February in Chicago is not a time for getting crazy. Going crazy, however, is fairly common. But, it is the week of Mardi Gras and the opportunity to observe a seasonal celebratory intervention is far too appealing to pass up, even if it isn't exactly regional. We may be stretching it with a Fat Thursday, but no matter the day, the Big Easy cooks up some darn good food, and a cauldron spicy goodness is just what Dr. Oz ordered to beat the winter doldrums.
With that in mind, we revved up the recipe search engines.... but then they sputtered... and then they idled. As it turns out, every church group, school lunch program and ladies guild has a recipe for gumbo and don't even try to count the blogs! Jambalaya renditions call for everything from pork butt to smoked turkey legs to kielbasa. How is a Yankee cook to decide? Thank goodness for Wikipedia! As it turns out, there may not actually be one right way to skin this cat. And unlike the Italian government, Louisiana has not yet commissioned a food police that travels the globe seeking out culinary impostors. So we tried not to over-google it and loosely followed a recipe from Paul Prudhomme that maximized our potential for success and minimized our margin for error while promising a stew that could be ready in just about an hour.
As with most of our more involved stews, this recipe calls for a full roster of prep chefs to chop, dice and mince the fresh vegetables. It's also a full time job for one cook to pull the chicken meat. We use chicken Andouille sausage for just about everything, including this gumbo, but feel free to use a more authentic raw pork Andouille. Just factor in the time to grill or roast the raw sausages before adding them to the soup pot. We loved the flavor we got from Whole Food's smokehouse chickens (look for the weekly sale) but a traditional rotisserie bird will work just fine. We subbed crushed tomatoes for some of the stock and added roasted red peppers because a Cajun chef we once met did the same and it was really tasty. And finally... gulp... we skipped the roux. We can't advocate for this option, as we know the roux is the heart and soul of any gumbo, but we can offer up that it was our first time making gumbo for a crowd and we were a little nervous. We thickened with okra instead. That said, next time... it's a roux all the way.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
40 servings
- 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
- 8 cups finely chopped onions
- 8 cups finely chopped green peppers
- 6 cups finely chopped celery
- 3 TBS garlic, minced
- 4 TBS Creole seasoning (we love King Creole from the Spice House on Wells)
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 8 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 x 106oz can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed by hand with juice
- 6 qts chicken stock (we buy the 6-pack of Pacific Foods brand at Costco)
- 8 bay leaves
- 4 rotisserie chickens, white and dark meat pulled from the bone
- 4 lbs pre-cooked chicken andouille sausage, sliced (we used Amy's brand at Costco)
- 5 lbs frozen cut okra, rinsed and drained in an XL colander
- 16 oz jarred roasted red peppers, finely minced
- 1 TBS sea salt or more to taste
- 2 TBS file powder (also available at the Spice House or at well-stocked grocers)
Preheat the flattop grill to medium-high heat.
Place the largest stockpot in the kitchen over med-high heat and add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and bay leaf.
When the grill top is warm, add half the olive oil and heat until shimmering but not so long that the oil begins to smoke. Add the onion, green pepper and celery and saute until lightly caramelized. Add the garlic, spices and cayenne and saute 1-2 minutes more until fragrant. Transfer the vegetables to the stock pot.
Add the remaining oil to the grill top and saute the sausage rounds until lightly seared. Transfer sausages to the stock pot.
While the vegetables and sausages are being sauteed, rinse the okra in a colander with cool water until water runs clear. This will remove some of the viscosity (slime) from the okra. Allow the okra to rest in the colander, shaking occasionally to drain off any excess water.
About ten minutes before serving, add the okra, roasted red peppers and file powder to the gumbo pot. Check for flavor and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve gumbo hot over a scoop of rice (recipe below) and with plenty of hot sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Place the largest stockpot in the kitchen over med-high heat and add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and bay leaf.
When the grill top is warm, add half the olive oil and heat until shimmering but not so long that the oil begins to smoke. Add the onion, green pepper and celery and saute until lightly caramelized. Add the garlic, spices and cayenne and saute 1-2 minutes more until fragrant. Transfer the vegetables to the stock pot.
Add the remaining oil to the grill top and saute the sausage rounds until lightly seared. Transfer sausages to the stock pot.
While the vegetables and sausages are being sauteed, rinse the okra in a colander with cool water until water runs clear. This will remove some of the viscosity (slime) from the okra. Allow the okra to rest in the colander, shaking occasionally to drain off any excess water.
About ten minutes before serving, add the okra, roasted red peppers and file powder to the gumbo pot. Check for flavor and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve gumbo hot over a scoop of rice (recipe below) and with plenty of hot sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Rice for a Crowd
40 servings
- 7 cups long grain brown rice
- 14 cups spring water
- 8 cubes vegetable bouillon (we like Rapunzel brand Sea Salt and Herb)
Rinse dry rice under one or two changes of cool water to remove dust and grit. Transfer rice to the stock pot with the warming water. Bring pot to a boil, give the contents a good stir to break up any chunks of bouillon, and lower heat to medium.
Allow rice to cook at a gentle simmer, covered, until all water has been absorbed and rice is tender. Take pot off heat and keep in a warm place until ready to serve.
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