Gumbo!

I finally did it; I finally made gumbo. I had made jambalaya before (what is the difference you ask because I did before I made them, simply (and this is really a simple explanation), one is a red based (tomatoes) and one is a brown base (roux).  They have many of the same ingredients and they are both served over rice. It was that roux that was scaring me away from making this. On a whim I decided to whip some up.  I still don't know why I tried this.  I had been in long, long meetings with a customer for the first two days of the week and then the CEO was coming the next day to visit with our state senator and I had plenty of work to do. However, somehow instead of being super tired, as I normally am, I had energy and thus, I made Gumbo.

So, to start this you can either brown chicken in oil or just boil it in a pot.  I choose to boil it in a pot because that way I make chicken broth at the same time. I have posted the recipe for chicken broth before. It is super easy to make your own (and I actually just scoped this out of the pan my chicken was boiling with and replaced the water that I took... because I needed chicken broth and didn't want to wait the full time that it was supposed to cook).

Ingredients:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. flour
1 c. minced onions
1 c. minced green pepper
3/4 c. minced celery
1 tsp Tabasco (or more if you like it spicy - we usually sprinkle it over our bowls at the end)
3 T Worcestershire
2 bay leaves
1 tsp commercial Cajun seasoning (look up a recipe online: I used a bit of garlic and pepper and salt and paprika)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper (I used Cayenne)
2 quart chicken stock (stolen from pan with boiling chicken)
1/2 c. chopped green onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1 lb andoulle sausage thinly sliced
chicken

To make your roux: Heat up oil to medium heat, sprinkle in flour and stir.  Keep stirring on and off until the roux is a medium brown.  I was cutting up my onions, peppers, and celery while this was cooking.  I probably cooked it for 15 - 20 minutes.

Stir in the onions, pepper, and celery.  I found it was best to remove this from the heat or turn it way down (if you have gas). You want to cook these until they are a bit softened. 

Next, add the Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, pepper, red pepper, and chicken stock. Mix well.  It is best to add the chicken stock in small amounts.

At this point, turn the heat down to low, add the chicken, thinly sliced sausage, minced garlic, and green onions.  Simmer 1 - 2 hours.  The longer you simmer, the better it tastes. 

Serve over rice.  Sprinkle with Tabasco, if desired.

Feel free to add shrimp, crab, or other kinds of seafood.