The best bowl in New Orleans: Gumbo

Serves 6 · 2 hr · Medium

Farmed turtle meat can be ordered from Louisiana seafood suppliers; ground veal or beef makes the classic 'mock' version. The sherry at the end is essential.

You need

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) turtle meat or ground veal, chopped small
• 1/2 cup (115 g) butter
• 1/2 cup (65 g) flour
• 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14 oz / 400 g) crushed tomatoes
• 2 quarts (1.9 l) beef or veal stock
• 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup (30 g) spinach, chopped
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• Dry sherry, to serve

How to make it

1. Brown the meat in 2 tbsp butter and set aside.
2. Melt the rest of the butter, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, 15 minutes, to a peanut-butter brown roux.
3. Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook 8 minutes, then the garlic 1 minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, stock, herbs, cayenne, Worcestershire and meat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring now and then.
5. Add the lemon juice, spinach and eggs and simmer 10 minutes. Season.
6. Serve with a splash of sherry poured into each bowl.

Chef's tips

• Keep the roux moving; a burnt roux has to be thrown out.

Contains: wheat, milk, eggs, celery..

Chef Amazing's own recipe, written for a home kitchen. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 3 hr · Easy

Part Chinese-American, part Creole, all hangover cure. The broth is beef, soy and Creole seasoning; the noodles are plain spaghetti.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) beef chuck or brisket
• 3 quarts (2.8 l) water
• 1 onion, quartered, 4 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp Creole seasoning
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lb (450 g) spaghetti
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 6 green onions, sliced
• Hot sauce and ketchup, to serve

How to make it

1. Simmer the beef with the onion, garlic and 2 tbsp Creole seasoning in the water 2 1/2 hours, until tender.
2. Lift out the beef and chop or shred it. Season the broth with the soy, Worcestershire and the rest of the Creole seasoning; it should be salty and bold.
3. Cook the spaghetti and drain.
4. Pile noodles and beef in each bowl, ladle over the broth, and top with an egg half and green onion.
5. Serve with hot sauce (and ketchup, if you want to do it the Seventh Ward way).

Chef's tips

• Make the beef a day ahead; skimming the cold fat is easier.

Contains: wheat, soy, eggs, fish (worcestershire)..

Chef Amazing's own recipe, written for a home kitchen. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 45 min · Medium

Created by chef Warren LeRuth across the river in Gretna. Buy oysters shucked in their liquor; the liquor is half the flavor.

You need

• 1 pint (16 oz / 470 ml) shucked oysters with their liquor
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup (45 g) flour
• 1 quart (950 ml) seafood or chicken stock
• 2 cans (14 oz / 400 g each) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1 tsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, a pinch of cayenne
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• Chopped parsley and lemon

How to make it

1. Drain the oysters, keeping the liquor; chop half of them.
2. Melt the butter and cook the green onions, celery and garlic 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 3 minutes.
3. Whisk in the stock and oyster liquor, add the artichokes, thyme, bay and cayenne and simmer 20 minutes.
4. Add the cream and bring back to a simmer.
5. Add all the oysters and cook just until their edges curl, about 2 minutes. Season and finish with parsley and lemon.

Chef's tips

• Overcooked oysters turn rubbery; add them at the very end.

Contains: shellfish, wheat, milk, celery..

Chef Amazing's own recipe, written for a home kitchen. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 4 hr 30 min

A clear, fragrant beef broth simmered for hours with charred onion, ginger and warm spices, poured over rice noodles and paper-thin raw beef. Inspired by the beef noodle soup at Le Colonial in Houston.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) beef oxtail, cut in sections
• 2 lb (900 g) beef marrow or knuckle bones
• 2 medium yellow onions (about 1 lb), halved and left unpeeled
• 4-inch piece fresh ginger (about 3 oz), halved lengthwise
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 5 quarts (4.7 liters) cold water, plus more for parboiling
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 lb (450 g) dried flat rice noodles (banh pho)
• 8 oz (225 g) beef tenderloin, trimmed and sliced paper thin
• 1 small white onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• Hoisin sauce and sriracha for the table (3 tablespoons each)

How to make it

1. Put the oxtail and bones in the stockpot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil hard for 10 minutes while gray scum rises, then drain and rinse every piece under cold water. Scrub out the pot.
2. Heat the broiler with a rack 4 inches from the element. Broil the onion halves and ginger on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, turning once, until blackened in spots and soft. Cool, peel off the loose skin, and rinse.
3. Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and fennel in the dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Tie them into cheesecloth.
4. Return the bones to the clean pot with the 5 quarts cold water, charred onion, ginger and the spice bundle. Bring to a boil over high heat, about 20 minutes, skimming off foam.
5. Reduce the heat to low so the surface barely trembles. Simmer partly covered for 3 hours, skimming now and then, and lift out the spice bundle after the first hour so it does not turn bitter.
6. Lift the oxtail onto a plate. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in large pieces and set aside, returning the bones to the pot.
7. Strain the broth through the fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing lightly. Skim fat from the top with a ladle, then stir in the fish sauce, salt and sugar and taste, adding fish sauce until savory with a slight sweetness. Keep at a bare simmer.
8. About 40 minutes before serving, wrap the beef tenderloin and freeze it for 20 minutes to firm it up. Soak the dried noodles in warm tap water for 30 minutes, until pliable and white.
9. Slice the chilled beef against the grain as thin as paper. Arrange the sliced onion, scallions, sprouts, basil, cilantro, jalapeno and lime wedges on a platter.
10. Boil a large pot of water and cook the soaked noodles for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but still springy. Drain and divide among 6 large bowls, then lay the shredded oxtail and raw beef slices on top.
11. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, then ladle at least 1 1/2 cups over each bowl; the heat cooks the raw beef to a blush pink within a minute. Serve with the garnish platter, hoisin and sriracha.

Pans and tools

• 12-quart stockpot
• rimmed baking sheet
• dry skillet
• fine-mesh strainer
• cheesecloth or tea ball for spices
• large pot for noodles
• sharp slicing knife
• instant-read thermometer

Chef's tips

• Common mistake: boiling the broth hard, which turns it cloudy. Keep it at a bare simmer and skim.
• Make-ahead: the broth keeps 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. The fat that hardens on top is easy to lift off.
• Reheat the broth to a full boil before serving or the raw beef will not cook.
• Swap: use beef shank or short rib for part of the oxtail, and gluten-free tamari-free hoisin is optional at the table.

Contains: fish, soy, wheat.

From The Best 100: our home version, inspired by Le Colonial, Houston. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.