to be quite a hearty meal as we served it over rice and with a side of cornbread. The sauce is thick and tasty, though it didn't have quite the kick I'm used to with gumbo. I'd suggest adding a pinch or two of cayenne if you're looking for that spice. Otherwise, this is a tasty dish perfect for that man of yours who needs to feel like a man when he eats ;)

Man Food Gumbo
Adapted from Paula Deen

1-2 large boneless skinless chicken breast(s)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 link sweet Italian Sausage, cut into 1/4in pieces
1 link hot Italian Sausage, cut into 1/4in pieces (total of about 1lb sausage)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more to taste)
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus chopped leaves for garnish
4 cups beef or chicken broth (we ran out and used 2.5 cups broth, 1.5 cups water)
1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice
2 cups frozen sliced okra
green onions, sliced, white and green parts
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.

2. Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley.

3. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add broth, whisking constantly. Return the chicken and sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour.

4. Remove the chicken and allow to cool slightly. Shred with hands or two forks. Return chicken to pot.

5. Just before serving add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley. Allow to simmer until shrimp are cooked, about 2 minutes.

35 comments:

MrOrph said...

Yup, this is "MAN FOOD" fo shizzle.

I'm a bit more on the Creole side of gumbo. Mine uses the file and a long intensive roux, so I don't make it much, but this version looks to be satisfying. I'll have to give it a shot.

Surprised, though, that it is a PDeen recipe with so little butter! :-)

kat said...

Looks like he did a really good job! As for the okra, I like it fried as long as its prepared right

RecipeGirl said...

lol I think anything Paula Deen has on tap for dinner can be considered 'man food!' Looks great and very comforting for your man :)

grace said...

so...dan marino things hot dogs, burgers, pizza, and lasagna are man food? newsflash, dan--i guess my friends and i are all men. :)

Katie said...

I so know the commercial you are talking about!!

That does look good and it does look like "man food".

That Girl said...

You are sooo brave. The last time we did "man food" in my household it resulted in me coming into the kitchen to help with boiling water.

Esi said...

Definitely man food, but good food too!

Snooky doodle said...

I ve never tried ocra but these dishes surely look delisious :)

The Blonde Duck said...

I would love that. Is it sad I like man food more than my husband?

Maria said...

Yep, total man food!

Bunny said...

WEll Mr. Man did pretty darn good in the kitchen didn't he!! Fantastic dinner!

Sharon said...

MrOrph - I wasn't home and got a frightened phone call - what is a roux? So no long intensive roux's here :)

kat - Fried okra sounds tasty!

Recipe Girl- you're probably right! All that butter and meat...she's a lova of all that stuff.

Grace - I guess I'm a man food lover myself :)

Katie - isn't it goofy?

That Girl - it's definitely a work in progress but getting better! We started this as a result of both of our fathers being totally incapable in the kitchen

Esi - Yes, I'll eat man food anyday!

Snooky Doodle - you know, it doesn't have a very distinctive taste (at least to me) but it adds a nice heartiness to the soup

Blonde Duck - sometimes I feel the same way!

Maria - the shrimp makes it girly enough for me!

Bunny - yes he did! I'm so proud :)

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen the commercial, I always skip through them since everything I watch is recorded!

This looks awesome and perfect for the men!

Anonymous said...

Man Food Mondays - I love it! And I hope you're instituting Woman Food Wednesdays too!! :-)

MaryBeth said...

I love Gumbo..I have not made it for years and yours looks fabulous.

Ana Powell said...

Hi
I just love chicken gumbo.
I have cooked it sometime ago and the family loved it.
Wonderful flavours. x

pigpigscorner said...

Looks like my fiance's kind of food! Even I can't resist!

Anonymous said...

lucky, this looks delicious! my husband doesn't cook at all .. and i'm not a housewife either (actually, i work longer hours than he does). :) And I have seen those terrible NutriSystem commercials!

Pam said...

This looks great - my husband would LOVE it (so would I).

Anonymous said...

Haven't seen those commercials, but being a man, I can can attest to the manliness of this dish:-)

Joie de vivre said...

Yeah, apparently men only eat certain foods. Ha! I can't see Dan Marino touting scones or petite fours for some reason though

Anonymous said...

Hubbies in the kitchen are a great idea - keep up the good work!!!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Ahahahah! Love the man food! Good for men and women alike! I love shrimp and meat together!

La Bella Cooks said...

LOL, I love the title and I would give anything to see Dan Marino actually eat anything Nutrisystem put in front of him! This looks fantastic. Very impressive manly eats!

Katrina said...

Fun idea to do "man food". My husband does not consider soup man food. The gumbo looks great and seriously, my husband would LOVE it!

test it comm said...

That gumbo looks good. I have been wanting to try it for a while now. I also need to try okra.

Sophie said...

Lol I saw that commercial and remember thinking it was funny...but also a little worried that some gals might get offended by it. I have my manfood days all the time :D. This looks awesome and so so flavorful!

Emily said...

That gumbo looks nice a hearty! I mean, manly. Mmm. Perfect for Mardi Gras.

alexandra's kitchen said...

every so often i try to make my husband something vegetarian and inevitably he is picking through the kitchen five minutes after dinner looking for more food. he would love love love this shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo!

Anonymous said...

ooo it's been a while since i visited! hope you are well! this gumbo looooks just fantastic. the boys in my house will be thrilled if i made that. mmmm. x

Anonymous said...

Fully dig this kind of "man" food. This looks way the hell better than anything on that NS commercial.

--Marc

tigerfish said...

Without the sausage, maybe can make a Lady's Food! I had the almost the same combi recently without the sausage but with greens :D

Aggie said...

Ok, THAT looks good! My man would be extremely happy with your gumbo!!

Sasha said...

Hey there = )
I really like your blog and this recipe looks great. Kudos for getting your man in the kitchen.

The feminist in me just doesn't like the term 'man food' though. Personally, being a female and all, I enjoy burgers and gumbo as much as any man.

Sharon said...

Hi Sasha,

Totally agreed! The "man food" reference is really more a joke b/c of those terrible commercials. I agree, I like plenty of "man food" haha. Thanks for visiting!