Gumbo

Author: Chef ALLAN SCHANBACHER

Issue: February, 2009, Page 153

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
2 pounds skinless, boneless
chicken thighs, cut in half
1 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup flour
3 large yellow onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 ribs of celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 small bunch scallions, chopped
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
filé powder, optional (also called gumbo filé)

photos by Werner Segarra

1 Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot on high heat. Add half the oil. When hot, add half of the chicken and brown on both sides. Remove and set aside on a plate. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

2 Lower the heat to medium. Add the rest of the oil and add the flour. Using a whisk, cook the “roux” until dark brown, whisking constantly. This will take some time. The slower the roux cooks, the better it will taste. (See color boxes below for an idea of how the roux should look as it cooks.)

3 Add the onions, peppers, celery and garlic. Mix well with the roux and cover. Let vegetables cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove the lid and add the chicken and sausage back into the pot and mix well.

4 Add the water, parsley and scallions and mix again, making sure to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until tender and it has thickened. Check seasoning again. Serve with white rice and top with filé powder.

Recipes

Gumbo