Question about chicken gumbo

"James Egan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
>
> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
>
> Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might be?
>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filé_powder

Google is your friend.

MJB

"James Egan" <[email protected]> wrote

> In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
>
> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
>
> Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might be?

Here you go:

http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/search?query=file

nancy

James Egan wrote:
> In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
>
> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
>
> Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might be?
>
file powder is ground sassafrass root.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> James Egan wrote:
>> In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
>>
>> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
>>
>> Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might be?
>>
> file powder is ground sassafrass *leaves*

I have a jar of ground file in my pantry. You should only add it at the
very end of cooking gumbo. And then just a pinch. It's a natural thickener
but things will get too thick, too fast if you leave it on the heat. Remove
it from the heat and stir, stir, stir.

Jill

"jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> jmcquown wrote:
>
> I have a jar of ground file in my pantry. You should only add it at the
> very end of cooking gumbo. And then just a pinch. It's a natural
> thickener
> but things will get too thick, too fast if you leave it on the heat.
> Remove
> it from the heat and stir, stir, stir.
>
> Jill


And you may find that by using that Half Pound of Okra that you gumbo may be
thick enough without the Gumbo File. Some folks serve it at the table for
individual use like a condiment.

I Love Gumbo!

Van

In article <[email protected]>,
"Van" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > jmcquown wrote:
> >
> > I have a jar of ground file in my pantry. You should only add it at the
> > very end of cooking gumbo. And then just a pinch. It's a natural
> > thickener
> > but things will get too thick, too fast if you leave it on the heat.
> > Remove
> > it from the heat and stir, stir, stir.
> >
> > Jill
>
>
> And you may find that by using that Half Pound of Okra that you gumbo may be
> thick enough without the Gumbo File. Some folks serve it at the table for
> individual use like a condiment.
>
> I Love Gumbo!
>
I do too. I use a lot of okra in my gumbos and if I'm worried about
"thickness" I usually toss a couple of (skinned) tomatoes in there.
Since the posted recipe seems to call for (what I consider) an excessive
amount of tomato I don't expect it to be all that thick.

Like Jill I'd only add it sparingly near the end of cooking, if then.
I'm one of those folks who puts a bowl of file powder on the table.
Otherwise I serve my gumbo with a small pile of rice on top (not mixed
in) and file powder sprinkled generously over the top. I think it looks
nice that way.

BTW, I don't use file powder just to thicken the gumbo. I think it's
there for the taste (and decoration). I guess that people who use either
file or Okra but not both, may disagree with me. Vive la difference!

Regards,
Dave (not a cajun) W.

Van wrote:
> "jmcquown" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> I have a jar of ground file in my pantry. You should only add it at
>> the very end of cooking gumbo. And then just a pinch. It's a
>> natural thickener
>> but things will get too thick, too fast if you leave it on the heat.
>> Remove
>> it from the heat and stir, stir, stir.
>>
>> Jill
>
>
> And you may find that by using that Half Pound of Okra that you gumbo
> may be thick enough without the Gumbo File. Some folks serve it at
> the table for individual use like a condiment.
>
> I Love Gumbo!
>
> Van

The recipe as posted called for 1/2 lb. of okra already. I use it in my
gumbo but otherwise don't like it unless it's coated in cornmeal and deep
fried. But I'm also not a huge fan of deep fried food

I generally add sausage (andouille) to chicken gumbo because just plain
chicken gumbo is boring, IMHO.

Jill

On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 22:26:53 -0500, James Egan <[email protected]>
wrote:

>In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
>
> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
>
>Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might be?
>
>-Thanks

File' is ground to a powder Sassafras "LEAVES" not root as someone
else mentioned. It has a double usages in gumbos. If your gumbo does
not contain Okra, as yours does not, than the File acts as a
thickening agent as the gumbo cooks. If you make a Okra based gumbo
you can, as I do, add a spoon or 2 of File powder at the table to,
IMHO, add more complexity to the taste.
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On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:49:17 -0500, Garry Owen <[email protected]>
wrote:

>File' is ground to a powder Sassafras "LEAVES" not root as someone
>else mentioned.

Sassafras root is used to make a delicious tea.

