Harvest Gumbo
:
Cooking Time:
02:00:00
Difficulty:
Medium
Measurements:
Imperial (US)
Ingredients
- 1 large Rocky or other organic chicken
- Water
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1 cup chopped sweet peppers
- 1 28oz. can of chopped tomatoes with juice
- 1 lb fresh or frozen okra, cut into 1/2
- 4 andouille sausages (6" long), cut into 1/2 rounds
- Louisana hot sauce to taste
Directions
Place chicken in a large stock pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken( keep the stock!) and cool. Shred into pieces. Reserve for gumbo.
Skim fat from stock and reserve for gumbo.
In a heavy- bottomed stock pot make what is called a brown roux. This takes careful cooking but is not difficult. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 10-15 minutes.
During this time the roux will transform from golden to a dark coffee/caramel color. The darker the roux, the more complex the flavors of the gumbo, but don’t push it too far. If you see black flecks appear, immediately remove from heat and proceed with recipe.
When the roux is dark enough and smells toasted, immediately add the chopped onions, peppers and celery. This will arrest the cooking of the roux.
Stir for about 5 mins. to coat the vegetables. Add 8 cups of the reserved stock, the tomatoes, okra, shredded chicken, and sausages. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the soup for about 1 1/2 hours, adding more stock as needed.
Add hot sauce,salt and pepper to taste.