Anna Maria Island off the west coast of Florida is one of the most original and attractive coastal United States. The winter season is a wonderful area for this little known and lovely bay with the water is clean white beaches to visit is the desire of a lover to satisfy the beach.
Recently my wife Jan and I spent some time in Anna Maria, a small town on the northern tip of the island. The picturesque island city is experiencing one of the last vestiges of old Florida. Here you will findDo not see huge condominiums and large apartment complexes that house hordes of people. Instead the city is mostly of residents, houses with many great, driveways and landscaping their respectable answer. You will not find tall buildings that block the view of Tampa Bay or the breathtaking sunrises sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico.
Apart from a few million dollars or more large homes on the Gulf island, are the homes of average size there. Most of them are old Floridastyle residences, which are maintained by owners proud. Although many of the houses are occupied by permanent residents, there are many vacation homes offer many opportunities for the rental of beach lover average American at a reasonable price.
During our visit in February, the weather was unusually cold. I'm talking about 40 degrees F at night and sixties during the day. This means that we had a light jacket while running or biking on the beach of the island roads. This wasreally a perfect time for a beach in winter. We love this trip, so we try to do it at least once a year.
I am always looking for a reason, my favorite food to cook and cool weather is what I need my creative imagination spark. Since I am a fanatic Gumbo and maintain a website for free gumbo recipes and cooking lessons (see my link below) I argued that this time and place would be great beach environment to create a gumbo, one in Florida.
There is noSecret that the waters of the Gulf of Florida to take an abundance of sea life offers many opportunities in fresh seafood. Almost all visited cities in coastal areas to the retail counter, where consumers can buy the fish of choice. I wanted to make a seafood gumbo, which I heard with my nephew Christian and together we decided a recipe gumbo with shrimp, chicken and sausage. It is no coincidence that I brought along on this journey to connect my favorite New Orleans andouille. My wifeaccused me of deliberately planning to make Gumbo on the beach before going home, and I must admit my guilt.
Saturday morning we had written a plan and a prescription. All we had left was to buy the ingredients and the gumbo together. But first we had to visit an Art Festival. Just in front of Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island is the fishing village of Cortez. This small town was settled in 1880 by fishermen of North Carolina. It happens that his environment is one ofmost important suppliers of seafood on the west coast of Florida.
Cortez The Art Festival is an annual event and the proceeds are the townsfolk to finance conservation activities in the village. Both professional and amateur artists will play for the sale and food stalls are plentiful. Festivities include live music and dancing. The demonstrations have been detained rivets. I recommend the two-day annual event for those who have a good time, or find a new piece of art for thehome. My main motivation was there to make a purchase of fresh Gulf shrimp one of the two retailers of seafood in the vicinity of the festival.
From mid-afternoon we walked through the show, made my purchase and shrimp were directed back to the island. I had the gumbo cooking on my head and I could not wait to start. We stopped first at local Publix to buy a few extra ingredients. Part of my plan was to make a flavorful stock, as this step adds so much more flavormost popular dish in Louisiana.
I was frozen, then the stock on Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon cooking gumbo. I always recommend a home-made has, as it provides a delicious touch that can not be achieved with water added. My plan was to gumbo the next day.
Clock to 10:00 on the day I started to cook gumbo. First I cut my onions, celery and green pepper, cover and set aside. Then I made the roux with oil and flour. I like a dark roux, so I brought the colorMilk chocolate. As we predicted a bike ride on the island for the afternoon I was cooking my gumbo, but do not add the shrimp. I thought of doing it, just before serving dinner. Once that was finished gumbo, was covered on the pot off the fire and we boarded our bikes and started cycling.
Our first stop Rotten Ralph's Bar and restaurant on the west side of Anna Maria Galati was removed at the Marina. The food is decent there, and has a good bar. There is usually liveMusic in the evening and I recommend if for a fun time. But beware that there will, as sometimes play the type of songs, not the guy on the Lawrence Welk Show will be accepted. We had a beer, talked and laughed, then biked to our next destination.
The Rod and Reel Pier on the northern tip of the island was our next stop. It 's a popular place to drink and eat home cooking. It is located in deep water and attracts fishermen, who pay a small fee to drown someShrimp wood planked walkway.
Bortell Next we went to a bar and billiard room. The audience is made of Harley, smokers, drinkers and pool player. This site has the potential to be the first organization ever awarded the grant liquor on the island and shows the type of character that can only come from decades of use are. But it was clean, safe, and the beer was good and cold. We drank our beer, played a game of pool too long (we're pretty badPlayers bike), so our next stop.
Slim, a company incorporated in the city, was the last stop on our expedition. This is a modern bar overlooking pool tables and late model flat screen TV. The floors were sparkling clean, polished brass and gleaming in places the appearance of high quality wood were in abundance. We had cold beer in a glass cleaner, faster player, playing pool, laughing at a group, but increased our bikes for our return in the gumbo and the treatment of hot steam that was waiting. Are stillperplexed, as I have lost 4 games of pool my nephew Christian.
After catching my breath at the end of the bike ride, I put the gumbo pot boil until it is heated, boiled shrimp and 10 minutes. Louisiana Gumbo Soup was served in bowls with a third cup of rice in a cup, and we all enjoyed it covered with chopped green onions.
My wife was a New Orleans style, a delicious salad with a City and gumbo was perfect. You must visit my website to get the citySalad recipe. His sister, who provided our facilities better, made some toast completed the party. White wine and margaritas were our libation of choice.
It 'been a great weekend in Florida beach in winter and a great way to cook a great gumbo. Try my recipe. You are guaranteed to love it.
Here is the recipe for my field.
8 chicken thighs
2 whole onions, quartered
4 carrots cut into large pieces
4 stalks celery chopped
3Garlic cloves sliced
4 bay leaves
2 ham hocks
1 teaspoon salt
1 / 2 teaspoon black pepper
1 / 4 teaspoon paprika
3 liters of water
Put everything into a pot of soup large, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours. Once strain, and continues to be. If the gumbo the next day, cover and refrigerate. chicken legs and Debone reserve chicken salad later. Discard the rest.
Here's my recipe for gumbo Beach, Florida
2 / 3 cup cornOil
1 cup flour
boneless chicken breast cut in half 3 small bite size pieces
2 cups sliced andouille (sausage is lean does not work)
2 pounds fresh shrimp peeled deveined and tails
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 whole green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
3 bay leaves
2 1 / 2 liters chicken stock
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 / 2 cup chopped green onions
Here are the cook-Directions.
Oil in a large, heavy saucepan mix the flour and cook on high and stir constantly until the mixture bubbles. Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil while stirring. Do you want to brown the flour in a milk chocolate color. This is the roux.
If the flour mixture is the color of peanut butter, reduce heat to low and continue stirring. Do not stop stirring. This is the key to a roux. Burn it stops. If you burn the gumbo is ruined. Continue stirring and cook over lowtakes about 45 minutes of your Roux, the color of milk chocolate.
Now add the onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and fry for 6-8 minutes. If the vegetables soft, pour the soup, andouille, are Tony spices, Tabasco and bay leaves. Stir and cook over low heat 1 hour.
Add the chicken and simmer 1 hour. Finally, add the shrimp, stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rice and top with green onions chopped fresh. The correct ratio is serving, 1 / 3 cup rice1 cup of gumbo.
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