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sf wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:49:17 -0500, Garry Owen <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> File' is ground to a powder Sassafras "LEAVES" not root as someone
>> else mentioned.
>
> Sassafras root is used to make a delicious tea.

My grandma made sassafras tea when I was a child. We would dig up the
roots, then she would scrub them and boil them. It tasted like root beer.

Becca

Ob Food:

Thousand Island Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T ketchup
1 T vinegar
2 t sugar
2 t sweet pickle relish
1 t onion, finely minced
1/8 t salt
dash of pepper

Combine all the ingredents and stir well. Cover the container and
refrigerate.

sf wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:49:17 -0500, Garry Owen <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> File' is ground to a powder Sassafras "LEAVES" not root as someone
>> else mentioned.
>
> Sassafras root is used to make a delicious tea.

My grandma made sassafras tea when I was a child. We would dig up the
roots, then she would scrub them and boil them. It tasted like root beer.

Becca

Ob Food:

Thousand Island Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T ketchup
1 T vinegar
2 t sugar
2 t sweet pickle relish
1 t onion, finely minced
1/8 t salt
dash of pepper

Combine all the ingredents and stir well. Cover the container and
refrigerate.

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:35:47 -0600, Becca <[email protected]>
wrote:

>My grandma made sassafras tea when I was a child. We would dig up the
>roots, then she would scrub them and boil them. It tasted like root beer.
>
My grandmother made sassafras tea too (she bought it from somewhere),
but I was never reminded of root beer when I drank it - ever. I know
now that sassafras was a major component of root beer, but I didn't
then.

This is a good read - if you're interested
http://www.southernangel.com/food/sassafras.html

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sf wrote:

> My grandmother made sassafras tea too (she bought it from somewhere),
> but I was never reminded of root beer when I drank it - ever. I know
> now that sassafras was a major component of root beer, but I didn't
> then.
>
> This is a good read - if you're interested
> http://www.southernangel.com/food/sassafras.html

Interesting article, thanks. I never knew anyone made sassafras jelly,
or candy. I did not know other countries used sassafras, either. Thanks,
much.

Becca

Ob Food:

Chicken Satay With Spicy Peanut Sauce

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon honey
16 ounces chicken breast tenders
½ cup bottled Thai peanut sauce
Orange slices and sprigs of fresh cilantro for garnish
Special equipment: 8 (6-inch) bamboo skewers (see Tip)

Stir together the soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, and honey in a medium
bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat evenly. (If you plan to marinate
the chicken for longer than a few minutes, use a covered glass, ceramic,
stainless steel, or plastic container. Cover and refrigerate the
chicken, and stir occasionally. Chilled chicken will take a minute or so
longer under the broiler to thoroughly cook.)

When ready to cook, position the oven rack about 5 inches from the
heating element and preheat the broiler.

Lightly coat a baking sheet or broiler pan with cooking oil spray.
Thread the chicken onto the bamboo skewers and place on the prepared
pan. Discard the remaining marinade. Broil, turning once, for 8 minutes
or until the chicken is lightly charred and cooked through but still
moist inside. (Test the center pieces for doneness, since they take the
longest to cook.)

Serve the warm skewered chicken on plates garnished with orange slices
and cilantro sprigs with a bowl of the peanut sauce on the side for dipping.

Recipe by Paulette Mitchell.

jmcquown wrote on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:37:06 -0600:

j> James Egan wrote:
??>> In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
??>>
??>> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
??>>
??>> Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might
??>> be?
??>>
j> file powder is ground sassafrass root.

Shouldn't that apostrophe actually be an acute sign on the e?
Don't know if will transmit but filé is pronounced feelay.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:56:48 GMT, "James Silverton"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> j> file powder is ground sassafrass root.

Howdy,

It is dried, ground, sassafras leaves... not root.

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

"Kenneth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:56:48 GMT, "James Silverton"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> j> file powder is ground sassafrass root.
>
> Howdy,
>
> It is dried, ground, sassafras leaves... not root.
>
> All the best,
> --
> Kenneth
>
> If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."



