Week two of culinary school was all about thickeners: slurries, starches, and liasons to name a few. And while these are all well and good, in Southern cooking it’s all about the roux. And I’m not talking prim and proper blonde roux ala France. I’m talking coffee-dipped, Hershey-dunked, deep brooding brunette! (Whoever said blondes have more fun was a fool if you ask me…)
Now, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, and definitely don’t be scared to make a roux: if I can do it, you can do it. Go grab yourself some vegetable oil (peanut or canola will do), and some all -purpose flour. Don’t use butter here, it will burn. Now heat the oil over medium heat, add the flour, then stir stir stir. It’s that simple! The only trick is to just keep it moving. Don’t let that roux out of your sight, or it’s a goner for sure. Check the heat from the burner every now and again, trust your instincts, and in the words of my culinary instructor, “be brave!”.
Now go make this gumbo for a tailgate party, a Sunday supper, or just because. Just don’t tell my sweet Walt how good it was, ’cause he missed out on this one.
CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE GUMBO
Source: Nealey Dozier
1 whole fryer chicken (about 4 lbs)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, chopped (or 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper)
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
6 cups chicken broth
12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4″ pieces
2 cups okra
2 bay leaves
salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper
Hot sauce, to taste (I prefer Frank’s)
Cooked white rice
Place chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Salt lightly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook approximately 1 hour, turning occasionally, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and allow to cool, reserving broth. Shred once cool.
To make roux, heat oil at medium heat for approx. 2 minutes. Add flour. Stir constantly until desired consistency is reached (my roux took approx. 40 minutes to reach the deep brown you see in the picture below). Add green bell pepper, celery, onion, and garlic to roux and saute until tender, approx. 5 minutes (add a few tablespoons of broth if it seems too thick). Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Add shredded chicken, sausage, okra and bay leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes, or longer. Season liberally with salt, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce. Tastes even better the next day.
Serve with hot white rice. YIELDS: 10 – 12 servings
PS – Don’t forget to pour yourself an icy-cold glass of water to drink, because it’s gonna get hot in your kitchen. Or just don’t choose to make this on the hottest day of fall. Yes, I said fall. It’s still damn hot out here in Southern California.
Printer friendly version
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
YUM! I am so happy I stumbled upon your blog. I too, and from the south and now live in California (San Francisco to be exact). I love Southern Cooking and these recipes remind me so much of home! Seafood Gumbo is a staple in my family and we always eat it for Christmas dinner – much easier than having to deal with a Turkey and all the fixings again right after Thanksgiving! Thanks for emphasizing the dark roux – it upsets me when I see chicken broth colored gumbo! How can you even call that gumbo!?