1 fryer, cut into serving pieces
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
1/2 lb Tasso ham, diced
1-1/4 lb Andouille sausage
1-1/2 to 2 c onions, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 c celery, chopped
1/2 c scallion tops, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 T parsley, minced
1 to 2 T garlic minced
1 t salt
1 t fresh cracked black pepper
1-1/4 t dried thyme
3 bay leaves (not California bay laurel)
2/3 c vegetable oil
1/2 c flour
1 c ice cold water
7 c chicken stock
6 to 10 drops Peychaud's bitters (optional)
Cooked rice
File powder
Tobasco Sauce
Ice cold beer (preferably Dixie)
Season the chicken lightly with black pepper and garlic powder and liberally
with cayenne pepper and salt, rubbing the seasonings in with your hands. Wash hands well before proceeding.
Dice the Tasso.
Cut
the Andouille into round slices.
Chop the
vegetables; combine and set aside.
Mix the seasoning mixture.
Start cooking the rice.
Once the rice has
finished cooking, just leave the lid on and set aside. It needn't be hot when
added to the gumbo.
1. In a cast iron (or heavy) dutch oven, brown the chicken pieces in 2/3 c oil. (They need not be cooked through). Remove to paper towels to drain.
2. Make a roux with the flour. Use the oil in the pan and leave the sediment in the pan. Make the roux by heating the oil over a medium high heat, gradually adding the flour. Once the flour has been incorporated, lower the heat to low and stir constantly until the roux is medium to dark brown.
The roux color should be somewhere between the color of peanut butter & a chocolate bar, the darker the better. This will take from an hour to an hour and a half.
Important: You can increase the heat to speed up the process but be very careful not to burn the flour or to accidentally splash the roux on yourself (they don't call it cajun napalm for nothing.
If you smell burning, you have to
throw it out and start all over. If it doesn't get dark enough, your gumbo will simply be light
colored
...