It was a ‘fais do do’ all up in heeeah Tuesday for our Fat Tuesday Pop-Up Lunch. Chef Sergio served Gumbo and it did not disappoint! OOOOOoooooeeeeeee!! It was delicious.
Chock full of the traditional fixins’ of chicken, sausage and shrimp, plus veggies like onions, celery, peppers and a host of herbs and spices, this hearty soup is so flavorful, it slaps you right upside the head and puts a smile on your face.
If you’re feeling adventurous, we included the chicken stock recipe. Our recipe calls for homemade chicken stock, but you can use prepared stock, of course.
(Find a link to the printer-friendly recipe at the bottom.)
Ca c’est bon…
~~~~~~
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch slices
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken stock, homemade (recipe follows) or prepared chicken stock
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ pound shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 tablespoon prepared Cajun spice rub of your choice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup green onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon gumbo filé (a sassafras powder found in most supermarkets)
Preparation
Combine the oil and flour in a large heavy pot, over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 minutes, make a dark brown roux the color of chocolate. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 minutes or until wilted. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 minutes. Add the stock. Stir until the roux mixture and stock a well combined. Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Season the chicken and shrimp with the rub and add to the pot. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, green onions and the file powder. Remove bay leaves and serve in deep bowls. Serves 4
Recipe for Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken carcass
- 10 cups cold water
- 8 ounces mirepoix (4 oz. chopped onion; 2 oz. chopped carrot; 2 oz. chopped celery)
- Sachet d’espices (put the following in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine: 2 bay leaves, some parsley stem, about 12 black peppercorns, 2-3 garlic cloves & a few sprigs of fresh thyme)
Equipment Needed
Heavy-gauge stock pot, boning & chef knife, cutting board, 8×8 piece of cheesecloth and some kitchen string
Preparation
Combine the bones and water, add the mirepoix. Add sachet d’espices. Bring them slowly to a boil. Skim the surface of the stock with a spoon. Simmer for minimum of 2 hours, adding water if needed to keep extracting the flavor from the bones. Strain, de-grease and cool. Maybe stored in refrigerator or frozen. Makes approximately 1 quart
~~~~~~