Kenneth, I just got thru mentioning your name in the rec.food.equipment
group re your information on stone temperature. For that, I will never
forget you.
Dee Dee

On Wed, 5 Dec 2007 17:00:44 -0500, "Dee.Dee"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Kenneth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:56:48 GMT, "James Silverton"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> j> file powder is ground sassafrass root.
>>
>> Howdy,
>>
>> It is dried, ground, sassafras leaves... not root.
>>
>> All the best,
>> --
>> Kenneth
>>
>> If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."
>
>
>
>Kenneth, I just got thru mentioning your name in the rec.food.equipment
>group re your information on stone temperature. For that, I will never
>forget you.
>Dee Dee
>

Hi Dee Dee,

I am pleased that you found that info to be useful!

All the best,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

James Silverton wrote:
> jmcquown wrote on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:37:06 -0600:
>
> j> James Egan wrote:
> ??>> In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
> ??>>
> ??>> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
> ??>>
> ??>> Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might
> ??>> be?
> ??>>
> j> file powder is ground sassafrass root.
>
> Shouldn't that apostrophe actually be an acute sign on the e? Don't know
> if will transmit but filé is pronounced feelay.
>



Yes, it should be an acute accent rather than an apostrophe, but I
wouldn't call it a typo; e' is a lot easier to type without a special
keyboard.

Filé is powdered sassafras leaves. I generally use okra instead when I
make gumbo. I can't see the original recipe because you dug up a thread
that was 3 weeks old, but don't overcook the filé or it will get stringy
and nasty -- I think "ropey" is the technical term for it.

Bob

On Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:47:55 -0600, zxcvbob <[email protected]>
wrote:

>James Silverton wrote:
>> jmcquown wrote on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:37:06 -0600:
>>
>> j> James Egan wrote:
>> ??>> In the recipe below there is an ingredient listed as:
>> ??>>
>> ??>> 1 1/2 tbsp File' Gumbo
>> ??>>
>> ??>> Is this a typo? If so, any idea what the ingredient might
>> ??>> be?
>> ??>>
>> j> file powder is ground sassafrass root.
>>
>> Shouldn't that apostrophe actually be an acute sign on the e? Don't know
>> if will transmit but filé is pronounced feelay.
>>
>
>
>
>Yes, it should be an acute accent rather than an apostrophe, but I
>wouldn't call it a typo; e' is a lot easier to type without a special
>keyboard.
>

special characters aren't that difficult (in windows applications) if
you have a numeric keyboard on the side and the alt key:

char unix windows

Ç ESC ESC 199 Alt + 128
ç ESC ESC 231 Alt + 135
Accent Acute
á ESC ESC 225 Alt + 160
é ESC ESC 233 Alt + 130
í ESC ESC 237 Alt + 161
ó ESC ESC 243 Alt + 162
ú ESC ESC 250 Alt + 163
É ESC ESC 201 Alt + 144
Accent Grave
à ESC ESC 224 Alt + 133
è ESC ESC 232 Alt + 138
ì ESC ESC 236 Alt + 141
ò ESC ESC 242 Alt + 149
ù ESC ESC 249 Alt + 151
Circumflex
â ESC ESC 226 Alt + 131
ê ESC ESC 234 Alt + 136
î ESC ESC 238 Alt + 140
ô ESC ESC 244 Alt + 147
û ESC ESC 251 Alt + 150
Umlaut
ä ESC ESC 228 Alt + 132
ë ESC ESC 235 Alt + 137
ï ESC ESC 239 Alt + 139
ö ESC ESC 246 Alt + 148
ü ESC ESC 252 Alt + 129
Ä ESC ESC 196 Alt + 142
Ö ESC ESC 214 Alt + 153
Ü ESC ESC 220 Alt + 154
Circle
å ESC ESC 229 Alt + 134
Å ESC ESC 197 Alt + 143
Tilde
ñ ESC ESC 241 Alt + 164
Ñ ESC ESC 209 Alt + 165
Punctuation
¿ ESC ESC 191 Alt + 168
¡ ESC ESC 161 Alt + 173


© Alt+0169
® Alt+0174
tm Alt+0153

(hope the spacing comes out o.k.)

this works for windows newsreaders and e-mail clients. (the
character does not appear until you release the alt key.) i think
html is different, though.

your pal,
bläké