Gumbo
Why I Love This Recipe
Well since this is a site for cooks, bakers and cakers I thought I best start off on the right foot with all of you and actually submit one of my favorite recipes. This particular dish is a amalgam of something I tasted on a trip to New Orleans in 1977 and my ex mother in law's version of a Louisianna gumbo. I call this true comfort food and it's a great dish to create with family or friends helping out in the kitchen.
Ingredients You'll Need
small frying chickens
1) roasting chicken
1) lb kilbasa or anduille sausage
1) lb ham or smoked ham hocks
1) 8oz jar oysters (optional)
2) cups celery
1) medium red onion
2) cups flour
2) tbs garlic powder
2) tbs cayenne pepper
2) tsp sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1) tsp parsley
2) bay leaves
Directions
Take chickens and cut into sections reserving wings, legs, thighs, and brests. Place the rest in a large stew pot and fill with enough water to cover chicken completely. Add 1 tsp of salt, parsley, and bay leaves and cook until chicken falls from bones. Remove chicken from pot, debone, remove skin, and slice chicken into 1/2 inch pieces and return to pot.
Dice celery and onions and set aside until later. Cut sausage and ham into 1/2 inch bites and set aside
In the meantime take large skillet, cast iron works best and add olive oil and heat to med high temp.
Take flour, garlic powder, cayenne, and remaining salt and mix together in a large zip-lock freezer bag. Add chicken to bag and cote with flour mix and fry in skillet until golden brown. You can remove skin from chicken if you want but it detracts from the flavor, trust me! When done remove to side and drain on paper towels.
To make the roux you will need about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the remaining oil in the skillet. Add four mix from the zip-lock bag until the oil flour mix has a pasty sort of texture. You will want to reduce the heat on stove to a lower temp cooking the flour mixture slowly. Using a metal spoon stir mixture until you have a dark almost chocolate looking mix bordering on dry taking care to not burn the flour. The roux is the secret to a fine gumbo. If you burn it, start over. When the roux is done to your satisfaction add celery and onions. You can add the sausage too if there is room. This will cool the roux immediately and prevent burning. Cook about 5 min and then add mix by spoonfulls to the soup pot along with ham and oysters if you wish. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes and the flavors will begin to blend. Serve over rice and if you wish sprinkle a bit of file powder on top.
This dish only gets better each time you warm it and it freezes well. If it's too hot for you subtract cayenne...if too mild have at it and add same.