The Recipe Thread [tm--CajunCook]
For Seafood, substitue the seafood for the chicken
(shrimp peeled and deheaded please!!! Use the shells to make a stock to use in thinning the roux.)
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Chicken, Sausage & Optional Egg Gumbo<o:p></o:p>
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2 gallons water
2 cups roux
1 cup dried onion flakes or 2 cups fresh chopped onions
2 cups fresh chopped bell peppers 1cup dried bell pepper flakes
1 cup chopped fresh green onions or1 cup green onion flakes
7 heaping teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
¼ cup dried parsley flakes
2 cloves chopped fresh garlic or 2 teaspoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)
½ teaspoon red pepper (More can be added or Tabasco for extra spiciness.)
2 teaspoons dried celery flakes
1 bay leaf
1 to 1 ½ lb. Smoked pork sausage
2 to 4 cups cubed chicken. (See notes below.)
4-6 tablespoons file’
1 dozen eggs
Cajun seasoning (A mix of salt, red & black pepper, garlic & onion powder & paprika.)
Notes: Either boneless skinless breast meat cut into 1 ¼ “ cubes or bone-in chicken pieces which have been simmered in water and about 2 teaspoons of Cajun Seasoning and de-boned. If using de-boned chicken, use the water it was simmered in as part of the 4 quarts water above. I also add finely chopped Tasso- about ½ to ¾ cup to my gumbo pot. Tasso is highly seasoned smoked lean pork and is an optional ingredient.
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Put the water into a stockpot; add the roux and bring to a boil. (Watch and lower heat before it boils over.) Add all the seasonings except the file’ and Cajun Seasoning.
In a skillet on the side, sear the sausage rounds, & if using raw chicken cubes, sprinkle with Cajun Seasoning and sear the chicken also. Drain fat. Add a little water to loosen the “pan scrapings”. Add to the stockpot. The sausage and the chicken bouillon granules are high in salt, so do not add any until after tasting in a couple of hours. Simmer for at least 2 hours. If too much liquid boils away and the gumbo gets too thick, add a little water. Taste for adjustments needed in salt and pepper. About 10 minutes before serving add 1 to 2 tablespoons file’ and simmer 10 more minutes.
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Options: Hardboiled (peeled) eggs can be dropped in during the last hour of cooking to add more “meat” to the pot. Or, about 20 minutes before serving, lower heat to just a slight simmer, break and drop raw eggs into the gumbo & do not stir for 5 minutes to let them “set”. (The eggs will pick up the flavors of the gumbo and do make a nice “surprise treat” in the gumbo.) Adding the raw eggs will allow the eggs to pick up more flavor than the hardboiled ones, but some people don’t like the appearance of irregular shaped eggs. Serve over rice in a soup bowl. Gumbo can be saved in the fridge a couple of days and tastes better a day old. It also freezes very well. If you put eggs, be careful reheating in the microwave. The yolks can explode.