There is magic in Gumbo. That’s just a fact. There is no recipe for making gumbo, only a tradition and a culture. You can’t make it without wine and music.
You can fudge just about everything else, but you gotta have wine and music. I start with some Cabernet, and some Waylon tunes, unless I am in more of a Bonnie Raitt mood. Sometimes I’ll start with Willie because you just can’t go wrong with Stardust. If I’ve had a beer earlier, I’ll probably start off with Jerry Jeff Walker. On a rare occasion, I’ll go with Billy Joe Shaver, but sometimes when I go the Billy Joe route, I wind up doing a lot more singing than cooking because I actually have been to Georgia on a fast train.
I always start with the Trinity (onion, celery and bell pepper). Depending on how I feel, I may do a rough chop, or a fine dice. It just depends. Heat a big pot and put some oil of some kind in there. If you are health conscious, use vegetable oil. When you think about it, if you are really health conscious you probably wouldn’t be eating good gumbo anyway. I’m thinking salad, that’s what you’d have. But, I digress. If you are going to binge this thing, go for bacon drippings. Canola oil can be used, but I have found that the best canola oil to use is oil that you saved from the last time you made fried chicken. Never ever use oil you used to cook fish. Anyway, saute (that’s french for ‘fry’) the Trinity in the oil till the onion is about clear. Hit the Trinity with some salt and a little fresh ground black pepper. Yes, it does make a difference, grind the damn pepper. This saute thing takes a little while so have some more wine. If you are ready, you might want to try some Kris Kristopherson now. ‘The Pilgrim’ is one of my favorite Kristopherson songs. Some folks will tell you it should be the title track on the album of my life and I might agree. Early Kris is good, older Kris is better, and current Kris is still recovering from Lyme Disease. He makes you remember just how good he was when he was young and old. His music always makes me smile and count my blessings. Listen to “Here Come’s that Rainbow Again’. If you aren’t ready for Kris, you might consider some David Allen Coe. DAC can get pretty crude at times, so I skip those songs. Don’t forget to put your okra in. I don’t use whole okra. I prefer chopped. I don’t care if you don’t like okra. Put it in anyway. It melts and you never know it’s there. If you have scallions (that’s sophisticated talk for garden onions), chop them and drop them in. Have more wine.
Since we are making Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, we need to get a chicken involved. I usually use chicken breasts. I cut the longways into strips, and then, using some more left over chicken cooking oil or bacon drippings, I cook the chicken strips over medium/high heat just till they are browned a little. You are looking for a light brown. When they hit the right color, put them right in with the Trinity. Drop the heat on the Trinity some, and add about two cups of chicken broth. You made some chicken broth, didn’t you? Don’t worry about it. You can use that store bought crap. It will be fine. Have another glass of wine. If you haven’t already done it, switch to Bonnie now. Sometimes Bonnie Raitt is all you need to make your problems go away.
With regards to sausage, there is a lot to think about here. Some folks like a kielbasa in their gumbo and others like something more akin to an andouie. The only sausage that is right out is Italian. No Italian sausage in gumbo. Slicing the sausage is a matter of personal choice also. I vary according to how I feel. Sometimes I go for a thin slice, and others I go for a thicker slice. It just depends. The final decision with regards to sausage is whether or not to brown the sausage before putting it in with the chicken and the Trinity. I don’t brown it, but I’ve had some mighty fine gumbo that had browned it. You’ll figure it out. Pick the sausage you like and do what you want with it. Just don’t use Italian sausage. Yep, time for more wine, and it is true that you have a fine singing voice. Sing ‘Angel from Montgomery’ with Bonnie. If the neighbors complain, just smile and show them your gun.
We are entering the critical phase of gumbo preparation: The Roux. Purists will tell you that a roux is made up of equal parts fat and flour. I wouldn’t know. To make that determination you have to measure things, and at this point I’m doing well just to get all the stuff in the damn pot. In the pan that you cooked the chicken in, put some more oil. Yes, the oil you used to fry chicken the other day. Do not use ‘virgin’ oil. Virgin oil doesn’t know what to do. You need oil that has been seasoned and knows how to act in a roux. That means oil that you used the other day. Get the oil hot, but not too hot. You are going to add flour (rice flour for those who have gluten issues). Using a wooden stick, keep the roux moving with one hand while you enjoy wine with the other. Since the tunes are really good now, do not be tempted to stop stirring the roux to use the stick as a microphone. Make sure you have added enough flour so that after it has mixed with the oil what you have can best be described as a sludge. Keep stirring it until it reaches a dark peanut color, then dump it in with the chicken, the sausage, and the Trinity. Right now is when I usually sing ‘Darlin’. It’s one of Bonnie’s best songs. It was on the soundtrack from a crappy 1970’s movie. Let me repeat, do not stop stirring to use the stick as a microphone. Find more wine and keep sing along.
After you have dumped the roux in the pot, de-glaze your frying pan with some chicken broth. Get all that good, tasty stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan lose. Pour all that stuff into the pot with the chicken, okra, sausage, and The Trinity. Can we go any further without some Lynyrd Skynyrd? I think not.
Stir all this up really well. If the gumbo is too tight, add a little chicken broth. Cover, and cook on low for a couple of hours. The chicken should be falling apart when it is ready to serve. The sausage will have swelled up some. The okra will have completely disappeared. Neighbors who were complaining about the singing earlier will begin to show up at your door begging for gumbo. Turn away all who do not bear liquor and require that do to sing a bar of ‘Freebird’ with you prior to entry.
To serve, put gumbo in a bowl and plop some rice down on top of it. You made some rice, didn’t you? Duh! Of course, more wine!
I usually season mine with a healthy helping of Tabasco. Enjoy!
Go ahead! Try it. You’ll like it.
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