For the Love of Gumbo
It’s February! That means a few things.
One: Crescent City Confidential is out! If you haven’t got your very own copy, what are you waiting for?
Two: it’s gumbo season. Nothing warms a winter evening better than a bowl of Cajun goodness and a glass of old vine Zinfandel.
Three: those things are not mutually exclusive.
Crescent City Confidential is an Aurora Rey novel, after all, and it’s set in New Orleans. That means lots of food and lots of cooking. Oh, and a cooking lesson. Because who doesn’t love to flirt and make dinner with the woman you’re trying to get into bed?
Today’s lesson? Gumbo. Tess shows Sam how it’s done. And because I love y’all, I’m going to show you, too.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
1 chicken
1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 T. apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
gumbo file (optional)
Put chicken in a pot with enough water to cover and boil until the meat begins to pull away from the bone (about 45 minutes). Remove chicken and separate meat from bones, discard bones and reserve stock. Note: You can take a shortcut (and not sacrifice much flavor) by using a rotisserie chicken and a few cups of purchased stock.
Combine oil and flour in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Whisk over medium heat until the color of milk chocolate. This will take a while. Be bold, but don’t burn it!
It starts out looking like this.
Keep whisking so it browns evenly.
When it looks like peanut butter, you’re getting close.
When it’s the color of milk chocolate, you win.
3. Add chopped vegetables and stir until they begin to soften.
It will look scary. Fear not.
4. Slowly add chicken stock and pepper flakes.
It will look a lot less scary.
5. Add chicken and sausage to pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about an hour. Add vinegar. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
Perfection in a pot.
6. Serve over rice. Add additional hot sauce and a sprinkle of gumbo file, if desired. If you want to be authentically Cajun about it, serve potato salad on the side. (No, I don’t know why. It’s just a thing.)
I hope you enjoy both the recipe and the book. I’d love to hear from you about either!
