riacmt@ubvmsa.cc.buffalo.edu (Carol Miller-Tutzauer) (04/28/91)
Gumbo YaYa (Chicken & Andouille File Gumbo)
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Copyright 1990 by Carol Miller-Tutzauer.
(Note: This is our own basic gumbo. It is influenced by tradition,
our own experience, and a number of classic recipes. Most notably, we
must credit Paul Prudhomme and Richard & Rima Collins. This recipe can
easily be adapted to other meats & seafoods. For example, add fresh
oysters, shrimp, and chunks of fish during the last 15 minutes of
cooking for a good seafood gumbo. Make a smoked rabbit gumbo by
coating rabbit pieces with the seasoning mixture and smoking slowly
over oak, hickory, or pecan wood for 2-3 hours and use in place of the
chicken. Add diced tomatoes if you like. And for an okra gumbo, add
diced okra and omit file powder. The Cajun way is to start the gumbo,
then look to see what you have to add to it.)
Ingredients
Meats:
1 fryer, cut into serving pieces
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
1/2 lb Tasso ham, diced (see note, last page)
1-1/4 lb Andouille sausage (see note, last page)
Vegetable mixture:
1-1/2 to 2 c onions, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 c celery, chopped
1/2 c scallion tops, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 T parsley, minced
1 to 2 T garlic minced
Seasoning mix:
1 t salt
1 t fresh cracked black pepper
1-1/4 t dried thyme
3 bay leaves (not California bay laurel)
Roux:
2/3 c vegetable oil
1/2 c flour
To Add to Pot:
1 c ice cold water
7 c chicken stock
6 to 10 drops Peychaud's bitters (optional)
Serve with:
Cooked rice (Uncle Ben's Converted)
File powder
Tobasco Sauce
Ice cold beer (preferably Dixie)
Preparation:
Season the chicken lightly with black pepper and garlic powder and
liberally with cayenne pepper and salt, rubbing the seasonings in with
your hands (be sure to wash them when you are done!). Dice the Tasso.
Cut about a third of the Andouille into coins and roll-cut (or dice)
the remainder. Chop the vegetables; combine and set aside. Mix the
seasoning mixture. Start the rice so it will be cooked by the time the
gumbo is finished. Once the rice has finished cooking, just leave the
lid on and set aside. It needn't be hot when added to the gumbo.
Cooking:
1. In a cast iron (or heavy) dutch oven, brown the chicken pieces in
2/3 c oil. (They need not be cooked through). Remove to paper
towels to drain.
2. Make a roux with the flour. (You may either use the oil in the
pan -- tastier -- or pour it off and use 2/3 c fresh oil --
healthier. In either case, leave the sediment in the pan.) Make
the roux by heating the oil over a medium high heat, gradually
adding the flour. Once the flour has been incorporated, lower
the heat to low and stir constantly until the roux is medium to
dark brown. (The roux should end up somewhere between the color
of peanut butter & a chocolate bar -- the darker the better.
This will take from an hour to an hour and a half. You can
increase the heat to speed up the process but be very careful not
to burn the flour or to accidentally splash the roux on your arm
or bare feet -- as Frank recently did! If you smell burning, you
have to throw it out and start all over. We find slow is better,
even if tiring. However, it is hard to mess up a roux so long as
you don't burn it. If it doesn't get dark enough, your gumbo
will simply be light colored instead of dark brown.)
3. When the roux reaches the right color, add the vegetable mixture
and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Add the Tasso and
Andouille, and saute until the vegetables are tender -- about 8
minutes, stirring often.
4. Gradually add the water, stirring vigorously. Then gradually
incorporate the stock into the mixture. (Sometimes, this mixture
will appear like glue. Just keep working at it until it loosens
up.) Bring to a boil then cut heat to a simmer.
5. While gumbo is coming to a boil, bone the chicken and cut into
bite-size pieces. Add the chicken to the simmering gumbo along
with the seasoning mix and the bitters. Simmer 45 minutes to an
hour.
6. To serve, mound rice in a shallow bowl. Add gumbo to the bowls
and mix about a teaspoon file powder into the gumbo. Let sit for
about 5 minutes to allow the file powder to thicken the gumbo.
Serve with Tobasco sauce and plenty of cold beer! Keep the gumbo
pot on the table because everyone will surely want more.
Miscellaneous Suggestions:
If you think this recipe is too much trouble, it can be simplified by
eliminating the pre-frying of the chicken. Many people just cut up a
chicken, rub it with seasonings, and plop it into the pot to cook.
However, if you do this, it will take the chicken a while to cook.
Another convenience is a "prepared" roux if you can find it. It sells
in the stores in New Orleans, but everyone usually makes their own.
(If you use the prepared roux, use an amount about equal to the oil
called for in the recipe for making the roux from scratch.) Gumbo also
freezes well, although the meat will fall apart somewhat. There is
also a version of gumbo called "Gumbo Z'herbes" made from 7 kinds of
greens. Remember, you are just making a stew and it starts with a roux
and lots of chopped vegetables. After that, you can add whatever you
like.
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Note: Andouille is a garlicky, smoked Cajun sausage. If unavailable,
substitute the best smoked polish sausage you can find. If desired,
smoke the sausage over hickory wood for 2 hours, to more closely
approximate Andouille. Tasso is a spicy, smoky Cajun ham. If
unavailable, substitute Cure 81. Before dicing, however, coat the meat
in cayenne pepper.