Gumbo/Beasts of the Southern Wild

Part one of Oscar season madness! Out of the three I have seen so far (Django  and Silver Linings included), I would put Beasts of the Southern Wild on top. I wouldn't necessarily say that I think it is going to win, but that would be my pick. I was able to find a RedBox copy, but I know a lot of the art house theaters are playing (look for a Landmark near you!), and I would recommend going that route because the film is so visually striking.

The people of New Orleans would probably be very upset with my sad attempt at making gumbo. It was my first time, and I didn't follow a recipe, so you can't fault me too much for that. Nonetheless, I think it turned out pretty good, and I will definitely make it again in the future. Maybe I will make a vegetarian version because this one is just chock full of MEAT.

Sorry Caitlin.

Recipe: Gumbo of the Northeastern Supermarket

Ingredients:

1/2 lb chicken, cooked and diced

1/2 lb Andouille sausage

1 lb shrimp, cleaned and peeled

2 onions

4 stalks celery

1 large bell pepper

2 jalapenos (optional)

6 cups beef broth

1 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 lb okra

1 can tomatoes

1 bunch parsley, diced

rice

Start by browning the sausage in a large pot. I used a smoked beef sausage because we are not very well stocked with Cajun sausages up here. It turned out just fine. You can use the whole link, but I just wanted the taste of the sausage in the gumbo more than anything else. Once you get a nice sear, set the  sausage aside to drain on a paper towel. 

Dice the onions, celery, and bell pepper (what I've heard referred to as the holy trinity of gumbo) and brown them in the fat leftover from the sausage. After you have those sweating, add another tablespoon of butter and 3 tablespoons of flour. Now we have a branch of preference. Some people like to get their roux super brown almost to the point of being burnt. I was not patient enough for this, and cooked the roux for maybe 3 minutes. To this I added the 6 cups of beef broth, can of tomatoes, diced okra, diced parsley, and jalapenos.

After this comes to a boil, add the chicken sausage and shrimp. Allow this to simmer for a good 15 minutes and then you should be ready to go! Serve over rice. It's pretty traditional to use short grained white rice, but all I had was brown so you all can just DEAL WITH IT.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Dice the onion, celery and green pepper.

Brown the sausage in the bottom of a large pot.

Set the sausage aside to drain on a paper towel.

Brown the onion celery and green pepper in the sausage fat. Add another tbsp butter and 3 tbsp flour. Stir to the desired amount of color you want for your roux. Sorry about the lack of picture for this one.

Add the broth, tomatoes, okra, parsley, and jalapenos. Bring to a boil.

Throw the meat in and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Look at that delicious! Serve it over rice. Also, it's even better left over.

Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild

I remember seeing a trailer for this one last summer and getting super excited for the film to come out. For some reason when it first came to theaters nobody wanted to see it with me, and it just kind of passed me by. I'm glad that it has gotten a second wind with the award nomination so I had a second chance to see it! 

The film is centered around Hushpuppy, a child wise beyond her years living in a bayou community known as "The Bathtub". She lost her mother at a young age, and lives with her alcoholic father who has a bit of a temper, but still deeply cares for his young daughter. He has some sort of disease but we never learn what is wrong with him. The melting polar ice caps threaten to submerge the community with a storm, but the residents ban together and refuse to give up the place they call home.

If you're looking for a movie that is plot-driven, look elsewhere because this one does not fall into that category. When I first saw the clips of the ice caps melting, I almost turned the movie off, to be honest. I'm not a huge fan of films that have hidden political agendas (whether or not I agree with them). Rest assured, that turned out to not be the main focus of the movie, so in the end I let it slide. I felt was sad that the people of The Bathtub had to deal with such adversity, but I admired their determination to persist their way of life, because that is what makes them happy. Quvenzhane Wallis stole my heart, and I would not be the least bit upset if she walks home with the best actress award this year. Be warned: I cried pretty much the entire last 30 minutes of the film.