Food Guy's Gumbo

I love Creole cooking.  I love the boldness of the flavors and the earthiness of the spices.  I’ve been making gumbo for a few years now, and I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of it.  Everyone makes gumbo different.  This is my version. 

1 cup oil
1 2/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium chopped onion
1 large chopped bell pepper (red or green)
1 lb Andouille sausage
1 lb chicken (cut into chunks)
1 lb crawfish tails
1 Qt chicken stock
1-2 bay leaves
Palm full of fresh parsley & thyme chopped
Salt & Pepper
File Powder (optional)
Hot sauce (garnish)
Scallions (garnish)
Rice (cooked)

I start in a large pot (a Dutch oven would be best, but I don’t own one yet).  The first step is to make a roux.  You can do this ahead of time, but I always make it fresh.  Heat to medium-high.  Add 1 cup of vegetable oil and 1 2/3 cup of flour.  Constantly stir with a wooden spoon.  You may need to adjust the heat of your stove because you can’t let this burn.  If any black spots appear, you’ll need to start over.  As you stir you’ll notice the roux thicken and start to turn a darker shade.  I look for a dark peanut butter color before I move on to the next step.

On the side, brown the sausage in a nonstick skillet. 

Once the proper color is achieved in my roux I add in the trinity (onions, celery & peppers).  Stir in and cook for 5 minutes.  After the vegetables are slightly tender add stock slowly and stir while adding it as to avoid roux chunks.  If using low sodium stock add some salt at this point.  Also add the bay leaf and a few grinds of black pepper. 

Bring the stock to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Add the browned sausage (it’s a good idea to pat the sausage dry if it looks greasy).  Simmer on low for 45 minutes until broth reduced and thickens.  About half way through this I add the thyme. 

Once reduced by about 1/4 add the chicken.  I use all white meat cut into chunks.  Add parsley.  Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.  Then add the crawfish tails.  I use frozen tails that I thaw out slightly before adding to the pot (it’s all that’s available in New England).  Since these are cooked, they only need to simmer until they are hot all the way through.  

Serving suggestion:  I like to serve my gumbo in a bowl with a large scoop of rice in the middle.  Then I sprinkle on some fresh scallions and a pinch of file powder and add a few dashes of hot sauce.