Soups, Stews, Chowder, & Gumbo

1 (5-pound) stewing hen
1 pound smoked sausage or andouille
1 cup oil
1½ cups flour
2 cups diced onions
1 cups diced celery
1 cup diced bell peppers
¼ cup minced garlic
3 quarts chicken stock
2 cups sliced green onions
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Louisiana hot sauce to taste
½ cup chopped parsley
cooked white rice

Using a sharp boning knife, cut hen into 8–10 serving pieces. Remove as much fat as possible. Cut smoked sausage or andouille into ½-inch slices and set aside. In a 2-gallon stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and oil, stirring constantly until golden brown roux is achieved. Stir in onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Blend chicken and sausage into vegetable mixture, and sauté approximately 15 minutes. Add chicken stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 1 hour. Skim any fat or oil that rises to top of pot. Stir in green onions. Season to taste using salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook an additional 1–2 hours, if necessary, until chicken is tender and falling apart. Stir in parsley and adjust seasonings. Serve over hot white rice. NOTE: You can absolutely cheat by buying a rotiserie chicken and shredding it.

Photo: Matt cooking on a camping trip at Fountainbleau State Park, Mandeville, LA. 

¼ pound salt pork (can substitute bacon)

onions, chopped

3 cups cubed raw potatoes

4 cups boiling water

3 pounds fish

1 large can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

Fry pork or bacon in a soup kettle. Add onions and cook 5 minutes. Add potatoes and boiling water. Simmer until potatoes begin to soften. Add fish and simmer until potatoe: and fish are soft. Add milk, salt, pepper and parsley. Melt butter, add flour and blend. Gradually add to chowder to thicken.

The fragrance of the chowder cooking still brings back memories of camping trips when grandma would whip up a pot of chowder on the cook stove.-Karen McElveen

Photo: Steve's Grandmother, Mary McElveen

3 large potatoes

¼ cup onion, chopped 

2 cups milk

salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Peel and cut up potatoes, cover with water, and boil until tender. Drain. Mash the potatoes with a fork, leaving it as lumpy as you prefer. Add butter and milk. Return to stove heat through.

Mom Karen remembers this one from her childhood, so you know it's tried and true!!

- Karen McElveen

Photo: Steve's Mom Karen and Grandmother Ruth Wentworth.

1 pound (35-count) shrimp, peeled and de-veined1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat

2 dozen shucked oysters, reserve liquid

3 quarts shellfish stock or water

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup diced garlic

1/2 pound sliced andouille sausage

1 pound claw crabmeat

2 cups sliced green onions

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and cayenne pepper 

Louisiana Hot Sauce

Filé powder

In a 7-quart cast iron dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until brown roux is achieved. Do not allow roux to scorch. Should black specks appear in roux, discard and begin again. Once roux is golden brown, add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add andouille, blend well into vegetable mixture and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes. Add claw crabmeat and stir into roux. This will begin to add seafood flavor to the mixture. Slowly add hot shellfish stock or water, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until all is incorporated. Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes. Add additional stock if necessary to retain volume. Add green onions and parsley. Season to taste using salt, pepper and Louisiana Hot Sauce. Fold shrimp, lump crabmeat, oysters and reserved oyster liquid into soup. Return to a low boil and cook approximately 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve over cooked rice. Finish with Filé powder to thicken to your taste.

This recipe always reminds me of my Nan Glenda. With her birthday just two days after Christmas we had to have a different meal to celebrate. Now days it may be shrimp fettuccini, but this classic stays in my mind. Here are her and mom at Aunt Rita's sometime in the early '80s.

Feel free to adjust this to your liking, you don't like oysters, don't add them. Caught tons of shrimp and no crab, just use shrimp. Crazy cousin is coming over that is allergic to shrimp, run them through the blender before adding them. Love you KK.