When I was little, spending my summers in southern Louisiana, my grandmother would cook the most amazing Cajun food. I would follow her around the kitchen and beg her to let me help, and one year she finally did, I was stirring a pot before I was tall enough to see what was in it and cutting vegetables with a knife that was bigger than my arm. Now some 25 years later, having been a cook in a Cajun restaurant and having learned much from many fine cooks, I still cook my Gumbo the same way.

 I have seen a lot of different recipes for Gumbo, most of which aren’t authentic. There are people who call for tomatoes, corn, and a number of other ingredients that should never be put in. Trust me, with gumbo, less is more.

A good Gumbo starts with a good roux, I cook my own but you may find this difficult, if you can find some in the store, they work just as well. When looking for a store bought roux you will want one that is a dark brown and has a small bit of oil settled at the top, if I buy store bought it is always either Savoies, or Richards, just my preference. But if you do decide to make your own, use equal parts oil or butter and flour, (old time Cajuns often used chicken fat). Heat the oil or butter on a medium to high heat in a cast iron skillet (only use stainless steel if you have flawless skill), don’t let it get to the point of smoking, add the flour and stir constantly. Do not burn the roux, if it has burned even a little, throw it away and start over. Now roux does have a strong smell, this doesn’t mean that it is burning. If there are black flakes in the roux or if you see that the bottom of the roux has turned black, then it has burned. Roux must be stirred constantly to keep from burning, but you don’t want the heat too low, if the heat isn’t high enough your arm will fall off from stirring for hours. Once the roux has turned a bit darker brown than peanut butter, take it off of the fire, it will get darker as it sits.  How rich you like your Gumbo is going to determine how much roux you use, cook 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1 1/2 cups oil to make 3 cups of roux this should make a reasonably rich Gumbo, but if you like it richer make more roux cher.

 If you haven’t done your prep work, do it now. After that, you are going to need a stock pot, put in it 8 quarts of water (you may want more, depending on how much soup you like. If so, make more roux also), bring to a boil, and add the roux and seasoning, (remember that you will be boiling this Gumbo for some time, so you will need to add water periodically). Now some people suggest that you put the meat in first then add the roux, but I find that roux needs more time to boil than meat, but feel free to experiment. I’ll boil my roux for 30 minutes after having added my bell peppers, diced onions, and green onion tops. I will then add my chicken, using either 2 cut up fryers or roasting hens, fat trimmed, (roasting hens are more flavorful, but aren’t as succulent and tender; you can use 1 of each if you like). Put the thicker cuts of chicken in for about 15-30 minutes, (depending on how large your birds are.), before you add your smaller pieces. After all of the chicken has become buoyant, so that when stirred all float to the top, boil them for another hour to an hour and a half, (again depending on how large your birds are). Now as for sausage, any smoked sausage will do, (though Richards and Savoies are typically used around here). Cut the sausage up into 1-1/12 inch slices and add them when you have an hour left on your Gumbo. As your Gumbo cooks fat will accumulate at the top, skim as much off as you can. Serve over rice, with a side of potato salad and c’est se bon!

Allons à la grosserie (Lets go to the grocery)

Ingredients

3 cups roux

2 large green bell peppers, diced into medium-large pieces

2 large yellow onions, diced into medium-large pieces

2 cups chopped green onion tops

2 lbs. smoked sausage, cut into 1 ½-2 inch slices

2 cut up fryers or roasting hens fat trimmed, dried, and rubbed ahead of time with 2 tablespoons oil and 5-7 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, (Tony Chachere’s, Zatarans, and Slap Ya Mamma are all local favorites)

If you don’t have access to any Cajun seasoning mixes you can use a tablespoon each of garlic powder(garlic powder may be stronger from brand to brand, use according to your preference), cayenne pepper, and salt, and 2 teaspoon each of black pepper, white pepper, and onion powder. Use the same ratio if you need more to coat the chicken and when adding seasoning to taste in gumbo.

You can use filé powder to taste also, I find it unnecessary but you may like it.

I hope that if you try this Gumbo you will enjoy it, bon appétit!