This is my favorite gumbo recipe! The flavors are complex with a good bit of heat, but not over the top.
The trick is in making the roux. You can’t rush it, and need to bring it all the way to a chocolate color. The flavors will get deeper and more complex as the roux cooks, so feel free to take the roux from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, just be careful to not burn it.
Note that a lot of the flavor and heat comes from the Andoulli Sausage, and the sausage varies greatly by brand, so you may want to cook up a small piece first, taste it, and adjust the other seasonings accordingly.
This gets even better if stored overnight in the refrigerator, and will keep for hours in a crock-pot on “low” or “warm.”
This recipe originally appeared in “Louisiana Real and Rustic” by Emeril Lagasse with Marcelle Bienvenu, 1996, William Morrow & Co., New York, NY, and is used here with permission.
Many thanks to Emeril & Company for allowing me to post it.
| Ingredients: | ||
| 1 | Cup | Vegetable Oil |
| 1 | Cup | Flour |
| 2 | Cups | Chopped Onions (original recipe calls for 1 1/2) |
| 1 | Cup | Chopped Celery |
| 1 | Cup | Chopped Bell Peppers |
| 1 | Lb. | Smoked Sausage, such as Andouille or Kiebasa, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices |
| 1 1/2 | t | salt |
| 1/4 | t | Cayenne Pepper |
| 3 | Bay leaves | |
| 4 – 6 | Cups | Water (to cover) |
| 2 | Lb. | Boneless Chicken meat, cut into 1-inch chunks |
| 3 | T | Rustic Rub, recipe follows |
| 2 | T | Chopped Parsley |
| 1/2 | Cup | Chopped Green Onions |
| 1 | T | Filé powder |
| Cooked White Rice (Medium or Long Grain) | ||
- Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, over medium heat.
- Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.
- Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to 5 minutes, or until wilted.
- Add the sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves.
- Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the water. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well combined.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
- Season the chicken well on all sides with the rub and add to the pot along with the remaining rub.
- Simmer very slowly with the cover off until the liquid is reduced by about 1/2 (could be 3 or 4 hours)
- Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the parsley and green onions.
- Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls over rice. Add the Filé powder just before serving.
Rustic Rub:
| 8 | T | Paprika |
| 3 | T | Cayenne Pepper |
| 5 | T | Freshly Ground Black Pepper |
| 6 | T | Garlic Powder |
| 3 | T | Onion Powder |
| 6 | T | Salt |
| 2 1/5 | T | Dried Oregano |
| 2 1/2 | T | Dried Thyme |
Combine all ingredients and store in an air-tight container.