Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Description:

There are two subsets of cuisine that exist under the umbrella of Louisiana cuisine: Creole and Cajun. Creole cuisine is a fusion of European, African and Carribean cooking methods, most associated with the city of New Orleans, while Cajun is the cuisine of Southwest Louisiana, which was primarily settled by French-Acadians in the 18th century. This recipe for Gumbo is of the Cajun variety, identifiable by the lack of tomatoes and use of a roux as a thickening agent. Gumbo itself has origins as an okra stew from West Africa, and was brought by African slaves to the port city of New Orleans during the time of the Atlantic slave trade. This dish has a distinctly French influence, with the use of Andouille sausage, a dark roux and the “holy trinity” of onion, celery & bell peppers, which were adapted from the classic French roux and mirepoix (carrot, onion & celery), respectively.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6)

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4 thighs

• 1 lb andouille sausage, cut into rings (1/2 kg)

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 6 cloves garlic

• 1/2 cup flour (60 g)

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (125 ml)

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 cups chicken stock (500 ml)

• 2 tsp ground pepper (12 g)

• Cayenne pepper

• Salt

• Green onion, chopped

Preparation:

In a pot, heat the oil over medium heat and whisk in the flour - this is called a roux. Whisk constantly as the roux darkens in color, and do not walk away because it can burn very quickly. If you are nervous, cook on lower heat, it will just take longer. When the roux becomes a chocolate color, add the bell pepper, onion and celery. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the chicken stock, sausage, chicken, bay leaf, pepper and cayenne. Simmer for around 45 minutes then shred the chicken with two forks. Season to taste with salt and serve witn white rice and garnish with chopped green onion.

Notes:

• A common ingredient to add to gumbo is okra. You can make a variation of this recipe where you cook chopped okra in the stew for 20 minutes.

• If you don’t have andouille, any smoked sausage is a good substitute.