It's Gumbo Weather

So, here's a recipe.

The first cold front of the year has hit south Louisiana, making this the official start of Gumbo Season. Now to be absolutely fair, you don’t need a season for gumbo. It’s like chili. It’s good anytime, but when it gets cooler it’s just the perfect thing to eat, and it’s not difficult at all to cook.

Probably the trickiest part is the roux, but that just takes patience and attentiveness to make sure you don’t burn it. Like most foods cooked in a pot, the longer your gumbo simmers, the more the flavors develop. I like to start in the morning and let the house smell like gumbo for a good long while. It can easily be ready for lunch but I tend to let it go all the way until afternoon or evening.

Lastly, this is a recipe for chicken and sausage gumbo, which is the most common variety. Two other favorites are duck gumbo and seafood gumbo (the latter of which I’m making this weekend). The recipes are basically identical except for the proteins (but sausage works in all three).

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 1 orange or red bell pepper, finely chopped

• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped

• 2 lbs. chicken thighs (or one 1 lb. breasts and 1 lb. thighs)

• 1 package of andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 in. slices

• 4 tbsp. garlic, minced

• 4 tbsp. green onions, chopped

• 2 cups frozen okra

• 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 2-4 cups chicken stock

• 3 bay leaves

• Salt (to taste)

• Black pepper, to taste

• Hot sauce, to taste

• Rice, cooked

  1. Keep your trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) in the refrigerator after chopping.

  2. In a non-stick pan, heat a little oil and add the sausage. Brown on both sides and then set aside.

  3. Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and cook in batches. Brown and set aside.

  4. Time to make your roux. Add the vegetable oil and turn the heat to medium-high. When it’s hot, add the flour a little at a time, stirring as you do so. Once all the flour is in the oil, don’t stop stirring as it browns or it will burn.

  5. When your roux is dark enough (the darker it is, the more intense the flavor but, again, don’t burn it), add the trinity straight from the fridge. This will stop the roux from getting cooking any further. Keep stirring until the trinity starts to soften.

  6. Add the garlic and green onion and continue stirring.

  7. Transfer the roux and trinity into a stockpot over medium heat. Add the chicken stock and stir until the roux is fully incorporated into the stock.

  8. In the skillet, add a little more oil and add the frozen okra (cooking it frozen will prevent it from getting slimy as it cooks). When it starts browning, add it to the gumbo pot.

  9. Keep stirring and add the chicken and sausage. Then bring the pot to a simmer. Skim off any excess fat/oil, add the bay leaves, and then turn the pot to low and let it cook for a few hours. As it cooks, add salt, pepper, and hot sauce as needed.

  10. When you’re ready to eat, serve the gumbo over rice.

  11. Don’t eat the bay leaves.

  NOTE: The Cajuns have taught me that a scoop of cold potato salad in warm gumbo is a wonderful thing. You should try it at least once.