Gumbo Time!
We are having incredible weather here in Louisiana and it's the perfect time for gumbo. As you can tell from my blog, I do most of the cooking around here and happy to do so. However, my husband has a few specialties up his sleeve and I am more than willing to let him take the lead and cook. One of his specialties is Gumbo, he makes a delicious Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and my favorite Seafood Gumbo. We are having very cool weather this week so he has made a batch and I am so excited. My husband made this a day ahead of time which gave it time to really get flavorful. So go ahead and make it before your company comes to town so you can relax and enjoy the gumbo with them!
I documented the whole process and snag his recipe to share...
Chicken Sausage Gumbo
(2) 5 lb whole chickens
1 1/2 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
2 cups chopped seasoning blend (if you buy frozen, defrost and drain)
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup of prepared roux
10 cups of chicken stock (you will have this from boiling the chickens)
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup of chopped green onion
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
Hot Sauce, to taste
Boil the chickens in water with a little salt and pepper for an hour. Remove chickens and place on tray to cool, reserve broth.
After the chicken cools, cut up in to large pieces (I did the breasts and thighs and picked the rest of the meat off the bones). In a skillet, brown off the chicken pieces in a little oil and drain on paper towels.
In another stock pot or cast iron pot brown off the sausage in a little oil, then add veggies and cook till soft. Add prepared roux and stir, let simmer on very low for 15 mins stirring occasionally. Pour in chicken broth and stir till blended. Add the cut up browned chicken, bay leaves, tarragon and bouillon cubes. Simmer on low for 2 hour.
Check your gumbo for seasoning and add if needed.
YUM!!
Serve with rice and for a real treat have potato salad on the side.
Creole Potato Salad
Make your basic potato salad, but add chopped boiled eggs, Creole mustard and Creole seasoning to taste. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Enjoy!!
Gratefully,
Deborah...xo!
